Foils In Hamlet Essay

Shakespeare's play Hamlet has FOILS throughout the play, drawing comparisons and allusions to elements of life. The elements of a foil are used to display the complexity and deeper elements of a character, revealing characteristics of certain characters like Hamlet and Laertes, and the idea that while similarities rest within people, how different and similar their lives can be.

Hamlet, our main character and sole point of view, is obviously the character that the audience is given the most information and traits about. Hamlet had been dealing with his father’s death in a rather poor manner- in the view of Claudius and Gertrude- Hamlet was taking too long to grieve, as “the survivor bound, In filial obligation for some term, To do obsequious sorrow.” (1.2, lines 7-9) Grieving was not a “manly” thing to do in the eyes of society, so Hamlet must quell his grief and “man up.” Hamlet’s father wants him to take revenge for his

There are only two women in the play: Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, and Hamlet's love interest, Ophelia. Both are defined through Hamlet. There is the “virgin-whore" dichotomy that establishes the two women as foils to each other. Ophelia is a maiden and an obedient daughter to Polonius while Gertrude (in the eyes of Hamlet) has a sexual "appetite" and a "hasty" remarriage that mark her as promiscuous and unfaithful. We only get Hamlet's perspective on Gertrude, and he has a biased perspective about her at that. What really makes these ladies foils is that they're both women who die because of the power machinations of men who control them. The women, just like those in this time period followed and fell under the influence of men. They had to follow what men wanted them to do and a woman without a man had very little influence or say. Daughters had to follow fathers, and wives had to follow husbands. Gertrude and Ophelia were forced under the rule of