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The Characters Traits of Hamlet Essay

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Hamlet is a Shakespearian tragedy that takes place in the kingdom of Denmark. The plot consists of murder, betrayal, revenge, suicide and insanity. Hamlet the prince of Denmark, main character of Hamlet, has many character traits which are contrasted by other figures in the play.
Hamlet’s personality is especially contrasted by three other main male figures of the play being
Horatio, Claudius, and Laertes. Horatio is Hamlet’s best friend in the play whom is let into the mind and secrets of
Hamlet. Horatio’s other part in the play is the reader’s indication that since he and Hamlet both saw the ghost, Hamlet’s sanity isn’t in complete doubt. Horatio is a man of virtue, known as being very strong, rational, and having …show more content…

Laertes is a man of action. Upon hearing his father’s death, Laertes immediately traveled to Denmark for answers and once he got them he instantly plotted his revenge. Unlike Laertes,
Hamlet didn’t go straight to the problem for answers. Instead he had waited, than casually constructed a play to see how the king (Claudius) would react. After finally coming to the conclusion the King had murdered his father, he planned for revenge, but acting it out came very slowly. Countless times in the play he had cursed himself for being so hesitant and slow even though he had good reason and motivation. Both of them do share numerous qualities such as devotion, impulsiveness, and anger.
Both Hamlet and Laertes show devotion towards their fathers, King Hamlet and Polonius, as well as having deep love (in different forms) for Ophelia. As for impulsiveness, Hamlet unknowingly kills Polonius because he believes it was the king (Claudius) spying on him and
Gertrude, "Nay, I know not: is it the King?" (III, iv, l 28) and thrusts out in anger at Polonius behind the curtain rendering him dead. Laertes also shows impulsiveness when he goes to
Claudius followed by a mob and blames him for his father’s death and is ready to take the throne. All in all, Hamlet and Laertes are very similar, but the contrasting foil between them would be ones lack of ability to act and the others ability to mobilize immediately. This contrast makes Hamlet’s “laziness”

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