Although his unfavorable situation is very similar to Hamlet’s, he is completely controlled by the thoughts of revenge. As he talks to Claudius, who wants to utilize him to get rid of Hamlet, Laertes got too much anger built up in his mind to stay calm. At this point, all Laertes wants to do is only to “eliminate” Hamlet immediately, “To cut his throat i' th' church” (p. 193), like treating a feud. Laertes’ behavior is caused by the unexpectedly death of his father and the sudden mad of his sister. Moreover, Claudius wants a person who is strong enough to compete with Hamlet. He knows Laertes is the one that he is looking for, so he asks him to “put me in your heart for friend” (p.187), rekindles his rage, and tells him that they should share the weal and woe and stay on the same line to confront Hamlet. Laertes is affected by Claudius’ “combustion”, which further turns him a terrible monster to revenge for his father. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes is “passionate and quick to action” (Sparknotes Editors) and has no state of mind. He indiscriminately sees Hamlet as an enemy and Claudius as a friend, without considering the causes and consequences of his father’s death. Although Hamlet is somewhat hesitant, he thinks about what he does and always sticks to his
Although his unfavorable situation is very similar to Hamlet’s, he is completely controlled by the thoughts of revenge. As he talks to Claudius, who wants to utilize him to get rid of Hamlet, Laertes got too much anger built up in his mind to stay calm. At this point, all Laertes wants to do is only to “eliminate” Hamlet immediately, “To cut his throat i' th' church” (p. 193), like treating a feud. Laertes’ behavior is caused by the unexpectedly death of his father and the sudden mad of his sister. Moreover, Claudius wants a person who is strong enough to compete with Hamlet. He knows Laertes is the one that he is looking for, so he asks him to “put me in your heart for friend” (p.187), rekindles his rage, and tells him that they should share the weal and woe and stay on the same line to confront Hamlet. Laertes is affected by Claudius’ “combustion”, which further turns him a terrible monster to revenge for his father. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes is “passionate and quick to action” (Sparknotes Editors) and has no state of mind. He indiscriminately sees Hamlet as an enemy and Claudius as a friend, without considering the causes and consequences of his father’s death. Although Hamlet is somewhat hesitant, he thinks about what he does and always sticks to his