The way in which Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes enact their revenge shows the readers how each characters personality differs although they all have shared love for their fathers.

“Hamlet”

Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is considered to be one of the greatest tragedies of all time. During the play, one of the prevalent themes was that of revenge in response to the death of the character’s fathers. The way in which Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes enact their revenge shows the readers how each character’s personality differs although they all have shared love for their fathers.

The hero of this tragedy, Hamlet, has the most complex relationship with his father. During the play, Hamlet and his father are never both seen alive together. The play opens with Hamlet listening to his father’s speech as a ghost. After Hamlet Sr.’s speech, Hamlet tells the audience about his plan to avenge his father. From this statement, the readers are able to realize the genuine love Hamlet Jr. has for his father. I found it interesting that Shakespeare included certain details about Hamlet that would lead the readers to make certain judgments about his character and personality. What sets Hamlet apart from the other characters is his approach to finding his father’s murderer. Instead of going on a witch-hunt for the murderer, Hamlet rationalizes everything his father has told him and has the desire to find more evidence before jumping to conclusions. From this, I could tell that Hamlet was a logical person who analyzed every decision he made. This character trait makes Hamlet one of the most intelligent characters in the play even though he acted “crazy” throughout most of the play.

Laertes, Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother, is the polar opposite of Hamlet. Although both characters share their love for their fathers and will to avenge them when they are murdered, the way Laertes approaches it is very different. When Laertes learns of his father’s death, he does not desire to find more evidence about the murderer. Instead, Laertes gathers a mob and storms Claudius’ throne. Hamlet sets up a whole play in order to confirm his suspicions about Claudius while Laertes confronts Claudius immediately without any evidence to bolster his claims. The decisions made by Laertes helped me realize no ...