In William’s Shakespeare’s Hamlet, characters are utilized to highlight the flaws and discrepancies of others. Through familial duty, actions, and vengeances of the two subplots of Hamlet and Fortinbras, it is evident that both characters are parallel to one another. Fortinbras serves as fail to emphasize aspects of Hamlet’s personality, which enhances plot and character development.…
Throughout William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there exists an inner struggle among all characters, as to who they are and who they strive to become. Princes of rival nations, Hamlet and Fortinbras, undergo a desire to achieve a greatness to which they feel destined. Through examining these two characters, one can discover the true value of a foil in developing the character’s personality, differentiating the feeling of defeat, and the motives affecting their…
Fortinbras, who schemes to rebuild his father 's kingdom, leads thousands of men into battle, attempting to capture a small and worthless piece of Poland, after his uncle warned him against attacking Denmark. The added land will do little to benefit Norway 's prosperity, but this campaign may cost "two thousand souls and twenty thousand ducats" (IV.iv.26). This shows that "pride is a driving factor behind Fortinbras ' plan" (Wilson 34) because he is willing to put the lives of his compatriots at risk for a minimal gain. Laertes, on the other hand, is compelled to seek revenge because he loses his father and eventually his sister. "The root of Laertes ' revenge appears to be the love for his family" (Prosser 52) because he proclaims that he will "be revenged / Most throughly for [his] father" (IV.v.153-154). This shows that Laertes will either avenge his father 's death or die trying. While Fortinbras and Laertes are driven by pride and love, Hamlet seems to act…
Almereyda’s Hamlet is a completely modernized production of the play. For example, as opposed to Hamlet being the former king of Denmark, he is actually the “king”, or CEO of Denmark Corporation located in New York City. Instead of Elsinore being the castle, it is Elsinore Hotel. Hamlet (the “prince”) is an indie film producer, adding to the idea of a “movie within a movie.” His films are a good way to represent and reflect his thoughts during his speeches. When there are scenes in which the people of the court are present, such as during Claudius’ announcement of his marriage to Gertrude or the duel scene between Laertes and Hamlet, the scenes are set up as press conferences with photographers and reporters. Fortinbras is actually the nephew of another corporation, Norway, and the threat of his takeover is only slightly touched upon. Whereas the threat of a Nordic invasion adds to the tension of Shakespeare’s version, this element is for the most part absent from the movie.…
Hamlet (prince of Denmark) can be greatly compared to Laertes (son of a noble), and Fortinbras (prince of Norway) in the play. They all are very similar but yet different at the same time. They all had love and respect for their fathers and felt the need to avenge their deaths, which all were brutally killed. All three believed that the murderers had dishonoured their fathers as well as themselves. They all reacted and took different approaches in attempt to restore honour in their families.…
The Shakespearean play, Hamlet, is a story of revenge and the way the characters in the play respond to grief and the demands of loyalty. The importance of Fortinbras and Laertes in the play is an issue much discussed, analysed and critiqued. Fortinbras and Laertes are parallel characters to Hamlet, and they provide pivotal points on which to compare the actions and emotions of Hamlet throughout the play. They are also important in Hamlet as they are imperative to the plot of the play and the final resolution. Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras are three young men who are placed in similar circumstances, that is, to avenge their father's deaths. The way the each comes to terms with their grief and how they rise to the call of vengeance is one of main contrasts between the three.…
William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is thought by many readers to have the major theme of revenge. Although revenge is a significant part of the play, it is not the main theme. Throughout the play there are many ways Shakespeare uses dramatic irony and for each one there is always a cause and effect. He uses this Cause and effect to target the audience and to keep them engaged in the play. An example of cause and effect would be in Act IV, Scene IV (IV, iv, 35-70). In this scene it shows Hamlet and his liking of Fortinbras and how angry he is at himself. The cause is from the audience while the speech and other things are the effect. The cause and effect from this scene and the soliloquy is one of the ways Shakespeare connected with his audience, which was in his time the Elizabethan era.…
Fortimbras’ roll in this play is too small that has only be talked about from other people’s words. However, we can still see the opposite characteristics between Hamlet and Fortinbras. Hamlet is aggressive without control while Fortinbras is aggressive with control. After Hamlet knows the murder of his father which has been committed by his uncle he determined to take revenge almost right away without any doubt. In the contrast, Fortinbra obeys his uncle’s order and swear not to invade Norway any more although he is aggressive and good at…
When young Fortinbras was a boy, his father, former king of Norway, gets killed in a battle with King Hamlet, young Hamlet’s father, and loses Norwegian territory which by ended up part of Denmark since King Hamlet won the fight and killed King Fortinbras. Furthermore, young Fortinbras’s uncle, old Norway, takes over the throne instead of giving it to his nephew, young Fortinbras, just as Claudius who also crowns himself when King Hamlet dies. When the play opens, however, the responses of young Fortinbras and young Hamlet depart to completely different directions, which perhaps in masculine and feminine ways. Just as Horatio describes him “of unimproved mettle hot and full” (1.1.97-98), young Fortinbras never really get to know his father, but he blames King Hamlet for the death of King Fortinbras and immediately raises an army called “lawless resolutes” to reclaim Norway’s lost territories. On the other side, Hamlet chooses to stay away from his duties as the only price of Denmark and the successor to the crown. While Fortinbras is training his army and treats Denmark to reclaim their lands and avenge his father, Hamlet has done nothing but complaining about his fate and struggles to kill Claudius even he had a chance to do so. Just from how frightened Hamlet is from his opening phrase of the soliloquy in Nunnery…
The play depicts Fortinbras receiving a vote from the dying Hamlet to become the new king. Shortly after, Fortinbras himself makes a speech accepting the honor and…
It is without doubt that William Shakespeare has created many unique, thought - provoking characters. Hamlet is by far Shakespeare's most compelling character. In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, various character traits, exhibited by Hamlet, can be seen through his foils. Similarities with Hamlet and Horatio's education, as well as their levels, can be drawn. However, Hamlet's character is in constant change and even philosophical. Fortinbras, without question encompasses many of Hamlet's qualities. They are both born with nobility, along with a similar lineage. However, Fortinbras is more aggressive and even sneaky. Laertes, Hamlet's late antagonist, is both impulsive and righteous. However, they differ in terms of their nobility, as well as their father's behaviour. The character traits exemplified by Hamlet also comprise his foils.…
Oftentimes, the minor characters in a play can be vital and, among other things, function to further the action of the play or to reveal and illuminate the personalities of other characters. In Hamlet, Fortinbras, the Norwegian Prince, serves as the most important foil of Hamlet and provides us with the actions and emotions in which we can compare to those of Hamlet and better reveal Hamlet's own character. Because Hamlet and Fortinbras both lost their fathers and have sworn to avenge their deaths, Fortinbras is a perfect parallel of Hamlet. He was also very crucial to the play's ending and to bring a remedy to the corruption that has plagued Denmark.…
Fortinbras’ direct contribution to the story is less substantial than is Laertes’, but is relevant nonetheless. Fortinbras is pitted against Hamlet from the beginning by history. As he seeks vengeance for his father’s killing, Fortinbras also searches for any way to demonstrate his dominance over Hamlet’s land of Denmark. He seizes lands from Denmark and does all he can to torment Hamlet and his subjects. He does recognize that the young Hamlet would have been a capable and great ruler for his kingdom, had he lived to inherit power, but is not held up from taking advantage of his timing to acquire even more of the lands he believes he has a right to rule over.…
In turn, one may feel that the only way to relieve the negative feelings is to seek revenge and kill the person whom one blames for them. Hamlet clearly shows a deep love for his father, and he is utterly heart-broken over his death, especially after seeing his uncle take his place. Therefore, when his father 's ghost informs him that it is a murderer, not a snake, who is responsible for his death, Hamlet immediately responds: "Haste me to know [who], that I, with wings a swift / As meditation or thoughts of love, / May sweep to my revenge." (Hamlet, I, V, 35-37) He does not even know whom he has to kill yet, but he is already sure that he must avenge his father, no matter the cost. Hamlet is so lost without his father, he needs somewhere to place the blame for his death. Thus, when this opportunity arises he endeavours to seize it in an attempt to avenge his father, and alleviate his own heartache as well. Fortinbras, too, seeks revenge for his father 's death. However, unlike Hamlet, he does not have a ghost to incite him, only thirty years of hatred and anger toward the ruler of Denmark. He spends his whole life trying to win back the land his father lost to the Danes, take vengeance for Old Fortinbras, and regain dignity for him and his people. When, finally, he storms the castle to assume the throne and the "... rights of memory [he has] in this…
After what happened here today in Elsinore, I'm quiet sure that you're probably confused and full of sadness. Some of the people who died here today deserve to be remembered, whereas others do not. I'm here to tell you the real story of what happened and how it led to these many deaths.…