What Dreams May Come
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
What Dreams May Come is a 1978 novel by Richard Matheson about the afterlife.
The title comes from a famous line in Hamlet's soliloquy in Act 3, scene 1 ("To be, or not to be..."), namely, "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil." The plot outline in the novel also contains several allegorical references to Dante Alighieri's 1308 epic poem "The Divine Comedy".
[edit] Plot summary
The plot centers around Chris, a man who dies and goes to heaven, only to find that his wife has committed suicide and is now in hell. Chris descends into hell with the help of his children (who died four years earlier) to try to rescue his wife.
[edit] Adaptation
Main article: What Dreams May Come (film)
The novel was adapted as an Academy Award-winning 1998 film, starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Annabella Sciorra.
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[edit] External links
| Concepts of Heaven | |
|---|---|
| Christian | Kingdom of God | Garden of Eden · Paradise | New Jerusalem | Pearly gates |
| Islamic | Jannah | Houri | Sidrat al-Muntaha |
| Mormon | Celestial Kingdom | Spirit world |
| Ancient Greek | Elysium | Empyrean | Hesperides |
| Celtic | Annwn | Tír na nÓg | Mag Mell |
| Norse | Valhalla | Asgard |
| Other Indo-European cultures | Paradise | Olam Haba | Svarga | Aaru | The Summerland | Myth of Er | Fortunate Isles |
| Related concepts | Nirvana | Millennialism | Utopianism | Golden Age | Arcadia |
