Existential philosophy, while holding to six essential tenets (existence precedes essence, alienation, anxiety, absurdity, the void, death), carries a spectrum of beliefs. Many, if not all, tenets of existentialism are prevalent in Shakespeare’s "Hamlet," Albert Camus’ "The Plague," and Franz Kafka’s "The Metamorphosis." Two of the most prevalent tenets with the test are the inevitability of death and the absurdity of the human condition. Although all three texts prove these two existential tenets, "The Plague" argues that one should find meaning within these tenets while "Metamorphosis" and Shakespeare challenge Camus’ argument.
Each text expresses the absurdity of the human condition. In one of Hamlet’s soliloquies he challenges the importance of the world and humanity. Referring to humanity, he rhetorically asks, “what is this quintessence of dust?” (Shakespeare II.ii.308). By stating the insufficiency of the human condition, he contributes to the fact that since everything is meaningless, it is in turn absurd. In the same way, Camus uses the plague as a symbolic metaphor for the absurdity of life. He writes, “on some days only ten or so deaths were notified. Then, all of a sudden, the figure shot up again, vertically” (Camus 63). Through the unpredictability of the plague, Camus argues the irrationality of one’s existence; that nothing can be predicted. "Metamorphosis," arguably the most extreme, flat out addresses the absurdity in the first line of the text. Kafka writes, “When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning, he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug” (Kafka 11). Gregor immediately finds himself in an absurd state in which he is alienated from the human world. His metamorphosis into a bug symbolizes one’s lack of purpose in life as humans live in a meaningless world. Gregor’s absurd condition aligns with the way in which Hamlet laments about the insignificance of humanity and Camus’ plague metaphor, as each text addresses the absurd condition of individuals.
While also embodying the existential tenet of absurdity, each text also depicts the inevitability of death. Hamlet laments that “the readiness is all. Since no man of aught he leaves knows, / what is ’t to leave betimes? Let be” (Shakespeare V.ii.234-236). Hamlet acknowledges the impending death of each individual and in turn states the one should be ready and accept the event since there is nothing one can do to prevent it. Camus acknowledges death in the same way as he writes, “‘the order of the world is shaped by death’” (Camus 128). Camus makes it clear that individuals, whether to find purpose or not, shape their actions around death. Both Shakespeare and Hamlet plainly acknowledge the end result of death that each individual will eventually face. Kafka also makes the same argument as he writes, “[Gregor’s] opinion about the necessity for him to disappear was… firmer than his sister’s… He remained in this state of vacant and peaceful contemplation” (Kafka 49). Kafka’s solemn diction with the use of words such as “vacant” and “peaceful” symbolize Gregor’s acceptance with death. While Camus and Shakespeare acknowledge death’s inevitability, Kafka depicts an individual in the act of death who chooses to die in peace. Nevertheless, all three texts clearly acknowledge death’s inevitability.
Although each text argues life’s absurdity and inevitable death, Camus demonstrates the need to find purpose in this condition, whereas Shakespeare and Kafka challenge this belief. In "The Plague" Rieux states, “‘To fight abstraction you must have something of it in your own make-up’” (Camus 91). Through the words of Rieux, Camus argues the need to find purpose in life. While he acknowledges life’s absurdity and its inevitable end in death, one still has the free will to create meaning within the time one is given on this earth. Shakespeare and Kafka on the other hand, believe that since life is meaningless, there is no need to create meaning. Hamlet stares, “Though your fat king and your lean beggar is but/ variable service, two dishes, but to one table:/ that's the end” (Shakespeare III.ii.59). Acknowledging that everyone is ultimately the same in the face of death, Hamlet struggles to see any significance in creating an individualized purpose. This mentality causes Hamlet’s inability to kill Claudius throughout the play. He does not see any need to find purpose and thus inhibits himself from being decisive and taking action. Kafka, while making the same argument, demonstrates indirectly. Kafka writes that when Gregor first tries to speak to his family as a bug the attempts to “[make] an effort, by enunciating most carefully…. to free his voice of anything out the ordinary” (Kafka 13). However, Gregor soon realizes that “his speech was no longer intelligible” (Kafka 19). Gregor’s inability to speak is paralleled to the way in which the actions of individual are pointless. As aforementioned, as a bug, Gregor is not able to create a purpose. Kafka intentionally makes Gregor a bug to emphasis that in life, one has no purpose and no purpose should be created. Both Kafka and Shakespeare contradict Camus’ argument as they refuse to find any hope in the existential philosophy. Rather than attempting to create a purpose within life’s absurdity, they argue that acknowledging life’s absurdity means that attempts to create any purpose are unnecessary and vain.
In comparing the works of Shakespeare, Kafka, and Camus, it is clear that while existentialism holds the same general tenets that are varying practical implications. Camus provided a more hopeful view of existentialism in which individuals could still find meaning within their existence. While both Shakespeare and Kafka emphasized a more melancholy viewpoint in which individuals should not make any attempts to create purpose. In understanding existential philosophy it is imperative to compare its literature to draw meaningful connections. Through philosophy and religion, the meaning of life has been reflected since the beginning of time. Is life pointless? If so, can one still create a purpose within a chaotic and insignificant universe? These are questions that these existential authors have worked to answer within their works. As individuals continue to reflect on these questions one should explore various philosophers and authors such as these in order to find individual truth.
