Character Analysis

In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Fortinbras is Hamlet's foil. The minor character Fortinbras is used as Hamlet's foil to make it easier to understand the main character Hamlet. Very similar situations have fallen upon both Hamlet and Fortinbras, leading to their parallels. There are still, many difference between the two, making one the foil of the other. Though they are basically strangers, by the end of the play, Hamlet harbors strong feelings of jealousy and respect towards Fortinbras.

A foil is used to give more information about a main character through differences and parallels. The similarities between the characters Hamlet and Fortinbras are called parallels. Before the play begins both Fortinbras and Hamlet, the elders, are dead. Both young Hamlet and young Fortinbras are Princes. The two of them must defend their fathers' honor, by getting revenge. These parallels are half of what makes Fortinbras Hamlet's foil.

Fortinbras shows all of the characteristics of a good king, where as Hamlet cannot stop questioning the world and cannot act without proving things true or changing his mind. For example, Hamlet comes upon Claudius and has the chance to kill him, "Now might I do it pat, now he is a-praying, And now I'll do't. (he draws his sword) And so he goes to heaven..." (III,iii,76-79) At this point he could take revenge, but finds the excuse that Claudius might got to heaven if he died then, and changes his mind. Fortinbras is decisive, in his choice to secretly invade Denmark, while in this example, and many others, Hamlet is very indecisive. This shows one of many differences between Hamlet and Fortinbras, differences which make up the other half of what makes Fortinbras Hamlet's foil.

Hamlet, knowing only a few things about Fortinbras, finds that he both envies and admires him. Fortinbras gathers his own army, lies to his uncle, and tricks King Claudius, all "...to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name." (IV, iv, 19-20) Hamlet envies Fortinbras' willingness to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. Hamlet does't ever make a plan to kill Claudius, he makes a plan to prove to himself that he actually murdered King Hamlet, as he says, "...the plays the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." (II, ii, 620-621) He envies how well thought out Fortinbras' plan is, when compared to his own, and the progress Fortinbras makes, with his 20,000 soldiers. He also admires Fortinbras for all the same reasons, which leads to his choice, in the end, to give his 'vote' to Fortinbras.

We know not of the flaws of Fortinbras, but through Hamlet we know of his strengths, and through Fortinbras we are shown many of Hamlets flaws. We know Fortinbras is strong where Hamlet is weak and that Hamlet wished he could be like Fortinbras. In the end, they both technically reached their goals, but as far as anyone knows for sure, success was not a guarantee. It is unknown if Hamlet died truly satisfied, or if Fortinbras actually became king, William Shakespeare, unsurprisingly, left that, like many other things, never to be known. In this way, he forced his readers to decide, forced them to make an assessment, to pay attention to details. In doing this, one might say that Fortinbras became king, and a great one at that, and that Hamlet died satisfied, knowing that his father was avenged, and that not only does he not have to be king, but that the throne is in good hands.