“I am who I am. I am Bill Unwin (there, I declare myself!). I am Hamlet the
Dane” (Swift 173). This citation neatly covers what Graham Swift’s novel Ever
After is about; a no one identifies himself with a world-famous figure, namely William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, to provide some structure and meaning to his irrelevant existence.
Swift tries to picture the insignificance of life and therefore, focuses the
story of this middle-aged desperate and childless widower Bill Unwin, who recently survived an attempted suicide. Searching for clues to understand his life, Unwin addresses themes such as love, loss, identity, mortality, and the ephemeral nature of life. In order to give his own existence a sense of meaning, Bill empathizes with Hamlet, but in the end the reader has to discover that these two characters have nothing in common and Unwin’s emptiness of life is stressed. So, if you take all of Unwin’s façade and shape away he tried to construct from Hamlet, no meaning to his life, rather nothing remains, thus,
this novel is to show how meaningless and transient life actually is.
Therefore, to illustrate this occurrence in this paper, first of all, shared character traits between Bill Unwin and Hamlet the Dane are listed to later on destroy the illusion of Bill being Hamlet by outlining the differences between these two figures. Following, the emptiness of Unwin’s life is pointed out and reasons of creating the protagonist like this are specified. Finally, Swift’s intention is reached as the overall insignificance of life becomes obvious.
Table of Contents
1 Insignificance of Life
2 Bill Unwin’s Pretense to Be Hamlet
2.1 Shared Character Traits
2.1 Differences between These Figures
3 Swift’s Intention to Chose Hamlet as a Reference Text and to Create His Narrator like This
4 A Story for Reflection
Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to examine how Graham Swift utilizes intertextual allusions to Shakespeare’s Hamlet within his novel Ever After to portray the protagonist, Bill Unwin, and to illustrate the overarching themes of the insignificance, meaninglessness, and transience of human life.
- The role of intertextuality in constructing the protagonist's identity
- Comparative analysis of character traits between Bill Unwin and Hamlet
- The function of the "stepfather" motif in shaping the narrative
- The exploration of existential themes such as mortality and identity loss
- The intentional disillusionment of the reader regarding the protagonist's self-perception
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Shared Character Traits
The references to Shakespeare’s Hamlet already start to occur from the beginning of the novel. Thus, the narrator Bill Unwin introduces himself to the reader by comparing himself to Hamlet: “I have imagined myself – surreptitiously, presumptuously, appropriately, perversely – as Hamlet” (Swift 5). In the following, several other similarities between Bill and Hamlet will be described.
Unwin is grabbed by Hamlet’s distraught mediations on the meaning of life and the vengeance theme (see Swift 6). “Hamlet is actuated, or immobilized, by two questions: 1) Is there or is there not a point to it all? 2) Shall I kill Claudius (…) or shall I kill myself?” (Swift 6). Like Hamlet in his first question after the meaning of life, the narrator himself looks for the fullness of being, for firm ground on which to base his life (see Jacobmeyer “Graham Swift, Ever After: A Study in Intertextuality”). Trying to recover his sense of self, Bill is sitting in some college gardens and reflecting on parts of his being. There he is contemplating the meaning of life (see Swift 11). According to that, Hamlet and Unwin both can be seen as meditative and melancholy people.
Summary of Chapters
1 Insignificance of Life: This chapter introduces the core argument that Bill Unwin adopts the persona of Hamlet to find meaning in his otherwise empty and irrelevant existence.
2 Bill Unwin’s Pretense to Be Hamlet: This section details the superficial parallels between the protagonist and Shakespeare's character, while simultaneously deconstructing them by highlighting the fundamental differences in their circumstances and achievements.
2.1 Shared Character Traits: This subsection analyzes specific narrative instances where Unwin mirrors Hamlet's contemplative nature, melancholy, and his complex feelings toward his stepfather.
2.1 Differences between These Figures: This subsection provides a critical contrast between the two figures, exposing Unwin's lack of true purpose and his failure to achieve the status of a tragic hero.
3 Swift’s Intention to Chose Hamlet as a Reference Text and to Create His Narrator like This: This chapter discusses why the author deliberately uses Hamlet as a foil to emphasize the protagonist's lack of identity and the inherent transience of life.
4 A Story for Reflection: The final chapter concludes that the novel serves as a post-modern reflection on the futility of seeking permanence in a world defined by decay and death.
Keywords
Graham Swift, Ever After, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Intertextuality, Bill Unwin, Existentialism, Transience, Meaninglessness, Identity, Literary Analysis, Modern Literature, Narrative Structure, Character Study
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper explores how the protagonist Bill Unwin in Graham Swift’s novel Ever After identifies with Shakespeare’s Hamlet to provide structure to his life, and how this identification ultimately fails to hide his insignificance.
What are the central themes discussed?
The central themes include the insignificance of life, the transience of human existence, the search for identity, and the influence of family tragedy and suicide.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate that the author uses Hamlet as an intertextual reference to expose the emptiness of the protagonist's life and the inevitability of decay.
Which methodology is applied in this study?
The analysis utilizes a close reading of the novel Ever After in connection with Hamlet, supported by secondary literature on intertextuality and the works of Graham Swift.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body examines the specific shared traits between Unwin and Hamlet, follows this with a contrast of their differences, and analyzes the author's intentional use of the reference text to serve the narrative's bleak conclusion.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Key terms include Graham Swift, Ever After, Hamlet, Intertextuality, existentialism, transience, and identity.
How does the author characterize Bill Unwin's obsession with Hamlet?
It is characterized as a "pretense" or a "façade" that Unwin constructs to mask his lack of a true, meaningful role in society.
Why does the author consider Unwin a "loser figure"?
He is described as a loser figure because he never achieves success, lacks significant tasks, and ultimately realizes that his life is devoid of the grand purpose he projected onto it.
- Citar trabajo
- Lena Groß (Autor), 2013, Bill Unwin's pretense to be Hamlet in Graham Swift's novel "Ever After", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/269075
