Compare And Contrast Hamlet Laertes And Fortinbras

Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras had similarities in the fact that all three of their father’s died, but were very different in how they avenged their father’s deaths. All three of the men valued their families greatly. Many people considered Hamlet a play about revenge, but it was also about family and the saying that blood is thicker than water was true in this story, except the blood spilled out everywhere in the end.

Hamlet dwelled on things in his mind before taking actions or trying to move on with his life. After the death of his father, Hamlet became very depressed and enraged that his mother moved on so fast and married his uncle Claudius. Claudius led Hamlet to believe that his father died of natural causes. Hamlet learned that his father’s death was not natural when his father’s ghost came to visit him. When Hamlet learns the truth about his father, he became furious and said “Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.” (Shakespeare 31). Hamlet’s father’s ghost did not seem reliable to Hamlet and he contemplated if he was going insane and wondered about what he should do about the situation. Hamlet started to consider avenging his father’s death and cautiously plotted against Claudius but had to wait for the right moment. He decided to show Claudius a play about the similar performance of King Hamlet’s death. In the play, the quote that got Claudius to rise “He poisons him i’ th’ garden for his estate, His name’s Gonzago. The story is extant and written in very choice Italian. You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife.” (Shakespeare 81). Other than the play, Hamlet was very private about his father’s death. His mourning happen...

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...er to regain land lost by his deceased father. All three of these men were affected by their father’s deaths and wanted to find a solution. Many people would say that these three men had daddy issues. Both Hamlet and Fortinbras were dealing with the issue of why are their uncles are Kings when they were the rightful heir. Hamlet compared himself to Fortinbras when he passed Fortinbras's armies in the fields and he saw Fortinbras as a model for how he should behave and Hamlet said, “To be great / is not to stir without great argument / but greatly to find quarrel in a straw / when honor's at the stake” (4.4.52-55).

No question that Hamlet was really complex and a fascinating character in literary history. Shakespeare made a hero whose thoughts and difficulties controlled the audience’s experience. Literature has not been the same since and it will probably never be.