Blog post #1

Austen and Shakespeare similarly build their plot around the internal and external conflicts of and between characters; however, at the same time, both authors use a different plot structure.  In Pride and Prejudice, the plot revolves around both internal and external conflicts between the characters.  Both the external ideals of 19th century English society and interpersonal relationships between characters play a huge role in determining the direction of the novel.  Similar to Pride and Prejudice, Hamlet's plot revolves around the internal and external conflicts afflicting Hamlet.  While both works correspondingly build their plot around the conflict of their characters, they follow a different sequence in delivering their plot.  Hamlet follows the conventional narrative, using exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.  Pride and Prejudice, however, strictly emphasizes the development of interpersonal relationships and the surrounding society.  Because Austen's scope is more narrow in the sense that she focuses on multiple characters in depth, she only loosely follows a conventional sequence.