2013-03-08
Explanation
This comic reinterprets Shakespeare's Hamlet through a modern lens, arguing that Hamlet's "tragic flaw" is not indecision or melancholy, but simply being an antisocial geek. The setup presents one character making this claim to a skeptical listener, then walks through the evidence from the play to support this reading.
The comic points out that Hamlet doesn't confront his uncle about murdering his father because it would be "socially awkward." He only takes action when his dad's ghost literally shows up and demands it -- and even then, the ghost has to tell him to leave his room more. The joke extends to Hamlet's famous "mad" speeches (like the "hawk from a handsaw" line), reframing them not as feigned madness but as the kind of thing a socially inept person might genuinely say. The observation that it "wouldn't pass the Turing test" is a great modern touch.
The comic further notes that Hamlet kills Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (his supposed friends who tried to be "chummy" with him) but cannot bring himself to kill his uncle because that would require direct confrontation. His only real companions are a stoic (Horatio) and a skull (Yorick) -- perfect company for someone who doesn't like people. The final panel delivers the punchline: Hamlet lives with his parents his entire life, which the character says should have made the diagnosis obvious. It's a clever comedic literary analysis that finds genuine textual support for a deliberately reductive reading of one of literature's most analyzed characters.