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Hamlet And Fortinbras Analysis

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The inspiration that motivates someone can come from anything and anyone, and in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there is a particular focus on both comparing one’s ideas to another and drawing inspiration from surrounding people. Young Prince Hamlet, desperate to fulfill his dead father’s unfinished revenge, took inspiration from a variety of sources. Mostly, it is other influential people in his life like the ghost of his father, the first actor, and his foil Fortinbras. In the second and fifth soliloquy, Hamlet characterizes himself as devoted compared to the others around him, and it highlights his desire to uphold his honor through these comparisons; these soliloquies strongly show Hamlet comparing himself to others and drawing inspiration from them and their differences to motivate him further in taking revenge for his father. Hamlet is characterized as indecisive but willing to go through with the revenge in …show more content…

He states that “rightly to be great is not to stir without great argument, but greatly to find quarrel in a straw when honour’s at stake", meaning that when it comes to truly gaining honor, one will defend any even slightly perceived attack on it, even if the fight is foolish, like the one Fortinbras is leading (IV.iv.53-56). Hamlet questions himself and his place in life when compared to Fortinbras, lamenting “… whether it be bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple of thinking too precisely on the event, a thought which, quarter’d, hath but one part wisdom and ever three parts coward, I do not know why yet I live to say ‘this thing’s to do’”(IV.iv.39-44). He comes to the conclusion that he must put greater purpose into his life: that he would rather die regaining his and father’s honor than continue to live and wonder what he can do to accomplish such a goal. Drawing inspiration from Fortinbras’ efforts, he strives to be as brazen as him in his quest for

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