Take Home Final

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Claudius, Laertes, and Fortinbras are three main foils to the main character: Hamlet. They serve an important role in illuminating certain qualities in him, that might not have otherwise been seen. Claudius is a decisive man in that he does not let anything stand in the way of what he wants; the end justifies the means. Laertes and Fortinbras are both young men that seek revenge for the murders of their fathers. Hamlet shares qualities with each characters, but the way he reacts is different, shedding some light on his personality.

Claudius is the man who murdered Hamlet’s father: his own brother; and married his wife, so that he can be king. By doing so, the audience can clearly see that he will disregard all his morals, and act decisively to achieve his goals. This is important to see because it highlights Hamlet’s own personalty. Hamlet is the opposite of Claudius because he is concerned about is morality, and is very indecisive about acting upon what he says. This powerful contrast between the two is what makes Claudius and important foil to Hamlet.

Laertes and Fortinbras are paired together because they both thirst for revenge upon Hamlet. Laertes’s father was killed by Hamlet, and Fortinbras’s father was murdered by Hamlet’s father; so they both want him dead. Both of the young men are very determined; Fortinbras is willing to start a war between both countries, and Laertes is willing to assassinate Hamlet; this is important to know because Hamlet in very inactive in that he waits a long time to try and exact revenge. Little did they know that their situations are intertwined: All of their fathers were killed and they all show different ways they will get revenge. The relationship between ...

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... manipulates him to think that he will never be happy if he does not kill the king, and basically uses him a a pawn in her own little game to secure the crown. There are people today who are convinced by their spouses that doing something irrational or wrong is for the better good, so they do it. Macbeth shows that humans are very ambitious people that can be corrupted in their search for meaning. Macbeth also shows that people can be consumed by guilt eventually driving them to the point of insanity. He can be seen in human, there is a Macbeth on everyone, varying with circumstance, but still present in everyone. So it is logical to see why Macbeth would be a representative human because of his situations, circumstances, and his choices. So I agree with the quote because I can see that he has good intent, but his means of achieving his goals were corrupted by power.