Cassidi Hastings
4.20.09
4th Hour
One of William Shakespeare’s greatest strengths in his writing is his character development. Not only are his main characters well rounded, but even the smaller, supportive roles are far from flat. In this great author’s tragedy, Hamlet, Laertes, son of Polonius has a relatively small role, when placed next to his sister, father, and others. Yet he provides an excellent foil for the very central character, Hamlet himself. Looking at the reactions of these two seemingly similar characters in certain situations, however, shows just how different two men can be.
When Hamlet interacts with Ophelia [III, i, 97-167], he is very upset with the way he believes her to be behaving. He becomes shockingly rude [III, i, 128-148] and unmistakably violent. Treating a lady as such would’ve been incredibly degrading, and would’ve been damaging to not only Ophelia’s pride, but the very way she views herself. Her experience with men has been limited, and very proper and loving. In Ophelia’s diolauge with Laertes [I, iii, 1-55], we see a very different kind of interaction. In this situation, as with Hamlet, Laertes is upset with Ophelia’s behavior concerning her relationship with Hamlet. However, instead of being condescending and rude, Laertes gently admonishes his sister to be careful with her emotions [I, iii, 13-47].
Both Hamlet and Laertes found themselves brought to a confrontation with Claudius, the king, at one point in the play. Both feel duty bound to attack the king to avenge a great ill done to them. Laertes is not given the opportunity as soon as he would’ve liked, so he forced himself upon the king, and not quietly, either [IV,v,106-115]. He brazenly approaches Claudius and demands his father’s body. At this point, Claudius has no choice but to comply with his demands. Hamlet, on the other hand, is given ample chances to strike. Yet, even as he gazes upon the king, who seems to be deep in remorse and practically begging for someone to put him away from his guilt [III, iii, 39-75] Hamlet justifies his inaction. Claudius has all but confessed the murder, but he procrastinates.
The largest, though not by any means final, similarity between Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and Laertes, son of a common man Polonius, is the untimely deaths of their fathers. Both murdered, both sent to hell without confessing their sins. This alone would beg retribution against their murder, but as if it was not enough, Hamlet had his father’s Ghost appear to him, not once, but twice! Laertes had no such visitation, but he needed none. Laertes was loyal to his father, in so much that he was ready to kill to avenge him, no matter who’s fault it really was [IV, v, 139-169].
Hamlet is, arguably, an incredibly piece of writing. However, without the support of Horatio, the betrayal of Ophelia, even the wit of the gravedigger, it would not have been quite the play it was. Laertes, aside from being a complex and fascinating character, provides a great foil for Hamlet. One may observe his reactions, as opposed to Hamlet’s, and chose for themselves which of the two was the better, the wiser man.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Originally published in 1603.
