How Does Shakespeare Use Fortinbras As A Foil To The Nature Of Revenge

Betrayal, murder, deception, and especially revenge are all developed throughout Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet. Familial relations shatter due to the incestuous sins that Hamlet cannot condone. A once dignified and esteemed King dies at the hands of his vile brother, or to put it simply, fratricide. Young Hamlet will not sit idly by while this serpent reaps the benefits of the position. The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare implies that, although revenge appears to be reflective of society's value of honoring family in hopes of restoring life before tragedy along with demonstrating strength, the underlying meaning reveals how seeking retribution will ultimately lead to one’s demise and unintentional, catastrophic repercussions.

Initially,

there is an establishment of a central attitude toward this devotion to one’s family, in order to honor them and remedy any malfeasance. Hamlet’s father’s ghost confronts him to divulges his true cause of death, murder. After gaining this knowledge, Hamlet swears to forever etch his father’s final words, “Adieu, adieu, remember me” in his mind and considers anything else to be irrelevant (Shakespeare 76). His first instinct is vengeance, as he believes this is the to key to eliminating the woes on his mind concerning the damned action of his uncle. Yet his head gains power over his heart as Hamlet devises a plan to recreate the fratricide with a play, thereby solidifying this truth (Shakespeare 136). Sadly, this inaction takes a toll on him. Although he feels the need to avenge his father, this mindset begins to transform into a self-hatred toward his indecisiveness, and consequently his cowardice. Hamlet’s genuine internal conflicts emerge during his soliloquies when nobody is watching. A battle begins to surface as he fights his inner demons; he cannot bear this inaction as he utters, “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” (Shakespeare 134). This emotionally intelligent and learned character despises the pusillanimous side that continues to overpower him. Frustration regarding this idea of cowardice depicts the negative connotation Shakespeare associates with that unacceptable character trait.
In addition, the author utilizes Fortinbras as a foil to Hamlet, which provides further insight into the nature of revenge.

Similar to Hamlet, Fortinbras wants to avenge his father, who dies on the battlefield (Shakespeare 26). However, Fortinbras acts decisively. The loss of both his father and this territory angers him. Fueled by this infuriation, he takes matters into his own hands and devises an immediate plan to seek vengeance. There is no extended, thoughtful planning like Hamlet. Instead, Fortinbras decides to attack Denmark until his uncle reprimands him, then he goes “against some part of Poland” (Shakespeare 220). An admiration filled with a personal shame arises inside Hamlet since he knows of “the imminent death of twenty thousand men that, for a fantasy and trick of fame …” (Shakespeare 222). Soldiers are going to die for a tiny plot of land, while Hamlet suffers from the inability to courageously seek revenge. His motives are just, yet he has simply done nothing about them. These two aforementioned instances are perceived to be acts of bravado because Fortinbras utilizes action over mere thoughts, which are commendable within this society. By the end of Act 5, Fortinbras arrives to witness the aftermath of all this misfortune. Though he does not leave empty-handed, instead he ends up with a claim over Denmark. Shakespeare shows how this ambition and promptness concerning his revenge is highly regarded by society. Yet Fortinbras is simply a minor character, who

wants to restore the power of his kingdom, just as Hamlet hopes to ease his father’s time in Hell through the elimination of the “remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain” (Shakespeare 136). As Michael Neill mentions in his publication, Accommodating the Dead: Hamlet and the Ends of Revenge, “revenge can symbolically restore us to life”. Both men hope to restore their lives by seeking retribution against those who wronged them. The story of Fortinbras might appear negligible, but it illustrates the acceptable norms of society toward vengeance, even if Shakespeare only begins to introduce his true thoughts about this topic in the final act.
Nonetheless, an underlying meaning reveals that revenge has unimaginable and unavoidable ramifications.

King Claudius sends Hamlet away to England, but while on the ship, Hamlet experiences an abrupt change of mind. He discovers papers sentencing him to death upon arrival, which ignites a flame within Hamlet. Focusing on self-preservation, he must make an impulsive decision about whether it be his life or the lives of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on the line (Shakespeare 282). These two are the first to die as Hamlet finally begins to act on his anger. Death continues to take more victims in Act 5 with the poisoning of Laertes, Claudius and Gertrude. Hamlet finally gets the revenge he desires against his uncle, but at what cost? Two of the killed have wronged him, but poor Laertes gets caught in the crossfire of this feud. Not even Hamlet can survive the wrath of revenge. He dies from the poisoned foil as well (Shakespeare 304). Revenge is a dark, foreboding cloud that engulfs anyone surrounding it, which Shakespeare illustrates through the resulting bloodshed when Hamlet finally decides to physically act on his anger. All these tragic scenes depict the horrendous aftermath of revenge and its true

nature.
Although revenge is a prominent theme throughout the play, the truth is masked until the final acts. At first, Fortinbras juxtaposes Hamlet, which shows how putting any thought into planning an act of vengeance, instead of leaving it to spontaneity, can emasculate such a character. Overall, Shakespeare gives the audience something to chew on by showing the repercussions of Hamlet’s revenge. His strategic placement allows him to leave the audience questioning whether they agree with the underlying meaning of the play. Will they merely scratch the surface to view the Elizabethan norms, or will they uncover the underlying consequences of revenge?