Walk the Walk?

The underlining question in both works,J Alfred Prufrock and Hamlet, comes down to the simplicity of whether  it is worth it or not? Eliot uses  "Do I Dare" while Shakespeare uses "To be or not to be." Both authors illustrate young men possessed with the eternal curse of doing or not doing. Both characters are afraid of what consequences will come due to their actions. Nevertheless each character manifests their crisis in a different manner. 

Sexual distress is a blemish that both Hamlet and Prufrock endure throughout their odysseys´s. In an age where most men should flourish in both their sex-life and liberty to chase after whom ever they choose both men are placed under a chastity-belt. Both men; whether it be Hamlet´s perverted jokes to Ophelia or Prufrock´s craving for a "cheap night" indicate a resentment towards society. A resentment that starts to form a blood-shot blindness, an obscuring red that signifies hate towards human society. In Hamlet´s case it is hard to fully interpret his true intentions, due to the fact that his perspective on being the Prince of Denmark impedes him from showing true emotion, from being a human. Thus leading to the eternal speculation that what may really be behind Hamlet´s rage towards society might be the jealousy that his uncle to away the biggest love of his life, Gertrude. The reader is left to puzzle the pieces together. 

On the other hand, Prufrock´s bombardment of emotions leaves the reader wondering if so much thought is actually healthy. Prufrock opens himself up to the public, he does not doubt whether to state everything he feels contrary to Hamlet. But what both fail to do is act. Neither Pruforck nor Hamlet ever act on their maladies, as some say "they talk the talk but do not walk the walk." While both criticize  society´s maladies, Shakespeare and Eliot make it clear that their characters are the personification of society´s true problems. While one cannot even make up his mind to kill himself while others die by the thousands for nothing. The other questions love when asking "What is it?" as though afraid of getting hurt when not having the slightest idea of what love really is. 

When reaching the end of both works, just when the reader is convinced that the message of the play is dare to act, everyone dies. Thus leaving the questions: why? why bother suffering if at the end every one dies? why try to change society? Prufrock closes by saying that "till human voices wake us, and we drown." Hamlet ends by the death of even Hamlet himself. Neither Hamlet triumphs on his mission of vengeance not even Prufrock´s lover survives because with the first hint of transparent humanity, no one stays afloat. Both authors leave the audience with a terrible or better stated insufficient grounds to conclude what society should do. Or maybe it shouldn't do anything at all.