Throughout the play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, various characters seek for revenge, including protagonist, prince Hamlet. While he seeks for revenge for his father since his uncle disgracefully killed him, Hamlet murders Polonius, the father of his friend, Laertes, causing an avengeful domino effect. Hamlet has to face many obstacles, including his own indecisive mind, to take action for his father and the revenge obligations of Laertes and Polonius parallel the plot.…
His revenge is unique because it is put upon by the nation he leads, Norway. His father, the former King of Norway, was defeated in a fair duel by Hamlet’s father. The loss resulted in the relinquishment of Norwegian land. Now, in an act of honor as the Norway’s leader Fortinbras is obliged by his countrymen to take back what is theirs. His honor is also different to that of Hamlet and Laertes because it is not as hell-bent on murder as the tasks asked of the other two sons. Fortinbras task is less of a duty of a son to his father, but more of a king to his…
Hamlet (prince of Denmark) can be greatly compared to Laertes (son of a noble), and Fortinbras (prince of Norway) in the play. They all are very similar but yet different at the same time. They all had love and respect for their fathers and felt the need to avenge their deaths, which all were brutally killed. All three believed that the murderers had dishonoured their fathers as well as themselves. They all reacted and took different approaches in attempt to restore honour in their families.…
In William’s Shakespeare’s Hamlet, characters are utilized to highlight the flaws and discrepancies of others. Through familial duty, actions, and vengeances of the two subplots of Hamlet and Fortinbras, it is evident that both characters are parallel to one another. Fortinbras serves as fail to emphasize aspects of Hamlet’s personality, which enhances plot and character development.…
Of this his nephew’s purpose…” (1.2.28-30) Along with that Laertes shares something big with these two noble princes. They all share the same grief of their deceased fathers that has passed by the means of murder by someone they were close to, in which is Hamlet’s case his father was slain by his own…
However, beside the notable differences, Hamlet and Laertes have more similarities. Both of the characters reacted impulsive when they got furious. Hamlet and Laertes’s reckless actions were caused by frustration and anger. The anger arose in them made them acted spontaneously, without giving much thought of the consequences that came after.…
The differences between Laertes and Hamlet affect a main theme of the play revenge. Both men have fathers killed, and both are seeking revenge. Hamlet, though he knows who murdered his father, hesitates to take direct action against the villain. In stark contrast is Laertes, who doesn’t know who killed his father but will kill anyone on a whim. Laertes’ rashness throughout provides the play with an unlikely stereotypical hero-- brave, unwavering, ready to kill-- and is rather ironic because Laertes is not the play’s “hero” role. The hero instead is Hamlet, and Hamlet is not a typical hero, in that he shies away from violence, and is portrayed as insane for half of the play (though that is by his own doing). Hamlet is not even able to kill his uncle until Act 5, by which time he can be argued to be mentally and emotionally instable, if not insane. In order to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet must lose himself in insanity; he must become, essentially, an entirely different character.…
Time and time again, we as a complex society have recognized in many pieces of great literature the idea of man and revenge. Throughout history, the idea of vengeance has destroyed large communities, populations and entire civilizations. The problem with man and revenge is that one may be side-tracted of why or whom he is avenging. This similar idea is conveyed in the theme of Shakespear's Hamlet , "Vengeance can confuse a man's mind and soul to the point where he may not be sure of whom he is really avenging." Shakespear uses foils in this play to allow us readers to understand Hamlet as a man and why and whom he is really avenging, and Laertes and the ghost are foils for Hamlet in this play which help us readers understand his character and his actions.…
Throughout the play it becomes quite evident that Laertes is Hamlet's foil. He mirrors Hamlet but behaves in the exact opposite manner. Where Hamlet is more verbal and conscience about his actions, Laertes is physical and very blunt in his decision making. "How came he dead?...Let come what comes, only I'll be revenged/Most thoroughly for my father's death." [Act IV, Sc V, Lines 141-147] reveals that unlike Hamlet, Laertes is very determined to quickly seek out his father's killer and to have his revenge without regards to the consequences. As soon as Laertes learns of his father's death he is furious with anger and immediately demands to know who it was that committed this crime. He doesn't waste time with soliloquies or take into account his conscience but is driven solely on his emotions and the task of avenging his father. "To cut his throat i'th' church" [Act IV, Scene VII, Line 139] proves Laertes' physical characteristic that Hamlet lacks. When Laertes is questioned by Claudius about the extent he will go to in achieving his revenge it's ironic that his remark is exactly what Hamlet could not follow through with. His brutality again shows his determination to accomplish his task by whatever means. It is clear that Laertes' love for Ophelia and responsibility to Polonius drive him to passionate action, while…
Laertes and Hamlet both display impulsive reactions when angered. Once Laertes discovers his father has been murdered, he immediately assumes the slayer is Claudius. As a result of Laertes' speculation, he instinctively moves to avenge Polonius' death. "To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation: to this point I stand, that both worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes; only I'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father." (IV, v, 128-134) These lines provide insight into Laertes' mind, displaying his desire for revenge at any cost.…
Once Laertes discovers that his father has been killed, he assumes immediately that the killer must be Claudius. An effect of his speculation is his instinctive desire to retaliate against Polonius's murderer. He says, "To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand, that both worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes. Only I'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father" (4.5. 128-134). This excerpt provides insight into his mind and shows his thirst for revenge at any cost. In contrast to Laertes’s belief of his father's killer, Hamlet assumes that the individual eavesdropping on the conversation he has with Gertrude is Claudius, and he says, "Nay, I know not: is it the King?" (3.4.28). Consequently, Hamlet is consumed with rage and automatically thrusts out with his sword in an attempt to kill Claudius but strikes Polonius instead. Hamlet's and Laertes's spontaneous actions are incited by fury and frustration. Sudden bursts of anger prompt both Laertes and Hamlet to act rashly, and they end up giving little thought to the consequences of their actions. But while both characters have the desire to avenge their father’s murders, only Laertes has any real resolve to take real…
Like many tragedies, Shakespeare’s Hamlet does not fail to provide readers with tales of fervent, bloody revenge which satisfies the primal impulses of characters in the play, wrought on by unjust murder and a desire for vengeance. With a temperamental demeanor and mercurial mood, Laertes is portrayed in many instances as a brash, near irrational son whose desire to avenge his father’s death leads to both verbal and physical conflict. Even Hamlet himself enjoys his own moments of frustration, slandering his duplicitous and incestuous uncle in private scenes and soliloquies. Unlike many traditional revenge tales, however, Hamlet also illuminates the question of the morality of revenge itself: whether or not the adage of “an eye for an eye” may…
Although his unfavorable situation is very similar to Hamlet’s, he is completely controlled by the thoughts of revenge. As he talks to Claudius, who wants to utilize him to get rid of Hamlet, Laertes got too much anger built up in his mind to stay calm. At this point, all Laertes wants to do is only to “eliminate” Hamlet immediately, “To cut his throat i' th' church” (p. 193), like treating a feud. Laertes’ behavior is caused by the unexpectedly death of his father and the sudden mad of his sister. Moreover, Claudius wants a person who is strong enough to compete with Hamlet. He knows Laertes is the one that he is looking for, so he asks him to “put me in your heart for friend” (p.187), rekindles his rage, and tells him that they should share the weal and woe and stay on the same line to confront Hamlet. Laertes is affected by Claudius’ “combustion”, which further turns him a terrible monster to revenge for his father. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes is “passionate and quick to action” (Sparknotes Editors) and has no state of mind. He indiscriminately sees Hamlet as an enemy and Claudius as a friend, without considering the causes and consequences of his father’s death. Although Hamlet is somewhat hesitant, he thinks about what he does and always sticks to his…
Like setting one by one dominoes together, Shakespeare created all characters that could interact on each other by their roles in the play, which could ultimately lead to the end of a tragedy. Every character's role effects to others is the intensity of Shakespeare in Hamlet. Laertes and Fortinbras could be one significant example as Hamlet's foil. Even though there are several similarities between them such as both Hamlet and Fortinbras are princes or their acts are all about revenge for their fathers, they are totally different in their thought and attitude. It could say that Shakespeare set Laertes and Fortinbras in parallel with Hamlet because he wanted to emphasize Hamlet's character by their contrasting. For example, even thought the…
Let us first focus on the similarities between them. Both have lost fathers at the hand of somebody else, as Hamlet lost his father thanks to the murderous intentions of Claudius, and Fortinbras lost his father thanks to Hamlet's father, who killed him in war. Both therefore are in the position of being sole heirs or princes to a kingdom and also needing to revenge the death of their father.…