Sons Of Anarchy: 10 Hamlet Characters & Their Counterparts In The Show
When William Shakespeare wrote his longest play Hamlet (30,557 words), he probably never imagined it being used as inspiration for a production such as Sons Of Anarchy. Series creator Kurt Sutter has previously stated that the highly-rated FX series is loosely based on the widely-studied piece of literature.
In both Hamlet and Sons Of Anarchy, blood is shed at an alarming rate. Perhaps the only area where the FX series fails to match the play is the dialogue. All of the major fictional characters in ancient Denmark have their counterparts in Charming too. Horses have been replaced by bikes while swords have been replaced by guns.
10 Hamlet - Jax Teller
Jax probably sees Hamlet's face when he looks in the mirror. The two characters are both born as sons of leaders. Jax's father is the president of SAMCRO while Hamlet's father is the King Of Denmark. Both Hamlet and Jax go on to inherit the throne. Both Hamlet and Jax's fathers are dead when events begin.
For much of Sons Of Anarchy, the shadow of Jax's father John Teller looms over specific characters. The same happens in Hamlet where the ghost of Hamlet's father appears on a couple of occasions. Both Jax and Hamlet are also forced to deal with their evil uncles who also happen to be their step-fathers. As they grow, they both leave plenty of destruction in their wake.
9 Claudius - Clay Morrow
Claudius kills Hamlet's father when he least expects it. He pours poison in his ear while he is asleep. Clay kills John Teller by tampering with his bike, causing him to crash.
Just as Clay murders John Teller in order to be with Gemma and become president of SAMCRO, Claudius murders Hamlet's father in order to take his wife Gertrude and become king of Denmark. Eventually, Clay is killed by Jax Teller who shoots him in the neck and chest. Hamlet kills Claudius by stabbing him and forcing him to drink poison.
8 Gertrude - Gemma
Gertrude is hardly affected by the death of Hamlet's father. Since she enjoys being queen, she quickly moves on to be with Claudius. The same can be said of Gemma who barely mourns John Teller. She is quick to be with Clay since she considers him more manly and not a nice guy.
Like Gertrude, Gemma watches her son turn into a more ruthless version of himself. Both of their deaths are linked to their sons too. Gertrude drinks poison meant for Hamlet while Gemma gets killed by Jax.
7 Polonius - Wayne Unser
Claudius' chief counselor Polonius does plenty of favors for him throughout the play. Such is the case for Wayne Unser too, who helps Clay and SAMCRO as a whole, despite being a police chief.
Polonius eventually dies when he bumps into Hamlet having an argument with Queen Gertrude. Hamlet is acting violently towards Gertrude, so Polonius tries to help but Hamlet stabs him. Unser's death mirror's this too. He finds Jax confronting Gemma over Tara's death. When he tries to save Gemma, Jax shoots him.
6 Ophelia - Tara
Ophelia is the love interest of Hamlet in the play. Her relationship with him isn't a smooth one. She is frequently warned against falling for Hamlet because he is not good for her. She ignores the warnings and listens to her heart. Sadly, her stubbornness leads to her death.
Tara is Jax's Old Lady. Her relationship with him isn't easy-flowing either. She is a doctor and viewers get the sense that she deserves better than to be with an outlaw like Jax but she sticks by him. She keeps postponing her departure from Charming. Sadly, her extended stay leads to tragedy.
5 The Ghost Of Hamlet's Father - John Teller (JT)
The Ghost talks to young Hamlet a lot. He lets him know that it was Claudius who murdered him. He also expresses his disappointment over the fact that Gertrude married Claudius.
John Teller's voice is heard for the most part of the series. He communicates with Jax through the letters that he left behind. It is through the letters that Jax finds out that Clay was responsible for his father's death. The letters explain Clay and Gemma's relationship and how John Teller was heartbroken by the turn of events.
4 Horatio - Chibs
Horatio is Hamlet's trusted friend and advisor. He only disagrees with him once for the entirety of the play. He is mostly of sound and moral mind. He is rarely seen committing evil acts like other characters. At the end of the play, a dying Hamlet asks him to make things right and tell his (Hamlet's) story.
Chibs mirrors Horatio perfectly. He is loyal to Jax for most of the series and rarely questions his decisions. At the end of the series, Jax hands over the leadership of SAMCRO to him and requests him to make things right. By this, he means fulfilling his mission of getting SAMCRO out of the gun business. Chibs eventually keeps this promise.
3 Fortinbras - Nero
Norwegian crown prince Fortinbras is mostly a man of action. Claudius is afraid that Fortinbras will take what he owns. He sends ambassadors to Norway to help block his invasion. In the end, he is one of the few surviving characters. He gives Hamlet a proper burial and takes over the kingdom.
Claudius' fear of Nero taking what is his can be equated to Nero taking Gemma. He tries to prevent this from happening but it's inevitable. At the end of the series, Nero becomes a guardian for Jax's family. This can be equated to Fortinbras honoring Hamlet and taking over the kingdom.
2 Laertes - Jury
In Hamlet, Laertes is responsible for the fall of Hamlet, thanks to his poisoned sword. He also implicates Claudius. Most importantly, Laertes is a humble and honorable man.
Like Laertes, Jury White, the president of the Indian Hills charter is also an honorable man. Jury causes the downfall of Jax because the SAMCRO president accidentally kills him for thinking he ratted on SAMCRO to the Chinese. This leads to the club voting for Jax to meet Mr. Mayhem. Consequently, Jax opts to kill himself instead.
1 Francisco, Marcellus, and Barnardo - The rest of the SAMCRO members
Francisco, Marcellus, and Barnardo are soldiers loyal to the king. They don't affect the plot in a major way but they efficiently serve as the muscle. Whenever something needs to be taken care of, they do it.
SAMCRO members such as Tig, Bobby, Opie, Happy, and Juice are soldiers too. They are in the frontline during gang wars and have no problem taking orders. They do whatever is required of them. Some like Opie and Juice even choose to die so as to protect SAMCRO or the president.
from ScreenRant - Feed
Join Our Email Newsletter Now!
Join over 1,897 people who get free and fresh content delivered automatically each time we publish.
