Claudius And Fortinbras In Hamlet

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic play involving love, treachery, insanity, and death. There are many characters in this tragedy that have a certain significance. He draws the readers in by unveiling the true colors of all the main characters. Throughout the play, each of the characters and their diverse histories add in to the complex plot and form Hamlet into one of the finest Shakespearean plays written to date.

The protagonist of the play is Prince Hamlet. Hamlet is categorized as the tragic hero. Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, was poisoned by Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, which is proven when the ghost of King Hamlet states, “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life / Now wears the crown.” (1.5.38-39). Hamlet’s downfall went quickly

from this point. He put on a play called “The Mouse-trap.” (3.2.210) to expose the King Claudius’s actions in a way only the murderer and the accomplices who know about such actions would feel guilt. One can infer that Prince Hamlet intentionally went insane so everyone can think he had a different motive for his vengeful murder of King Claudius.

The foil characters are Fortinbras and Claudius.

Fortinbras contrasts with Hamlet, because they have somewhat of the same storyline. Fortinbras’s father was killed, and his uncle took the throne, as stated, “Dared to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet / (For so this side of our known world esteemed him) / Did say this Fortinbras;...” (1.1.84-86). The next foil character is Claudius, which is also the antagonist of this play. Claudius helps reveal Hamlet’s true colors, unintentionally, by murdering his father. By his actions, Claudius uncovers a dark side of his nephew. The reader can infer that when Hamlet figures out the real cause of his father’s death, his motive for revenge intensifies greatly, showing that Hamlet can be just as evil as his uncle,

Claudius.

The angel character of Hamlet is Ophelia. She can be described as respectful and modest, until she reaches her point of insanity. An example of her respectfulness and modesty is displayed in a conversation with Hamlet as shown, “Ha, ha! are you honest? / My lord? / Are you fair? / What means your lordship? / That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty.” (3.1.103-107). Although she was modest and respectful, her love for Hamlet soon drove her to her breaking point, at which she was insane. She was said to have committed suicide, but it is never quite confirmed (4.7.182-190). Gertrude, on the other hand, is characterized as the she-devil. Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother, but is no sweet soul. One can infer that Gertrude knew the fate of her late husband, but willingly married her brother-in-law soon after her first husband’s death (1.2.69-73). The reader can reason that Gertrude, knowing the fate of her late husband and leading her son to believe she had no knowledge of it, is part of the reason Hamlet went insane.

The only supernatural character introduced in this play is the ghost of King Hamlet, the father of Prince Hamlet.

He guides his son, Prince Hamlet, to realize the truth behind his death and seek revenge on the man who killed him (1.2.39-49). The only survivor of the main characters of the play is Horatio, making him the only normative character. He is Prince Hamlet’s right-hand man throughout the play. Horatio most clearly displays his loyalty to Hamlet at the end of the play. His loyalty is proven when Hamlet tells Horatio to spare his own life to tell the story of Hamlet’s, as stated, “If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, / Absent thee from felicity awhile, / And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, / To tell my story.”(5.2.334-337). The Gravediggers are categorized as the fool characters, introduced in act five, scene one. One can see the Gravediggers are sarcastic when it comes to their profession. In Act V, Scene I, lines 92-93, the main Gravedigger sings while digging a grave, as stated, “O, a pit of clay for to be made / For such a guest is meet.” This Gravedigger also has a sarcastic conversation with Hamlet, which reads, “What man dost thou dig it for? / For no man, sir. / What man, then? / For none either. / Who is it to be buried in’t? / One that was a woman, sir; but, rest her soul, she’s dead.” (5.1.100-105). These quotes prove the Gravedigger is the comic relief, because of his sense of

humor.

One can conclude that the tragic events that occur in Shakespeare’s Hamlet are caused by the downfall of most of the characters previously discussed. The author develops a certain madness between the characters to intrigue his audience, ultimately bringing the reader in. Shakespeare does an amazing job entertaining a wide variety of people, and is truly a genius in his field of work.