"So I began to think of a different story, a better story, that would destroy Nick for doing this to me. A story that would restore my perfection. It would make me the hero, flawless and adored.
Because everyone loves the Dead Girl."
-Amy Dunne, Gone Girl
In both Hamlet and Gone Girl, we see how characters plan their courses of action to seek revenge. The character of Amy can be compared to Hamlet in an assortment of ways through her quest to seek revenge on her husband Nick.
1) Both Hamlet and Amy seek revenge because they feel they have been personally wronged.
Hamlet is upset after his mother's hasty marriage to Claudius and the ghost telling him about Claudius's murder of King Hamlet galvanizes Hamlet's action to seek revenge. Hamlet sets a direct course for revenge, but constantly sabotages himself by thinking too much.
Amy Dunne has also been wronged. Her husband has stripped her of her identity, wealth, and dignity after moving her to the Midwest. After finding out that Nick is cheating on her, Amy is pushed over the edge and begins her plot to destroy her husband's life. Hamlet is similarly robbed of his identity by Claudius as Amy is by Nick; he loses his identity as the son of the beloved King Hamlet and next in line for the throne.
2) Both Amy and Hamlet's desire for revenge spreads to others.
After Claudius learns of Hamlet's plot, he is determined to seek revenge on Hamlet for his plot and kill him. Hamlet's quest for revenge also results in him rashly killing Polonius. This prompts Laertes to seek revenge on Hamlet to avenge his father. Hamlet's steps towards avenging his father cause all of this chaos.
After Amy returns from being "kidnapped", her husband Nick is furious with her for framing him. So furious that he aims to seek revenge on her as she did him. He constantly searches for ways to prove her guilt, saying, "I will stay close to her until I can bring her down. I'm the only one left who can do it. Someday she'll slip and tell me something I can use" (542).
3) Their inaction causes trouble for themselves.
Hamlet comes across the perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, the object of his revenge. However, he turns it down after overthinking the action. Hamlet's inaction in this case proves to be fatal. Had he killed Claudius then and there, Hamlet would have saved his own life, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, and Laertes.
Amy's decision to cease her action also proves to be a mistake for her. She settles at a remote campsite after being "missing" for a few weeks. Amy makes two friends named Jeff and Greta and decides to stay at her cabin for a while and see where Nick's story went, even though she had told herself she was going to keep moving and ultimately kill herself to frame Nick. However, she ceases her action and lets her guard down, and Jeff and Greta steal all the money she has and runs away with it. Amy is forced to turn to Desi after this deception. Had she continued her action, Amy might have perfectly framed Nick for her murder and given him the justice she believed that he deserved.
Because everyone loves the Dead Girl."
-Amy Dunne, Gone Girl
In both Hamlet and Gone Girl, we see how characters plan their courses of action to seek revenge. The character of Amy can be compared to Hamlet in an assortment of ways through her quest to seek revenge on her husband Nick.
1) Both Hamlet and Amy seek revenge because they feel they have been personally wronged.
Hamlet is upset after his mother's hasty marriage to Claudius and the ghost telling him about Claudius's murder of King Hamlet galvanizes Hamlet's action to seek revenge. Hamlet sets a direct course for revenge, but constantly sabotages himself by thinking too much.
Amy Dunne has also been wronged. Her husband has stripped her of her identity, wealth, and dignity after moving her to the Midwest. After finding out that Nick is cheating on her, Amy is pushed over the edge and begins her plot to destroy her husband's life. Hamlet is similarly robbed of his identity by Claudius as Amy is by Nick; he loses his identity as the son of the beloved King Hamlet and next in line for the throne.
2) Both Amy and Hamlet's desire for revenge spreads to others.
After Claudius learns of Hamlet's plot, he is determined to seek revenge on Hamlet for his plot and kill him. Hamlet's quest for revenge also results in him rashly killing Polonius. This prompts Laertes to seek revenge on Hamlet to avenge his father. Hamlet's steps towards avenging his father cause all of this chaos.
After Amy returns from being "kidnapped", her husband Nick is furious with her for framing him. So furious that he aims to seek revenge on her as she did him. He constantly searches for ways to prove her guilt, saying, "I will stay close to her until I can bring her down. I'm the only one left who can do it. Someday she'll slip and tell me something I can use" (542).
3) Their inaction causes trouble for themselves.
Hamlet comes across the perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, the object of his revenge. However, he turns it down after overthinking the action. Hamlet's inaction in this case proves to be fatal. Had he killed Claudius then and there, Hamlet would have saved his own life, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, and Laertes.
Amy's decision to cease her action also proves to be a mistake for her. She settles at a remote campsite after being "missing" for a few weeks. Amy makes two friends named Jeff and Greta and decides to stay at her cabin for a while and see where Nick's story went, even though she had told herself she was going to keep moving and ultimately kill herself to frame Nick. However, she ceases her action and lets her guard down, and Jeff and Greta steal all the money she has and runs away with it. Amy is forced to turn to Desi after this deception. Had she continued her action, Amy might have perfectly framed Nick for her murder and given him the justice she believed that he deserved.