“Double Bind” in Kafka’s works and Shakespeare’s Hamlet

 

Write the essay in response to the prompt given below.
In discussing Kafka?s three texts (?The Metamorphosis?, ?The Judgment?, or ?Letter to His Father) and Shakespeare?s Hamlet, we have noted the double bind that sons are put in by their fathers. Discuss how the son or sons cope with this double bind and how they attempt to resolve their situations. Evaluate their success.
DOUBLE BIND definition: A double bind is an emotionally distressing dilemma in communication in which an individual (or group) receives two or more conflicting messages, in which one message negates the other. This creates a situation in which a successful response to one message results in a failed response to the other (and vice versa), so that the person will be automatically wrong regardless of response. The double bind occurs when the person cannot confront the inherent dilemma, and therefore cannot resolve it or opt out of the situation. For example, if your employer tells you to do a job, but doesn’t allow enough time for you to do it, and you are in danger of losing your job if you question the situation, you are in a double bind.
Write one page on Franz Kafka and one page on Hamlet. In writing on Kafka, refer to at least two of the three texts: ?The Metamorphosis,? ?The Judgment,? or ?Letter to His Father.?