Exploring the “Heart of Darkness” in Literature

Oftentimes, when comparing writing, whether it be from the 1800s or newer writing from the 21st century, we can see a few common and shared themes. Love, Luck, Heroism, Heartbreak, and Struggle, just to name a few, are themes that can be found in almost all pieces of literature. One of the many themes found in both classic and modern literature is that of Madness. The descent or ascent to Madness in both protagonists and their plot-driving counterparts can be found in many different pieces of writing.

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness are both writings that explore the rise of Madness in their protagonists. Shakespeare’s Hamlet speaks broadly about the Madness solely created by one person, while Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness focuses on the Madness produced by unstable conditions. Between these two novels, both authors create masterpieces depicting the actions and results of Madness.

Hamlet & Madness: A Shakespearean Descent

Although both novels take place in dramatically different places and time periods, they are both places in which evil exists, and things created by man have the ability to bring on that evil. The endless need for power that drove Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, to kill Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, is one of many types of evil presented in the novel. In Heart of Darkness, the Madness stems from the desire for power and the need for ivory. The power in Heart of Darkness is not only apparent because it causes logical and powerful men like Kurtz to commit his mad acts but also because of how fast Marlow is able to discover how quickly power and the hunger for it can change things.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, readers can find a fall to Madness driven by heartbreak, loss, trouble, and betrayal. These are all things in which the protagonist, Hamlet, must learn to live. However, in the process of learning to live in these unstable conditions, Hamlet not only loses himself but his remaining stable state of mind, as well. Characters like Hamlet, whose flaws we may see at the beginning of writing, are often susceptible to their troubles, tearing their state of mind apart. By the end of this belles-lettres, the delirium seen in these characters is comparable to that of one who, when introduced to them, is already mad. Hamlet’s Madness is driven by his life struggles and heightened by the deception of not only his childhood friends but his mother and uncle as well. The causes of Hamlet’s Madness are much different from that of Marlow in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.

Conrad’s Gaze: Power’s Role in Insanity

Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness is about the human psyche. It considers man’s ability to descend into Madness as well as his ability to break from it and triumph over his dark, haunting thoughts and impulses that threaten to consume one’s heart and mind. This struggle between Madness and one’s ability to break away from it is presented perfectly in Conrad’s narrative of the main character, Marlow. Although Marlow is the driver of the theme of Madness in this novel, another character who perfectly resembles this is Kurtz. The perception of Madness within this work allows the reader to perceive the god-like mentality and extreme sense of self-importance that Kurtz develops. Kurtz, in developing this

References

1. Conrad, J. (1899). Heart of Darkness. Blackwood’s Magazine.
2. Shakespeare, W. (1603). Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The Globe.