The stories of Hamlet and Trayvon Martin are extremely similar. Both Trayvon and Hamlet were feared because of their age. Hamlet and Trayvon also has connections to Staples essay “Black Men and Public Space”. All three are connected because of their experiences with people looking down on them because of their physical differences and age.

In both Hamlet’s and Trayvon’s case, both were looked down upon because they are young and considered foolish at their young age. Both were also looked down upon because of what they wearing. “Good Hamlet, cast thy knighted color off,  … Do not forever with thy vailed lids” (I, ii, 70). The queen asks Hamlet to take off his “hood” to be less threatening. This was one of the reasons that Tryavon was killed. George Zimmerman saw Trayvon as a threat because he was young and had his hood on. If Trayvon had not of had his hood on he may still be alive today.

In Brent Staples essay “Black Men and Public Space” he pointed out how a young black man is scary to other people around him. I too have experienced this-me and my  friends have ran to the other side of a street because we saw a threatening figure coming toward us. This is how the characters in Hamlet feel after he goes crazy. “I like him not, nor stands it safe with us To let this his madness rage.”(III, iii, 1) This is how George Zimmerman also felt when he saw Trayvon. He saw Trayvon as a threat but instead of fleeing he took action and killed Trayvon.

The stories of Trayvon Martin and Hamlet have many parallels, the biggest being that physical and age differences will always intimidate the people that don’t know any better.