The Law of Nature Must Carry its Punitive Consequences With It

On the other hand, Laertes wants to revenge his father’s death. Therefore this mistake murder leads Hamlet to his downfall as Claudius and Laertes want to kill him.

Laertes also brings revenge and betrayal out of Hamlet. Though an enemy, Laertes is a foil to Hamlet. Laertes helps in the development of Hamlet through the similarities they share. These include anger over the death of their fathers, and desire to exact revenge. Betrayal is also relevant because Laertes betrays Claudius in the end, revealing his plan to kill Hamlet. Hamlet betrays his father by verbally abusing his mother, against the wishes of his father. The differences between the two men are very strong. Hamlet would not kill Claudius in the church because he was praying. Laertes, however stated that he would kill Hamlet in a church, praying or not. Another difference is that Hamlet cannot be a man of action and a man of thought at the same time. He does not use his mind when he acts. He just acts. When he is pondering something, he is unable to act out his thoughts, and keeps quiet. Laertes, however, is able to act while thinking. He finds out that Hamlet killed his father and immediately devises a plan to kill him. This flaw makes Hamlet dangerous to himself, and is ultimately his downfall.

Ophelia’s father, Polonius, wishes to keep his family’s honor in tact, and fears that Ophelia’s open regard for Hamlet will diminish his honor. Both Polonius and Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, believe that Ophelia’s preference for Hamlet will only end in disgrace for their family, as Hamlet would never marry her due to her lower social standing, therefore, they counsel her to break off any understanding with Hamlet. As a woman, Ophelia realizes her duty to her father and her brother, and therefore decides to disregard her own feelings about Hamlet and do as her father and brother wish.

[Done in] England” (4.3.66). Gertrude with no control over his decisions agrees to everything Claudius suggests about Hamlet’s exile. Gertrude trusts Claudius which allows him to control her in the actions and decisions he makes. The lack of lines Gertrude has throughout the play proves her trust for Claudius proving that she has nothing against what he decides. Similarly, Ophelia is controlled by Polonius, her father. Polonius controls Ophelia due to immaturity and her ignorance of her relationship with Hamlet. “Affection? pooh! you speak like a green girl, / Unsifted in such perilous circumstance, / Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?” (1.3.101-103). Not only Polonius but Laertes, her brother, constantly advise her to avoid Hamlet because he is just counterfeiting love and his intention is to hurt Ophelia:

No nation is entirely free from corruption. Nevertheless, if corruption is strong enough, it can hinder the good governance and decay the fabric of society. It is an obstacle to sustainable development, and leaves little room for justice to prevail. Throughout the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, a corrupting disease plagues Denmark and the people within it. The incestuous marriage between Gertrude and Claudius, in addition to murdering King Hamlet, is the main example of deceit, corruption and evil. Throughout the play we can

Laertes loses his family because of Hamlet’s actions. His father is killed by him and his sister kills herself because of her grief. Laertes and King Claudius begin to plot Hamlet’s murder, planning to poison him, by drink or wound, whichever comes first. However, the plan backfires on the both of them and Laertes dies from his own blade, but not before saying “The King, the King’s to blame.”

Polonius shows the need to manipulate a situation regardless if it concerns him or not. This is especially seen through the relationship with his children. Without even knowing the full situation, Polonius has jumped into trying to

    In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the characters of Laertes and Hamlet both display impulsive reactions when angered. Once Laertes discovers his father has been murdered, he immediately assumes the slayer is Claudius. As a result of Laertes' speculation, he instinctively moves to avenge Polonius' death. "To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation: to this point I stand, that both worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes; only I'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father." Act 4 Scene 5 lines 128-134 provide insight into Laertes' mind, displaying his desire for revenge at any cost.

Issues of power are foremost in Polonius' mind. He immediately seeks the King in order to legitimate his accusations concerning Hamlet. By doing this, not only does Polonius gain power over Hamlet, but also with the King himself. Polonius tries to control the way Hamlet is seen around the court so as to rise in stature himself. Through his manipulation of Ophelia, Polonius becomes a character not as much concerned with familial ties as one whose concern rests within the world of court intrigue and position.

First off, one distinct difference between Hamlet and Laertes is the amount of time each is present throughout the play. Hamlet is there to witness everything that occurs in Denmark first-hand. He even discovers the hidden truth behind the death of his father when the ghost states, “Revenge [King Hamlet’s] foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare Page 35 Line 29). On the contrary, Laertes only learns of most information about Denmark by letters or informants. For example, Laertes states, “How came he dead? I’ll not be juggled with” (Shakespeare Page 98 Line 141). This is after Laertes has returned to Denmark, and he still does not know who or what caused the death of his father. Another contrast between the two characters is where they travel when not in Denmark. For the short time that Hamlet is not in Denmark, he travels to England. Laertes, however, spends his time in France when he is not in Denmark. This further intensifies the notion that these characters are foils because these nations are seen as the two powerhouses in the United Kingdom. Hamlet travels to one nation, while Laertes travels to the opposite one. So, while Hamlet is present for almost the entire play, Laertes is rarely seen because of his extended

Ophelia is subject to more manipulation, but now by the men in her own family as they try to further their own intentions. It is typical for family members to be protective of one another, but Ophelia's brother Laertes and her father Polonius are instead manipulative and demeaning to Ophelia, not in any way looking out for her. Instead of protecting her, Polonius is concerned with himself and his own image. At this point in the play, Ophelia describes her relationship with prince Hamlet. Polonius surely has strong opinions on the matter and stresses that she should have no more contact with him whatsoever.

Polonius’s relationship with his children is far worse that Hamlets relationship with his biological parents. In the first act, Laertes warns Ophelia not to fall for Hamlet because he simply cannot marry outside of royalty. Polonius overheard their conversation and chipped in, “Tender yourself more dearly, / or you’ll tender me a fool”. (I.iii.107-109) As an unmarried daughter, Ophelia has no choice but to be obedient to her father. This means that Polonius is free to force Ophelia to break up with Hamlet. He’s also free to use his daughter as bait to spy on

Laertes is a mirror to Hamlet. Hamlet is a scholar at Wittenberg, and Laertes at France. Both are admired for their swordsmanship. Both men loved and respected their fathers, and displayed some dishonesty when plotting to avenge their father's deaths.

Much of the humor that lies in the character of Polonius is that he obviously thinks he is very clever, and it is his simple delight in his poor wit that is funny.

His use of complex language to increase his intelligence is both farcical and comical in nature. The most obvious example of this satirical self mockery in the play comes in Act two scene two “Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, I will be brief.” In this single sentence Polonius proves to himself and the world that he his does not have “the soul of wit” due to the fact that even though he is trying to talk about being short winded, Polonius cannot help himself from embellishing his point and therefore showing that he cannot be brief. Polonius’s inability to use decisive and precise diction is a major factor in the animosity that grows between him and Hamlet in the play and provides the basis for that particular subplot. However Polonius still manages to make a mockery of himself when he interrupts a player claiming that the speech was “too long”. This is an allusion in itself to the contradictory nature of the upper classes. Where one law applies to everyone else and another to themselves, his clear lack of consistency is used by Shakespeare to further enhance Polonius’s comical