Comparing Hamlet with Fortinbras

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Hamlet Coursework

        Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. It tells the story of a young prince, Hamlet, who in a meeting with his father’s ghost uncovers that his uncle murdered his father to become King. The play follows Hamlet as he decides what to do with this knowledge, until he finally avenges his father, but sadly is killed in the process.

Interesting comparisons can be made between the main character, Hamlet and, one of the more minor characters, Fortinbras. In this essay I am going to consider what such comparisons reveal about both characters and the play as a whole.

        There can be many similarities made between Hamlet and Fortinbras and also some important differences, the most obvious being the length of the role of Hamlet compared to the length of the role of Fortinbras. Whilst the role of Hamlet is Shakespeare’s second longest role out of all his plays, following that of Iago in “Othello,” Fortinbras speaks for a mere twenty-seven lines in two scenes and is mentioned in 3 others.

        Hamlet and Fortinbras are both princes, Hamlet of Denmark and Fortinbras of Norway. Both have fathers who have recently died, Fortinbras’, father was killed in a fair duel with Hamlet’s father, over their countries. A poisonous snake supposedly killed Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, but this is just a deception, created by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius who, in reality, murdered King Hamlet. Claudius then married King Hamlet’s widow, Queen Gertrude and became the new king of Denmark. Meanwhile, in Norway, Fortinbras’ uncle also became king. This shows significant correlation between Hamlet and Fortinbras; both princes were overlooked as the positions of kings by-passed them.

        

A difference between the families of Hamlet and Fortinbras is the importance of the role of Hamlet’s mother. We don’t know or hear anything of Fortinbras’ mother, but Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude is without doubt one of the major characters and so plays a part in influencing Hamlet. Maybe this extra female influence is one of the reasons why Hamlet thinks more about his actions, whereas Fortinbras, who for all we know may have little or no female influence, just does things without thinking about them, and also behaves quite violently – both stereotypical male traits. You get the sense that Gertrude and Hamlet were much closer before King Hamlet died, because after the death the swift marriage between Gertrude and Claudius drove a wedge between mother and son.

        

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At the beginning of the play Hamlet does not know that his father was murdered, but he disapproves of the marriage between his mother and uncle, so soon after the death of his father, so already he does not particularly like or respect his uncle, Claudius. When Hamlet hears a ghost of his father has been spotted he wants to see it for himself. The ghost tells him that it was murdered, poisoned by Claudius. However, although Hamlet is angry he decides not to act upon the words of a ghost and so determines to check out the ghost’s reliability. ...

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