Comparison Of The Better Man, Hamlet Or Laertes

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Susan Gale once said "Actions speak louder than words, but words sometimes get all the attention". This quote is quintessential to the aspect of "being a better man". This quote explain that actions are what really defines a person 's quality. This quote also shows up as a major topic in the play Hamlet. Scholars have discussed the morality of the actions displayed by the character of Hamlet, and Hamlet 's foil character Laertes. The question that arises from these discussions is "Who is the better man, Hamlet or Laertes?". To answer this question the situation of each character requires analysis. The answer to this question is that Laertes is the better man, because, although Laertes speaks cruel words, he does not act upon his cruel words,
Hamlet is pensive, but murderous, while Laertes is compulsive, but not murderous. Hamlet ended up murdering several characters with little to no remorse, which makes him a cold blooded killer. Apart from being a killer Hamlet is also jealous of not being crowned king. While Laertes main motive was to get revenge for his father 's death, Hamlet was not only focused on his father 's death, but was concerned about his royal status. Laertes also shows qualities of a man, as he is protective over his sister Ophelia. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes never disrespected any women in the play. Although Hamlet is the protagonist, he is not the "better man". In conclusion, Laertes is the better man, because, although Laertes speaks cruel words, he does not act upon his cruel words, unlike hamlet. To refer back to Susan Gales quote, the reason Laertes is depicted as the worse man of the two is because sometimes the audience just pays attention to the words of the characters rather than the actions. Actions always outweigh words, making actions more important than words. Actions defined who a man is, and Hamlets actions defined him as cold blooded. Under similar situations Hamlet chose to act cruel. For these reason, Laertes is clearly the "better

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