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Laertes' Characterization in Hamlet

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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). Laertes is respected by many for his strong set of morals as well as his belief in justice and honor. He is idealistic and well-meaning (“Hamlet” 3). His character represents the “...embodiment of official duty and obedience...”(Sadowski 9). Hamlet was a long-time friend of Laertes until his sudden descent into fake madness and obsession with revenge which consequently lead to the accidental killing of Polonius that was meant to be Claudius. Later on, after devastating heartbreak and insanity Ophelia mysteriously …show more content…

He is much less emotional than Hamlet and Laertes, as he is logical in his action. Both Hamlet and Fortinbras plan to avenge their father’s death from the start of the story ( Lynch 2). They both feel cheated of the crown after their father’s unrightful passing and that their uncles stripped them of their title. Hamlet is a soldier with no real power and seems to be okay with it; he doesn 't want to fight. Yet, Fortinbras is a soldier that takes it into his own hand to have power and loves to fight. Hamlet is not a natural killer and has to ponder the ideals, scenarios, and consequences of death for a very long time. As a strong-willed soldier, Fortinbras is completely fine with killing and does not give it a second thought (Mason 23). Fortinbras acts quickly without procrastinating and continuing to dig within himself. He never self-doubts which makes Hamlet’s stalling, thoughtful qualities obvious to the reader (Holman

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