William Shakespeare? S Hamlet Essay, Research Paper

In some plants of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does non look at all, is a important presence.

Choose a novel or drama of literary virtue and compose an essay in which you show how such a character maps in the work. You may wish to discourse how the character affects ation, subject, or the development of other characters.

In William Shakespeare & # 8217 ; s play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Hamlet and Fortinbras have many similarities in state of affairs, place of power, and aspirations. Shakespeare uses Fortinbras to contrast and foreground Hamlet, every bit good as influence Hamlets determinations.

In Hamlet the character of Fortinbras, a immature Norse prince, has been used as a foil for the chief character Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. Hamlet and Fortinbras have lost their male parents to ill-timed deceases. Hamlet & # 8217 ; s uncle, Claudius, killed Hamlet & # 8217 ; s male parent and Old King Hamlet killed Fortinbras & # 8217 ; male parent. Both Hamlet and Fortinbras have vowed to take retaliation on the decease of their male parents. However, they go about making this in complete antonym manners than each other.

After larning of his male parent & # 8217 ; s decease Hamlet promises to take retaliation, upon Claudius. Even after Hamlet has no uncertainties that Claudius is the liquidator, he hesitates to kill him. Fortinbras, on the other manus, takes action even before the drama begins. As the drama opens, we learn that Denmark is in a province of qui vive. Horatio informs us that:

& # 8230 ; sir, immature Fortinbras,

Of unimproved mettle hot and full,

Hath in the skirts of Norway here and at that place

Sharked up a list of anarchic resolutes.

( ACT 1. SC 1. LN 107-110 )

Fortinbras plans to take action against Denmark for the violent death of his male parent and for the return of lands antecedently owned by Norway, These differences between Hamlet & # 8217 ; s and Fortinbras & # 8217 ; action are farther mentioned in Hamlet & # 8217 ; s last monologue.

Before the monologue begins, one of Fortinbras & # 8217 ; s Captains informs Hamlet that Norway is fixing to contend Poland over a & # 8220 ; small spot of land & # 8221 ; , and that 20 thousand work forces are willing to contend for this worthless piece of land merely for award & # 8217 ; s interest. This begins Hamlet & # 8217 ; s last monologue. In it Hamlet reflects upon Fortinbras & # 8217 ; finding to travel against the Polish ground forces for the award over a negligible affair while he has delayed for so long to revenge the slaying of his male parent.

The monologue begins with Hamlet & # 8217 ; s ideas on how clip is running by and he still hasn & # 8217 ; t done anything. He says:

& # 8220 ; How all occasions do inform against me,

And spur my dull retaliation! What is a adult male,

If his head good and market of his clip

Be but to kip and feed? a animal, no more. & # 8221 ;

( Hamlet IV.iv. 32-35 )

In these lines Hamlet thinks about all the clip he has wasted in non taking action. He sees how everything around him is

taking form, all except his ain actions. He goes on to state “Sure, he that made us with such big discourse, Looking before and after, gave us non that capableness and god-like ground to fust in us unus’d “ ( 36-39 ) Here Hamlet is stating that every adult male has ground, and that ground should be put to good usage. He besides expresses the idea that he has “……cause and will and strength and means to do’t” ( 45-46 ) but still delaies and thinks of taking action alternatively of taking action.

Following Hamlet goes on to depict Fortinbras. He asks the audience to:

Witness this ground forces of such mass and charge

Led by a delicate and stamp prince,

Whose spirit with godly aspiration puf & # 8217 ; vitamin D

Brands oral cavities at the unseeable event,

Exposing what is mortal and diffident

To all that luck, decease and danger daring,

Even for an egg-shell. Rightly to be great

Is non to stir without great statement,

But greatly to happen wrangle in a straw

When houour & # 8217 ; s at the stake. & # 8221 ; ( 47-56 )

These lines describe Fortinbras. The audience learns that Fortinbras a immature, goaded, and ambitious prince who is willing to put on the line everything for what he must make and accomplish, even if it & # 8217 ; s for an & # 8220 ; egg-shell & # 8221 ; . Hamlet so finishes his monologue with a comparing to his state of affairs and action to that of Fortinbras and the ground forces of 20 thousand work forces.

After larning of Fortinbras & # 8217 ; program against Poland, Hamlet becomes disgusted with his inability to revenge his male parent & # 8217 ; s slaying. He wonders how he has merely & # 8220 ; allow all kip & # 8221 ; even after the violent death of his male parent and the moral decease of his female parent. He is even more ashamed when he thinks of the twenty-thousand work forces who are willing to travel to their deceases for a valueless piece of land that & # 8217 ; s non even large plenty for their Gravess. This was adequate to put his head one time and for all. At the terminal he decides that from that minute on, all he will believe about is his retaliation against anyone that has done unfairness towards him. He says & # 8220 ; O, from this clip Forth, My ideas be bloody, or be nil more & # 8221 ; ( 65-66 )

In this soliloquy Hamlet & # 8217 ; s personality is, for the last clip in the drama, clear to the reader. He is shown against another Prince who is the exact antonym of him in the same state of affairs. By this the reader learns more about Hamlet & # 8217 ; s features and the manner he thinks. Besides, here Hamlet has eventually made a determination on what to make. He has made up his head to hold merely bloody ideas alternatively of 1s that are good thought out. Fortinbras & # 8217 ; chase of his end has given Hamlet the illustration on how to move if an chance presents itself. Hamlet is so determined to make something he does non wish to believe about the effects any longer.

Although Fortinbras is non present for much of the drama he has a big influence on Hamlets determinations. Shakespeare utilizes the similarities and differences of the two immature princes in the drama Hamlet