Laertes As A Foil To Hamlet Character Analysis

Laertes is aristocratic, the son of Polonius, a prized royal councilor of the Danish court. His sister, Ophelia, is supposedly in love with Hamlet and will marry him (Mason 7). Laertes has a great sibling bond with Ophelia and lectures her about why Hamlet is no good for her. Similarly, Polonius lectures both of his children. However, unlike his father, Laertes actually means what he is saying and knows what he is talking about (Evans 26; Sadowski 10).

These statements both are saying that Shakespeare knows that he is breaking promises to possibly himself, his religion and others, by loving a married woman. Though he cannot put all the fault onto her, because his vows to love her were only there to exploit the love she was physically giving him. In connection to Shakespeare’s sonnet, Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good, she is singing about how she is the one in the committed relationship, yet cannot seem to stay loyal to her significant other.

For example when King Claudius says “Oh, for two special reasons... The queen his mother lives almost by his looks, and for myself-- my virtue or my plague, be it either which.” (IV,vii,1,11-13). In this quote he is speaking to Laertes about getting rid of both their problems which is Hamlet and Claudius saying one of the reasons that he did not take criminal action against Hamlet is because Gertrude loves him and is devoted to him” Another example is when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern pretends to be Hamlet’s friends but are actually working for King Claudius.

Hamlet and Oedipus share some common background, as in they both come from well-off families. Oedipus was born with the blood of gods and also raised by King Polybus and Queen Merope in Corinth. Hamlet was the prince of Denmark, soon to be king. They also have somewhat similar motivation when it comes to the the decision and need to kill the current king from each story. Hamlet’s motivation is the fact that he was questioning about his father’s death as well as his mom’s strange reaction since she had already moved on to a new marriage with Hamlet’s uncle.

In Act 5 scene 1, page 12 Hamlet says “ I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her.” In this case, the hamlet has proven to everyone that he is in love with Ophelia, with him saying that if you added a forty thousand brothers their love couldn't match mine. With this Hamlet is finally coming out and finally showing his love for Ophelia.

Hamlet, the prince of Denmark is contrasted by Fortinbras and Laertes. The prince of Denmark can be characterized as very intelligent. When Hamlet learns of that Claudius is the murderer of his father, he devises a plan to he first makes sure that he is proven guilty “ I’ll have grounds More relative than this. The play’s the thing Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king”(II.ii.601-603) This displays Hamlet’s intelligence by formulating a calculated plan to eliminate his foe.

In every state or country or society, there is a distinctive or organization of power. The Shakespearean world likes to keep constant with the idea of morality and being moral in the society. Anyone who tends to drift away from this morality seems to be considered as corrupted. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, this morality is failed to be followed by several different characters which arose this idea of corruption. The idea put forth by Marcellus that 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark ' is first presented in Act I as two issues; the murder of the late King Hamlet and the incestuous marriage of Claudius and Gertrude.

In the final scene of Hamlet, Hamlet says “Being thus be-netted round with villainies, -- Ere I could make a prologue to my brains, they had begun the play” (Shakespeare 131). Hamlet ironically thinks to himself as a character in a play because he is so melodramatically self-conscious. By adding this sense of paradoxical exposure, Shakespeare shows his effort to foreground the fact that the audience is watching a play within the play. Since Hamlet is such a rich character, Shakespeare’s work shows how he has something within him goes beyond what a play is capable of representing.

The poems “ My Papa’s waltz and “Those Winter Sundays” make readers understand the relationship of a father and son and proves that both of the speakers love their father but never got a chance to actually express their feeling for them and now, realizing their mistakes, they made in the past and regretting it. They both are very talented writers who knows the best way to communicate the meaning of their feeling in the poems and have control over

Here Juliet means that when she learned Romeos name it was too late, she has fallen under a spell of love. There are a few negative thoughts about Romeo and Juliet’s forbidden relationship. Friar Lawrence even warns Romeo to be careful about the marriage of him and Juliet “These violent delights have violent ends” (Shakespeare 856). Friar means that this is a marriage between these two families filled with hatred along with this history between them, the happy couple won’t last for long, and surely this will end badly. Romeo is impulsive, not only when he kisses Juliet, but also when he talks to Tybalt “Tybalt, the reason that I have to love the doth much excuse the appertaining rage” (Shakespeare 865).

In William Shakespeare 's classic play, Romeo and Juliet, there are two families that have a bitter rivalry but, there is a little love in the air that ends with severe depression. There is one person to blame for letting the depression get worse. Friar Lawrence thinks that everyone should like each other and not dislike anyone. He also makes potions to change people and not letting time change them. Friar Lawrence is undoubtedly to blame for the tragic, depressing events that unfold the “loving” play, Romeo and Juliet.

When Ophelia approaches Hamlet about the letters he gave her he denies even writing her any letters “no, no, not I never gave you aught” (III.i 90). Hamlet later admits to Ophelia “I did love you once” (III.i 110) but then contradicts himself by saying “I loved you not” (III.i 120). This scene raises questions about if Hamlet really loves Ophelia or if he 's just using her. Later in the scene it is made clear that Hamlet knew that Polonius and Claudius were watching him in order for them to see if Hamlet loved Ophelia or not so he just was acting like he did not love her so they would think they were wrong.

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, the authors show the development of individuals and perspectives, as a result of exposure to outside events and internal struggle. Since changes are often subtle, both authors use the literary device known as foil characters-- a character that contrasts with the protagonists, to highlight specific temperaments or qualities. The protagonists, of both works, have widely different interactions with the foil characters; in Hamlet, Laertes and Hamlet, are mismatched and create conflict. Alternatively, they can compliment the protagonist, such as Jane Bennet to Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Shakespeare and Austen use the foil characters to highlight the protagonists'

TITLE Unlike many protagonists and old school plays, the literary usage of foils creates a majority of Hamlet’s nature, which are depicted by his developing traits and qualities; these traits and qualities are identified by supporting characters that serve as foils. In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Claudius had murdered Old Hamlet in order to be King of Denmark. This is where the ghost of Old Hamlet who told young Hamlet to get revenge for him. Giving revenge led Hamlet into causing one portion of Ophelia, once Hamlet’s lover, mad and Laertes’ father name Polonius death. Hamlet’s family believed that he was crazy, so Claudius sent him to England where Guildenstern and Rosencrantz got killed.

Title In the tragedy, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet sets out to take vengeance upon his uncle Claudius. In the process of vengeance, the woman he loves commits suicide, his family is killed, the kingdom falls to ruin, he pays the price of his own life. Ultimately, Hamlet’s vengeance left to ruin in its wake.