Differences and Similarities in Hamlet

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Differences and Similarities in Hamlet

(1) Shakespeare’s play Hamlet [Titles] uses character flaws and strong emotions to highlight strengths and weaknesses in his characters. He also uses differences and similarities between characters to force action along the path he intends the story to travel. This technique is called using foils. The likes or dislikes of one character for another can completely alter the direction of the story. For example, love of a son for his father can be twisted and perverted, with the proper use of characters, into an outlet for hatred and revenge. [This is a very nice idea for a thesis, but instead of using Gertrude and Ophelia as foils (See below.), it would have been much better to use Fortinbras, who, like Hamlet, is also a son of a king who has been killed. Gertrude and Ophelia simply do not fit the category of "son."]

(2) An example of foils is Hamlet and Laertes. [Which is the foil?] They both love their fathers, but their love has been distorted and all they feel now is a need for revenge for their fathers’ deaths. The need they have for revenge is fueled by their love for the father’s [No '] they lost. However, they pay for this with their lives. They both are honorable men, they both see the errors they made and forgive each other at the end of the play. Hamlet and Laertes are similar in some ways and different in other ways.

(3) Laertes blames Hamlet for the death of his father. [Poor topic sentence] This becomes even worse when Claudius doesn’t openly punish Hamlet because of his popularity. Hamlet knows that Laertes is a good soldier and is loyal to Claudius. These men differ in the way they seek revenge. Laertes, upon arrival and hearing of his father’s death immediately goes to Claudius and seeks justice for his father. On the other hand, Hamlet doesn’t show any need for speed at all. He begins to devise an intricate plan of faked mental instability and other ploys to get his way. However, Laertes would not hesitate to take his revenge quickly. [This is, perhaps, Laertes' most important role as a foil for Hamlet. It should be emphasized more, by showing how Laertes' haste brings Hamlet's procrastination into the sunlight.

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