Claudius and Gabriel are very similar, as they are very different people. Claudius and Gabriel share the characteristic that both regret what they do. Gabriel doesn’t actually get down on his knees and pray like Claudius does, the reader could tell though, that Gabriel is having some great problems with the way he is. His personality interferes with his daily life. He hates white people yet he is a preacher, a teacher of God. Gabriel does other things throughout the book that make other characters in the book wonder if Gabriel really wants to be a preacher, if Gabriel really can handle the responsibilities, any longer, that are needed to be a preacher. Claudius killed his own brother. His actions have basically ruined his life. The way he thinks and handles things aren’t the most productive and at times aren’t very bright.
Gabriel has many problems with his life. At times, he can’t really control his thoughts and his actions. He is a very confused person as well. He does so many things throughout the book that make it seem as if he doesn’t care about anyone or anything and just does what ever he wants to do, with out any boundaries being drawn to what he could do. He had sex with a women that was not his wife, while he was married!! How can a preacher do such a thing. It was against Gods Commandments but he did it anyway. Does he regret what he does? Probably. He thinks to himself and maybe prays to God asking him for his forgiveness and help to stop him from being such a person. If something came up like to have sex with another women other than his wife, he would probably go ahead and have sex without thinking to much about it. Gabriel is also a very selfish person. He does things that he wants to do. Gabriel doesn’t sacrifice anything for anyone. If he feels like having sex with another women, he goes ahead and does it. He doesn’t think about Deborah’s thoughts, about Gods thoughts or about anyone else’s thoughts. Does he even love Deborah? There was a part of the book where Gabriel was thinking to himself and he talks about how he hates Deborah. The following is that same part.
“Deborah turned to look at them, and at that moment Gabriel saw, as though for the first time, how black and bony was this wife of his, and how wholly undesirable. Deborah looked at him with a watchful silence in her look; he felt the hand that held his Bible begin to sweat and tremble; he thought of the joyless groaning of their marriage bed; and he hated her.” (pg 118)
What’s wrong with Gabriel? Does he actually love Deborah as his wife? Does he regret for hating Deborah? Does he really want to be a preacher? Does he even regret what he did, in terms of cheating on Deborah or treating John as he does?
Claudius also didn’t have a very delightful life. He murders his own brother to become king and to marry Gertrude, the queen. Did Claudius think about what he was doing? I don’t think so. He didn’t consider Gertrude’s thoughts, Hamlets thoughts or anyone else’s thoughts. He just went ahead and killed him because of his own selfishness. After he commits this crime he then realizes what he has done. He then regrets what he did to his own brother. The difference between Hamlet and Go Tell it on the Mountain is that, they actually show the reader that Claudius regrets what he did, by making Claudius say a prayer to God asking for forgiveness. There are small parts in the book that show that Gabriel does care about what he did. The following quote is one of the few parts where Gabriel wants God’s forgiveness.
“Gabriel,” she asked, “why did you do it?Why you let her go off and die, all by herself? Why ain’t you never said nothing?”
And now he could not answer. He could not raise his head.
“Why?” she insisted. “Honey, I ain’t never asked you. But I got a right to know-and when you wanted a son so bad?”
Then, shaking, he rose from the table and walked slowly to the window, looking out.
“I asked my God to forgive me,” he said. “But I didn’t want no harlot’s son.”
“Esther weren’t no harlot,” she said quietly…………….
“Honey,” she said, in another, stronger voice, “you better pray God to forgive. You better not let go until He make you know you been forgiven.” (pg 148-149)
Its a shame we don’t get to see Gabriel pray to God for forgiveness for what he has done in the book because it would tell the reader that Gabriel does care and realizes that what he has done is wrong. See the similarities between Claudius and Gabriel. They both are selfishness in different ways. Claudius only thinks about himself and Gabriel doesn’t think about anyone else’s opinions on the actions he does, so he is selfish in the sense that he thinks about himself and about what he wants not about what others think and about what others would want him to do and not to do There aren’t very many differences between the two people.
Gabriel is a kind of person who is very confused and needs help to getting back into what is reality. He isn’t really concentrating on the life he has now but he is co ncentrating more on the kind of life that he really wants. I was able to tell that Gabriel didn’t really love Deborah. The reader could realize or question if Gabriel really wanted to be a preacher any longer. Claudius isn’t as confused. He knows exactly what he is doing and he knows exactly what he wants.
I noticed that later in the book of Hamlet, Claudius realized that what he did wasn’t really what he wanted to do. He regrets and asks for forgiveness for what he has done. He knew what he was going to do but wasn’t exactly sure that he wanted to do what he did, which was kill King Hamlet. Another difference was that Gabriel seemed to be a more religious person, considering he is a preacher, than Claudius was. The following selection is just a part when Gabriel is praying to God. It is just to show you how religious Gabriel is.
“He fasted on his knees before God and did not cease, daily and nightly, to pray that God might work through him a mighty work and cause all men to see that, indeed, God’s hand was on him, that he was the Lord’s anointed.” (pg 101)
Claudius was a king and seemed to be not to much of a religious person. There are differences but not as many as there are similarities.
In conclusion, Gabriel and Claudius do have some similarities as well has differences. Some of the similarities that Gabriel and Claudius have are that both are selfish in their own way. Gabriel had sex with another women because Deborah wasn’t “good enough.” He didn’t think about Deborah’s feelings if she ever did find out about Gabriel cheating on her but instead thought about his own feelings and his own desires. Claudius is selfish in the sense that he kills his own brother to become king and to marry Gertrude. He cared more about being king and marrying a “beautiful” women than having his own brother live.
Gabriel and Claudius also have differences. One of the obvious differences is that one is a preacher and the other is a king. Another difference is that Claudius had all his things together, he knew what he was doing and knew what he wanted. Gabriel on the other hand was little more confused and didn’t really have things together, or didn’t really have things the way they should be. He couldn’t control his emotions and couldn’t control most of his actions. I enjoyed reading both books, though I thought Hamlet was a good book to read just because it was different. A kind of book I had never read before.
