Similarities Between Hamlet And Fortinbras

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the tragic downfall of Hamlet himself is brought upon by his own indecisive and hesitant way of taking action. These characteristics are seen throughout the length of the play and are highlighted when compared to a seemingly minor character, Fortinbras. The situations of the two characters are comparable to one another’s, hence, their personalities are better illustrated by how they respond to their circumstances. Fortinbras serves as a foil for Hamlet by accentuating qualities belonging to Hamlet that are opposite to his own, as well as emphasizing their similarities. Despite there being limited parallels between Hamlet and Fortinbras that are mentioned within the play, they are used as a means to relate the two characters

The intent of killing Claudius was brought upon once Hamlet discovered the truth behind his father’s death, however, he does not convince himself to execute his plan immediately. In spite of having more than one valid reason for taking revenge, such as Claudius killing his own brother, marrying his brother’s wife, and unrightfully taking the throne, Hamlet does not pursue revenge until the end of the play. Hamlet’s tendency towards procrastination and passive temperament are conveyed during multiple scenes in the play. One scene that evidently demonstrates Hamlet’s hesitancy towards killing Claudius and avenging his father is when Claudius is seemingly praying and asking for forgiveness. Hamlet refuses to kill Claudius while he is in a state of repentance saying that he shall kill Claudius “[w]hen he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, [o]r in the incestuous pleasure of his bed; [a]t gaming, swearing, or about some act [t]hat has no relish of salvation in't; [t]hen trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, [a]nd that his soul may be as damn'd and black [a]s hell, whereto it goes”(III,iii,89-95). The irony to this is that once Hamlet leaves, Claudius says that he is not apologetic for what he has done, meaning that if Hamlet would have killed him in that scene, Claudius would not have gone to heaven like Hamlet presumed. If Hamlet were to have acted

In one of his soliloquies, Hamlet himself becomes well aware of his flaw and condemns himself for it while praising Fortinbras saying, “[s]ith I have cause and will and strength and means [t]o do't. [e]xamples gross as earth exhort me: [w]itness this army of such mass and charge [l]ed by a delicate and tender prince, [w]hose spirit with divine ambition puff'd [m]akes mouths at the invisible event”(IV,iv,45-50). This establishes Hamlet’s sense of respect and admiration towards Fortinbras also adding another appealing trait to his personality, kindness. For the duration of the play, Hamlet becomes progressively impolite towards most of the the characters because of the anger he holds towards Claudius. Hamlet aspires to be similar to Fortinbras and hopes to have more qualities that would enable him to take action. Unfortunately, Hamlet is not able to change his personality, which leads to his demise.When Hamlet ultimately avenges his father, the situation is not induced by himself. If Claudius and Laertes would not have planned the swordfight in order to kill Hamlet, Hamlet would have more than likely delayed his revenge even further. Finally, once Hamlet kills Claudius, he is not the only one that dies in result of Hamlet’s indecisiveness. Queen Gertrude, Laertes, and Hamlet himself die at the end of Hamlet, leaving the throne