A Comparison and Contrast of Hamlet and Laertes

Most of Shakespeare’s plays have striking resemblances and differences between the characters involved. Some of the plays by Shakespeare contain tragic ends with an atmosphere surrounded by a lot of tensions based on the behavior of the characters. Moreover, though not always literal, some of the similarities and differences can be seen based on how the characters act. In this case, Hamlet is a tragic play, that ends with the tragic death of the main characters, including the king, queen, and Hamlet himself. However, one aspect that stands out is the comparison of how two of the characters, Hamlet and Laertes, in terms of how they are similar and how they differ throughout the play. However, even though there are some differences between Hamlet and Laertes, it can be said that there are far more similarities between the two characters in the play.

Hamlet is a prince who comes home to bury his father, the king of Denmark.  Upon his arrival back home, he finds his mother already married to Claudius his uncle who assumed the duty of king after the death of old Hamlet.  After finding out that Claudius is responsible for the death of the king, his father, he goes on a revenge sphere to avenge the death of his father. Laertes also seeks to avenge his dead father; this is the most common similarity between these two.  Laertes is the son of Polonius who was the king’s right-hand man and Ophelia’s brother. These two characters have an unmatched desire to exact revenge on their fathers’ killers. However, the difference between these two is seen in the way they separately plot and exact their revenge.

            The need for revenge makes these two characters unforgiving. This is because they both decide against forgiving the people responsible for the respective deaths of their fathers, and as such, they opt for revenge. This element is portrayed throughout the story as the two characters plan their revenge. Hamlet ponders of the ways he can enact his revenge on his uncle, who, by that time, has married his mother and, as such, became the king. As for Laertes, he also blames Claudius for the death of his father, and as such, he explores how he can also take revenge on the king for the death of the right-hand man of the previous king, who was hamlet’s father. This shows that the two characters have the same ideas when it comes to the matter of forgiveness and revenge.

Still, one striking difference between the two characters is how they intend to take their revenge on the alleged killers of their fathers. Hamlet seems to be thoughtful and, as such, does not rush into making any drastic decisions. This is because, as seen in the play, he keeps pondering about the best way to take his revenge, and mainly focuses on ways which would not become too dangerous for him. In this context, he shows patience regarding how he would execute his plans on the king. Laertes, on the other hand, does not like contemplating about anything since he seems to be a straight doer. Instead of wasting time contemplating how he would take his revenge, Laertes storms the castle and threatens the king with a sword. However, he later comes to learn that it was Hamlet who caused his father’s death accidentally. Due to this, it can be seen that between the two characters, Laertes is quite impulsive as compared to Hamlet.

Furthermore, the two characters also have different elements in common, and in this case, one of the elements is regarding their love for Ophelia, who happens to be Laertes’s sister. Ophelia falls in love with Hamlet out of pure infatuation, which is caused by the fact that Hamlet keeps seducing her. Due to this, Hamlet and Ophelia have feelings towards each other. On the other hand, being his brother, Laertes seems to love his sister genuinely to the extent that he gives her accurate advice regarding her life choices, which can be seen as contrast regarding how Laertes himself makes his decisions. One of the examples of the advice he gives to his sister includes advising her to reject Hamlet’s advances towards her.  Their love for Ophelia is another striking similarity between these two.

Laertes is a hypocrite compared to Hamlet since he does not follow the kind of advice he gives to people, including Ophelia. When comparing both in terms of knowledge, Hamlet is more knowledgeable than Laertes, this has been evidenced by the fact that Hamlet is more strategic about his revenge than Laertes. In their quest for revenge, Laertes threw away his honor the moment he began using lies to exact his revenge, on the other hand, Hamlet never stoops to Laertes' level of using lies.

In conclusion, Hamlet and Laertes had more similarities than differences, as shown in the play. This is primarily because of their respective approaches to the different elements happening in their lives. Some of these elements include the two wanting to take revenge for the deaths of their father and their intentions towards Ophelia. However, the main difference between the two characters is that they both have different ideas when it comes to the methods, they use to enact their acts of revenge since one of them is quite impulsive while the other is patient.

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Clarendon Press, 1912.