Claudius And Fortinbras In Hamlet

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic play involving love, treachery, insanity, and death. There are many characters in this tragedy that have a certain significance. He draws the readers in by unveiling the true colors of all the main characters. Throughout the play, each of the characters and their diverse histories add in to the complex plot and form Hamlet into one of the finest Shakespearean plays written to date.

The protagonist of the play is Prince Hamlet. Hamlet is categorized as the tragic hero. Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, was poisoned by Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, which is proven when the ghost of King Hamlet states, “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life / Now wears the crown.” (1.5.38-39). Hamlet’s downfall went quickly

Fortinbras contrasts with Hamlet, because they have somewhat of the same storyline. Fortinbras’s father was killed, and his uncle took the throne, as stated, “Dared to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet / (For so this side of our known world esteemed him) / Did say this Fortinbras;...” (1.1.84-86). The next foil character is Claudius, which is also the antagonist of this play. Claudius helps reveal Hamlet’s true colors, unintentionally, by murdering his father. By his actions, Claudius uncovers a dark side of his nephew. The reader can infer that when Hamlet figures out the real cause of his father’s death, his motive for revenge intensifies greatly, showing that Hamlet can be just as evil as his uncle,

He guides his son, Prince Hamlet, to realize the truth behind his death and seek revenge on the man who killed him (1.2.39-49). The only survivor of the main characters of the play is Horatio, making him the only normative character. He is Prince Hamlet’s right-hand man throughout the play. Horatio most clearly displays his loyalty to Hamlet at the end of the play. His loyalty is proven when Hamlet tells Horatio to spare his own life to tell the story of Hamlet’s, as stated, “If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, / Absent thee from felicity awhile, / And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain, / To tell my story.”(5.2.334-337). The Gravediggers are categorized as the fool characters, introduced in act five, scene one. One can see the Gravediggers are sarcastic when it comes to their profession. In Act V, Scene I, lines 92-93, the main Gravedigger sings while digging a grave, as stated, “O, a pit of clay for to be made / For such a guest is meet.” This Gravedigger also has a sarcastic conversation with Hamlet, which reads, “What man dost thou dig it for? / For no man, sir. / What man, then? / For none either. / Who is it to be buried in’t? / One that was a woman, sir; but, rest her soul, she’s dead.” (5.1.100-105). These quotes prove the Gravedigger is the comic relief, because of his sense of