Hamlet and Laertes: Pawns of the King

1052 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Shakespeares revenge essay

Hamlet and Laertes: Pawns of the King

1 In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet [Titles] the actions of Laertes and Hamlet are the focal point of the play. They are the sons of major characters who must have grown up together in Elsinore castle, and known each other for years. Laertes warns his sister Ophelia about continuing a relationship with Hamlet because of his royal obligations. The tragic deaths of their father’s [No '] forces them both to seek revenge at all costs. They learn that pursuing revenge is a dark way to travel and it cost them their lives.

2 Hamlet and Laertes are both close and loving sons. The emotional outbreak of shock from Hamlet as his father’s ghost told of his most unnatural murder (Act 1 Scene 5 Line 25). [Frag -1] His father’s ghost had confirmed Hamlet’s suspicions (Act 1 Scene 5 Line 42). Hamlet seems to have a deep[ly] felt loss for his father that can only come from love for his father. The love for his father is twisted later by rage. Laertes is much loved by Polonius, as he leaves for his ship back to France, Polonius gives him a torrent of fatherly advice and his love (Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 55-80). [CS -1] Polonius and Ophelia give him a warm good-bye: they are a close family.

3 Ophelia is a point of contention for both Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet has been attracted to Ophelia and she to him (Act 1 Scene 3 Line 100). Ophelia is very much attracted to Hamlet and has been told by Polonius to discourage him. Laertes loves Ophelia as a sister and warns her of Hamlet’s show of affection toward her, reminding her of his royal role (Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 10-42). Hamlet and Laertes care for the girl[,] and her feelings for both of them are dangerous for her. Ophelia’s mind is torn apart by Hamlet’s rage against his mother as he turned his frustration on her, telling her to get herself to a nunnery (Act 3 Scene 1 Line 120). The sight of Ophelia’s madness when he returned, melts Laertes’s heart and deepens his need for revenge (Act 4 Scene 6 Line 185).

4 Laertes[,] as Polonius’s son[,] could not imagine being disloyal to the king.

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Hamlet And The Cask Of Amontillado

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Hamlet and Laertes act as dramatic foils, where their similarities are used to highlight their differences. Each character learns that his father has been murdered and each plots his revenge against the murderer. In the first act of the play, the ghost of Hamlet’s father tells him “Let not

    Read More

  • Who Is Ophelia A Foil In Hamlet

    602 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ophelia is portrayed as a sensitive, fragile woman. Easily overpowered and controlled by her brother and father, Ophelia is destined to be weak. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, warns and pushes Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet and is further supported by their father Polonius. “Polonius enters and adds his warning to those of Laertes. He orders Ophelia not to spend time with Hamlet or even talk to him. Ophelia promises to obey” (“Hamlet” 95). Ophelia’s obedience to her father’s directions prove the side she

    Read More

  • Hamlet: Laertes As Foils In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are multiple times where the protagonist, Hamlet, is portrayed as Laertes, the antagonist. Although, while every character is almost a foil to Hamlet, only a couple stand out over all the other characters. Amongst Laertes, Fortinbras, and Claudius, I’ll be focusing my essay on how Laertes functions as a foil to Hamlet. Laertes is presented with similar catastrophic situations that Hamlet encounters. This is observed when both of them left home, faced the death of their fathers as well as Ophelia’s death. During Act 1, Scene 2, it is acknowledged that Hamlet is returning to England and Laertes asking for consent to France in Act 1, Scene 3. Polonius sends his man, Reynaldo, to Paris to spy on Laertes in Act 2,

    Read More

  • Laertes in the Play and Movie Version of Hamlet

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the 1990 version of Hamlet starring Mel Gibson, Laertes is portrayed in a very poor light. He seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. At certain points during the written play, Laertes's actions may be taken entirely differently than they are conveyed in the movie. In the film version of Hamlet, all of Laertes's negative aspects are much more pronounced.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Revenge In Hamlet

    2463 Words  | 5 Pages

    His father was killed by Hamlet and his sister was driven insane due to the series of events that took place because of Hamlet. Like Hamlet, Laertes wants to avenge his father by killing the man who killed Polonius. As described earlier, Hamlet is slow to act. Laertes, on the other hand, acts quickly and with precision, wasting no time in acquiring his target and formulating a plan. Robert Palfrey Utter, Jr., puts it best, Hamlet and Laertes both come to the same conclusion that murder must be carried out, but Hamlet reaches that conclusion only “after he has had a few minutes to think it over.” (140) Once Laertes finds out that the man who killed his father was Hamlet he is ready to charge in and kill him as soon as possible. He is only stopped by Claudius, who advises him on a more subtle approach. Straight off the bat it is clear how efficient Laertes is compared to Hamlet. Hamlet wastes a large amount of time scheming up complex ideas on how to get a confession out of Claudius and how to kill him. Laertes on the other hand wastes no time in getting a straight and to the point plan that he can execute immediately. After spending more than half the play watching Hamlet squirm around on the stage getting almost nothing accomplished, the audience would be acutely aware of the stark difference between Hamlet and Laertes even though they share the same motivations. Laertes has his speed but he shares in Hamlets lack of critical thinking when he gets hot headed. He is in such a blind rage that he doesn’t think on what he is agreeing to do with Claudius. Just like Hamlet, his brash actions cost those around him his life. In carrying out the plan, the King, the Queen, Hamlet, and he all die to the poison that was used in the duel. Hamlet was slow and reckless while Laertes was quick and reckless. Wilds sums up the relationship between Hamlet and Laertes perfectly, “Laertes and Hamlet have been foils to each other

    Read More

  • Essay on the Oppression of Ophelia in Hamlet

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the play opened, Hamlet and Ophelia appeared as lovers experiencing a time of turbulence. Hamlet had just returned home from his schooling in Saxony to find that his mother had quickly remarried her dead husband's brother, and this gravely upset him. Hamlet was sincerely devoted to the idea of bloodline loyalty and sought revenge upon learning that Claudius had killed his father. Ophelia, though it seems her relationship with Hamlet is in either the developmental stage or the finalizing stage, became the prime choice as a lure for Hamlet. Laertes inadvertently opened Ophelia up to this role when he spoke with Ophelia about Hamlet before leaving for France. He allowed Polonius to find out about Hamlet's courtship of Ophelia, which led to Polonius' misguided attempts at taking care of Ophelia and obeying the king's command to find the root of Hamlet's problems. Ophelia, placed in the middle against her wishes, obeyed her father and brother's commands with little disagreement. The only time she argued was when Laertes advised her against making decisions incompatible with the expectations of Elizabethan women. Ophelia tells him, in her boldest lines of the play:

    Read More

  • Hamlet’s Dashing Laertes

    1959 Words  | 4 Pages

    The character of Laertes in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet is an interesting one. Though seemingly relatively low-ranking as the son of the lord chamberlain, he nevertheless commands such respect from the populace that they rally to make him king at one point.

    Read More

  • Incest And Sexism In Hamlet

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Along with protecting his sister from the unlawful Hamlet, Laertes tries to protect the family’s reputation. He believes that Hamlet is to out manipulate his daughter and if he doesn’t put an end to it, entire family will be ruined. Other royals will begin to look down the family if the secrets and between Hamlet and Ophelia are ever

    Read More

  • The Character of Laertes in Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Scene Three begins, Laertes is speaking with his sister, Ophelia, about her relationship with Hamlet, and warning her to ?Weigh what loss your honour may sustain,/ If with too credent ear you list his songs,? (1.3.29) else she lose her virtue to Prince Hamlet. This exemplifies his loyalty and love for his family, and especially his sister, though she replies to his warnings and advice with the sarcastic reply to do not ?Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,/ Whilst, like a puffed and reckless libertine,/ Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads/ And recks not his own rede.? (1.3.47) Following this, Ophelia and Laertes? father, Polonius, enters, and Laertes departs with a final warning t...

    Read More

  • Who Is Laertes A Foil In Hamlet

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    Laertes is a foil to Hamlet once again with his actions upon hearing of his father’s death. We see Hamlet struggle with avenging his father's death throughout the entire play. Hamlet lets his intelligence talk him out of killing Claudius when he sees him praying; Hamlet tells himself, “Now might I do it pat, now ‘a is a-praying, and now I’ll do’t-- and so a’ goes to heaven” (3.3.73-774). Hamlet knows he must requite his father, but does not make any rash decisions because he knows he must be smart about it, as to get full revenge. Laertes, like Hamlet, loses his father, but he reacts rashly and without much thought. In fact, Laertes assumes it is Claudius who kill his father at first and he says, “To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand, that both worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my father”(4.5.129-134). Laertes is ready and willing to avenge his father and kill Claudius, but he does not take anytime to think. While Laertes does not even know Claudius was not the one who killed him. It is as simple as that, his father is dead and he wants revenge, it requires no time for thought or consideration. When he finds that it is Hamlet, rather than Claudius he shows great pleasure in the fact that he, himself, will be able to deal Hamlet a fatal blow in a fight. There is no soul-searching, no worrying about an afterlife and no concerns about conscience. It is a simple matter. His father has been killed by Hamlet, so Hamlet must die at his hands. It was Laertes’ rash decisions guided by his desire to take quick action that eventually lead to his demise. Laertes unfortunately does not get to see the the results of his revenge, but he does realize the error in his rash ways. Before he dies

    Read More

  • How Does Hamlet Change Over Time

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Starting off near the beginning of the play, Laertes was demanding that Ophelia would stay away from Hamlet. He started off by hinting that Hamlet, who is a royalty, is up to no good and will never respectfully love someone like her. After giving Ophelia the impression that Hamlet might never love her how she wants him to; Laertes starts telling Ophelia that Hamlet will not be with her for long. Laertes compares Hamlet to temporary things that are admired

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Hamlet – The Character Laertes

    3320 Words  | 7 Pages

    Mack describes one of the lesser problems in life which Laertes must deal with. The son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia, Shakespeare’s Laertes must suffer the demise of both father and sister during the course of Hamlet. Helen Gardner, by way of overview, compares Laertes to Hamlet and King Claudius in “Hamlet and the Tragedy of Revenge”:

    Read More

  • Shakespeare’s Hamlet

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Laertes and Hamlet both lose a father by unnatural and sudden death. The unnatural death of the father is brought on by someone close to the son. When Laertes discovers that his father is dead, he is outraged. When Hamlet learns from the ghost of his father’s murder, he weeps, and promises action, though he delivers none. Both Laertes and Hamlet grieve deeply for their fathers, but Laertes acts upon this grief while Hamlet carefully plots his revenge and waits for the perfect moment to avenge King Hamlet. Laertes’ unplanned action causes his death by his own sword, while Hamlet’s apparent inaction finally gets him the revenge that Laertes has attempted. Though Laertes’ grief at his father’s death causes his action, Hamlet’s grief for his father has more power.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Laertes and Fortinbras in Hamlet

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet's response to grief is a trait starkly contrasted by Laertes. Laertes response to the death of his father is immediate. He is publicly angry, and he leads the public riot occuring outside Castle Elsinore, which Polonius' death and quick burial served as a catalyst. He is suspicious, as is evident in his speech to Claudius. "How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with. / To hell, allegiance!"(Act 4, 5:130). Hamlet, however is very private with his grief. His mourning for King Hamlet is long and drawn out, two months after his father's death, he is still observed to be wearing "...suits of solemn black."[(Act1, 2:78) Claudius and Gertrude comment on his unhappiness, however it is not until Hamlet's first soliloquy that the audience is made aware of the depth of his suffering. Although dismayed at his mother's quick remarriage to his uncle, Hamlet suspects nothing of his father's murder until the ghost discloses this to him.

    Read More

  • Hamlet, Laertes & Fortinbras: Avenging Their Fathers

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although similar in age, class and ambition to destroy their fathers killers, Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras each have characteristics that make them different from each other and show how each acted unlike the others when carrying out their plans. Hamlet seems to be the one who lets things dwell in his mind before taking any action or making an attempt at trying to get on with things. He shows this after the death of his father when he remains in morning and a depressed state for three months without trying to get on with his life. Laertes seems to be the more quick minded of the three as he makes hasty judgements about Hamlet and is quick to force his opinion upon his sister, Ophelia about his fears for her if she stays in the relationship. “For Hamlet and the trifling of his favor, hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, a violet in the youth of primy nature, forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, the perfume and suppliance of a minute—No more.

    Read More

More about Hamlet and Laertes: Pawns of the King

Open Document