• violent crime against a family member of the hero, who exacts the revenge;

• the avenger has a very close relationship with the audience 

•  psicological penetration through reflections of the hero

• doubt and uncertainty.

• Juliet: active

• Ophelia: passive

- They are dramatic and verbose;

- They are clever;

- They have a way with words;

- They have a “sensible” companion;

- They consider or commit suicide;

- They accidentally kill a family member of their lover;

- Neither couple is married or happy.

Differences:

- Affections for their lovers are different;

- While Hamlet is revengeful and cruel, Romeo is romantic and kind.

- they both commit suicide

Differences:

- While Juliet is a strong woman, Ophelia in weak and insane;

- Juliet’s is an active suicide, while Ophelia’s is a passive suicide.

 - at the end of the play the main characters die;

- family conflict;

Differences:

- Hamlet -> revenge; Romeo and Juliet-> love

- Hamlet -> supernatural has an important role; Romeo and Juliet -> not at all;

- Hamlet -> there is metadrama; Romeo and Juliet -> not at all;

- Hamlet -> considered a dialogue with death; Romeo and Juliet -> accidental or fated death.

• uses metaphors, similes and wordplays

• ambiguous

• melancholic 

• father and son relationship 

• love

• madness

• youth and age

• action and inaction

• corruption – power

• God and life after death

• meaning of the theatre

• life and death

• melancholy and doubt

• appearance and reality

• honour

• he believes men would rather kills themselves than live through those unfortunate events thrown at them by fate

• however, men fear the life after death

• thinking like this turns men into cowards and action to inaction