Hamlet Foil Analysis

In fiction, a foil character contrasts with another character in the story in order to highlight certain qualities of that other character. The foil is usually either dramatically different or is extremely similar to that other character, but a key difference sets them apart. In the work of Shakespeare, it's common for there to be many instances of a foil being used to highlight key traits in the protagonist's character, or in several other characters in the play. In Hamlet, Laertes and Hamlet act as foils of each other, and in Henry IV there are three characters intertwined as foils of one another: Hal, Hotspur, and Falstaff.
Hamlet contains foil characters that are made to be very obvious. Hamlet and Laertes presumably grew up together, and …show more content…
Once Laertes discovers that his father has been killed, he assumes immediately that the killer must be Claudius. An effect of his speculation is his instinctive desire to retaliate against Polonius's murderer. He says, "To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand, that both worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes. Only I'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father" (4.5. 128-134). This excerpt provides insight into his mind and shows his thirst for revenge at any cost. In contrast to Laertes’s belief of his father's killer, Hamlet assumes that the individual eavesdropping on the conversation he has with Gertrude is Claudius, and he says, "Nay, I know not: is it the King?" (3.4.28). Consequently, Hamlet is consumed with rage and automatically thrusts out with his sword in an attempt to kill Claudius but strikes Polonius instead. Hamlet's and Laertes's spontaneous actions are incited by fury and frustration. Sudden bursts of anger prompt both Laertes and Hamlet to act rashly, and they end up giving little thought to the consequences of their actions. But while both characters have the desire to avenge their father’s murders, only Laertes has any real resolve to take real …show more content…
Laertes has high respect and love for his father Polonius, and Hamlet has great respect for his deceased father; he even compares him to a sun god "Hyperion". When their fathers a proclaimed to be dead, Hamlet and Laertes strive to achieve revenge on their murderers. They both exhibit authoritarian attitudes towards females. In the same way that Laertes provides Ophelia with guidance on her relationship to Hamlet, Hamlet himself manages to persuade Gertrude that he is not mad and manipulates her to follow his instructions. He gets his mother to convince Claudius of Hamlet's madness and is also able to make his mother reflect upon and feel guilt for her part in the old king's death: "Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul, and there I see such black and grained spots as will not leave their tinct." (3.4.90-93). Additionally, Hamlet instructs his mother not to sleep with Claudius. Their fathers, or stepfather in Hamlets case, both tried to use spies to obtain information on their sons. Claudius employs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to get information on Hamlet, and Polonius sends Reynaldo to check up on Laertes. Although rivals, Hamlet, and Laertes share several similar characteristics which make them foils of each