Plot in Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice

The way the plot is unfolded is similar in both Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice. Both stories lay out a series of events and present background information that is necessary to follow the story line. For example in Hamlet the introduction of the characters in the beginning grave scene is a necessary component for understanding the death of Hamlet’s father and why the ghost is so relevant. Like Hamlet, Pride and Prejudice also presents the characters and story line in chronological order. This arrangement helps the reader stay connected with the characters and become familiar with their distinct reactions to certain situations. For example, Elizabeth is introduced as the sister of a very complex family and her reactions in the first few chapters help the reader see that she is very judgmental; an observation that is essential to understanding the overall meaning of the novel and her place in it. 

Although similar, the plots of Hamlet and Pride and Prejudice prove to be different. While both do follow the basic stages of a play, including the exposition, rising actions, climax, falling action, and denouement, their physical arrangements contrast. Hamlet, opposed to Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is broken up into acts and those acts into scenes. This fragmented arrangement helps keep the reader in line and focused, while giving them a break in between critical moments to absorb all of the events that previously occurred.  In Pride and Prejudice there are chapters, and in the first chapter Austen employs “in medias res” by using a show not tell method. Specifically, Austen throws the reader into an unfamiliar conversation between unfamiliar characters, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Although, at first this may seem strange to the reader, it actually forces him to hesitate asking questions until more information is revealed.