Hamlet and Fortinbras have similarities and differences to compare and contrast between the two. The real question is, are they more alike than different? Hamlet and Fortinbras have a lot in common; however, the way they handle situations is different. Fortinbras is a foil to Hamlet in many different ways. Fortinbras and Hamlet are going through similar situations but the way they both come about the situations is different.
The similarities of Fortinbras and Hamlet includes the death each of their fathers. King Fortinbras was killed by King Hamlet and King Hamlet was killed by King Claudius. Therefore Fortinbras and Hamlet have both lost their father due to someone else killing them. Another similarity is both of Fortinbras and Hamlet’s
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uncle is the King. Prince Fortinbras's uncle is the king of Norway and Prince Hamlet’s uncle is the king of Denmark. Fortinbras and Hamlet want to get revenge on the one who killed their father. Fortinbras’s revenge is going out and taking back the land that was rightfully Norway's. Hamlet’s revenge is to kill Claudius and to become King which should be rightfully Hamlet’s position, because King Claudius killed King Hamlet only to be king since he was next in line for the position.. The differences between Fortinbras and Hamlet include the way each of them plan on getting revenge for the death of their fathers.
Fortinbras assembles an army secretly in order for him to claim the land back that his father had lost. King Hamlet murdered King Fortinbras and gained Norway’s land for Denmark right after. Prince Fortinbras wants immediate revenge and is doing whatever he can to gain his land back. Whereas Prince Hamlet knows King Claudius is the one who had murdered his father; however, he is not seeking immediate revenge. Prince Hamlet seems like he is taking his time and waiting for the right time to kill King Claudius. This makes him seem like a coward and that he is overthinking things. Hamlet says he is “Led by a delicate and tender prince, Whose spirit with divine ambition puff'd Makes mouths at the invisible event” and he is admiring Prince Fortinbras because he is brave and taking a big risk in his life (Hamlet 4.4 49-50). Prince Hamlet is inspired by Prince Fortinbras for his dedication in seeking immediate revenge. Hamlet says that “rightly to be great is not to stir without great argument, but greatly to find quarrel in a straw when honor’s at the stake” and Hamlet realizes that he should act more like Fortinbras, which is straight to the point and not thinking before he takes action (Hamlet 4.4 53-55). This immediate action seems to be successful for Fortinbras, therefore it should be successful with Hamlet
too. Fortinbras is a foil of Hamlet and there is more differences between the two than there are similarities. Hamlet is more of a man who overthinks things while Fortinbras is one to act quickly without thinking. Both Fortinbras and Hamlet take back what is rightfully theres and they are both in the right with how they handled each of their situations. Both characters had similar situations but handled their situations completely different.
Hamlet, after learning that his father's death was a murder and vowing to take revenge, wants to be certain that what he has been told is the absolute truth before he attempts to take revenge on Claudius. Even after Hamlet is sure beyond any shadow of a doubt that Claudius is the murderer, he hesitates to kill him. Fortinbras, on the other hand, has been taking action even before the play begins. As the play opens, the audience learns that Denmark is in a state of alert; the country has been preparing for a war. From Horatio, the audience also learns that the young Fortinbras is getting ready his "lawless resolutes"(I.i.111) for action against Denmark for the killing of his father and for the return of lands previously owned by Norway (I. i. 79-107). These differences between Hamlet and Fortinbras' actions are further mentioned in Hamlet's last soliloquy (IV. iv. 32-66).
The corresponding characters shared a number of similarities, but it was the ways in which they were different that determined their fate and that of the kingdom. In Hamlet, the prince is Hamlet. He is deeply grieving his father’s death. He is angry because he believes that everyone has already forgotten how great of a king his father was. Hamlet does not know for sure who is responsible for his father’s death, but he suspects Claudius, who is his uncle and the new king.
In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is infuriated with his mother, Gertrude, for marrying his uncle, Claudius, less than two months after his father’s death. Hamlet, the main protagonist, has two characters who act as foils to him, and they are Fortinbras and Laertes. Not only do they want revenge on their father’s murderers, but they are willing to do so at all costs, even if it means destroying their reputation and independence. They also find different ways to cope with their troubles. These foils enhance the importance of Hamlet’s character throughout the play.
He controls his actions and smartly plans everything out when he is fighting for worthless land as he tries to gain honor and respect as well as become King. His father lost Denmark to the old Hamlet and now it is Fortinbras turn to fight for it back in an attempt to gain the publicity he craves. First off, Fortinbras begins to fight for a piece of land that is worthless; the Captain explains this to Hamlet by saying:
Being an ambitious young prince was a similarity in Fortinbras and Hamlet. They are both on a mission of revenge. Also, both Fortinbras and Hamlet lost their fathers'. [no '] Ironically Denmark is a similarity because it was initially controlled by Fortinbras' father, then Hamlet[' H-50]s' father, then Hamlet, and finally returning to Fortinbras. [Nice point] Fortinbras had a family tie with Hamlet's love Ophelia. [This needs a citation from the play -- I don't remember it.
The major foil for Hamlet is Laertes, the son of Polonius. The most obvious similarity is that they are both young men. They also come from relatively similar backgrounds, a Danish aristocratic upbringing. They also both have some college education. This leads us to another similarity; [Semicolons vs. colons] they both have the ability to use logical and rational reasoning. However, they do differ on their applications of logical reasoning.
... and for the betterment of society. King Hamlet was able to be avenged by the killing of Claudius, and Fortinbras was crowned the king of Denmark. In contrast, Claudius, who used his power for personal reasons, did not succeed in the end, but rather died while he still needed to confess his sins, a fate similar to that of his brother.
The relation between these two characters is a lot like the juxtaposition with Hamlet and Laertes. Just like Hamlet and Laertes, Fortinbras’ father, King Fortinbras, was also killed but the way he died was in a battle with King Hamlet. Hamlet and Fortinbras’ circumstances are almost identical. Their fathers were both murdered, both their uncles are on the throne and they are both princes of their countries. Revenge is the motive for both of these princes because of their dead fathers, but the way and the reason they seek it is extremely different. Hamlet wants revenge because the ghost of his father told him to and Fortinbras wants revenge to reclaim the land that his father lost when he died. Fortinbras is more focused on the honour of his country, Norway, but all Hamlet cares about is killing his fathers murderer. Hamlet’s morals slow down the process of his revenge whereas Fortinbras’ firm attitude makes him act faster. Hamlet later develops some jealously towards Fortinbras, he says, “Rightly to be great/Is not to stir without great argument/But greatly to find quarrel in a straw/When honor’s at the stake” (Shakespeare 4.4.53-56). Hamlet is saying that if Fortinbras is taking such quick action for a little bit of land that means nothing then what does that make Hamlet? He says in order for him to be great like Fortinbras he must take violent action. Hamlet and Fortinbras are both equally rebellious
Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras are similar in the fact that each had love, or at least respect their fathers. Enough to make an attempt to wreak revenge upon their fathers murderers at the risk of their own reputation, freedom, and souls. Each characters father had a substantially high social class in their respective countries, which in turn gives them high social class as well. With Hamlet and Fortinbras as sons of kings and Laertes as the son of an aristocrat of high regard in the Danish court, all had a lot to loose if unsuccessful in their ploy. Each of the sons believed that the killers had dishonored their fathers as well as themselves. Each acts in a way that they consider to be an attempt at restoring it to the family, as honor was a significant thing to uphold in this day.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare introduces us to Fortinbras and Hamlet. Both characters are bent on avenging the death of their fathers who were murdered. In Act I, two different revenge plots by these two men are revealed, and while Fortinbras is very open and bold about killing Claudius, Hamlet is sly and quiet about his plan. Fortinbras is also dead set on attacking Denmark no matter what but Hamlet is indecisive about killing Claudius. Fortinbras plans to lead an army to attack Denmark while Hamlet’s plan of attack is to act crazy.
In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the importance of characters Laertes and Fortinbras have been an issue that's discussed and analyzed by many literary critics. Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras are parallel characters in the play. Laertes and Fortinbras are often use by Shakespeare to compare the actions and emotions of Hamlet throughout the play. "They are also important in Hamlet as they are imperative to the plot of the play and the final resolution" (Nardo, 88). Shakespeare placed these three men: Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras into similar circumstances, which is, to avenge for their fathers' deaths. The main difference between the three is the way that each of them comes to grief of their fathers' deaths and the way they planned their vengeance.
Prince Fortinbras and Prince Hamlet have both lost their fathers. Through recent developments, Hamlet was visited by his father's ghost who reveals the truth of his murder and demands Hamlet to avenge his death. Assuring his revenge, he later protests what a “cursed spite that ever [he] was born to set it right” (Shakespeare I.v.210-211). Not only does he put aside what he must do, but compared to Fortinbras, he acts like a coward; perhaps not wanting to murder, perhaps not wanting to get murdered, Hamlet allows for King Claudius to keep wearing a crown that does not belong to him, but rightfully to Hamlet, heir to King Hamlet. Fortinbras, on the other hand, without being told what to do, “hath not failed to pester” Denmark in regards to “the
This shows how Fortinbras is ready to act upon the revenge for his father’s death, rather than waiting around for the right moment like Hamlet. Fortinbras is willing to lead an army out to Denmark to revenge upon his fathers death, showing his true desire and passion. The differences between Hamlet’s and Fortinbras’ are shown in depth in Hamlet’s soliloquy. Hamlet is angry that he has wasted so much time when he says, “How all occasions do inform against me, and spur my dull revenge! (32-35). Hamlet thinks about how time is slowly turning against him, all because of his indecision. He realizes that he has not been taking the action necessary to carry out revenge.
In William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Laertes, Fortinbras and Hamlet find themselves in similar situations. While Hamlet waits for the right time to avenge his father's death, Laertes learns of his father's death and immediately wants vengeance, and Fortinbras awaits his chance to recapture land that used to belong to his father. Laertes and Fortinbras go about accomplishing their desires quite differently than Hamlet. While Hamlet acts slowly and carefully, Laertes and Fortinbras seek their revenge with haste. Although Laertes and Fortinbras are minor characters, Shakespeare molds them in order to contrast with Hamlet. Fortinbras and, to a greater extent, Laertes act as foils to Hamlet with respect to their motives for revenge, execution of their plans and behavior while carrying out their plans.
...udius and Hamlet pose various similarities, but they hate each other. They plot to kill one another because of the death of Hamlet’s biological father. Their similarities come from the time period that they are living in, and the fact that Hamlet’s father was king and was involved in war leaving Hamlet with his uncle. His uncle’s behavior had an impact on the man that Hamlet became. They both have similar situations; plotting to kill someone, scheming, etc. They both create similar situations for themselves, for example having advisors or their inability to act, but they do have differences. Hamlet is angry whereas Claudius is just trying to save himself.