7. In lines 111-119, Prufrock references Shakespeare's

Hamlet. How does this allusion serve to develop the

overall meaning of the text?

A Though Prufrock says he is "not Prince Hamlet," they

actually shares some similarities, like Hamlet's

prolonged inaction, which makes Prufrock's

indecisiveness seem nobler.

B Though Prufrock says he is not Prince Hamlet," he

and Hamlet both have tragic love lives, thus framing

the poem as a tragedy

C Prufrock stresses how different he is from Hamlet in

order to highlight himself as braver and more heroic.

D Prufrock stresses how different he is from Hamlet in

order to highlight how he cannot overcome his

indecisiveness and thus remains a supporting

character in his own life

C. Prufrock stresses how different he is from Hamlet in order to highlight himself as braver and more heroic.

Explanation:

Thomas Stearns Eliot's The Love Songs of J. Alfred Prufrock is a poem about a post-modern man imbued with all the knowledge of the world. But his educated mind makes him a tortured man with his vast knowledge leading him to question each and everything.

In the lines 111-119, Prufrock stressed how he is "not Prince Hamlet". He may be indecisive but he is not like the young prince who is incapable of doing or deciding anything. Rather, he is more like "an attendant lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, Advise the prince". He thinks he is "Politic, cautious, and meticulous", much more than the prince. And even though he at times can be the Fool, his mannerism is not the same as the prince.