Hamlet_vs_Laertes

Brya Coleman Per. 6 Hamlet vs. Laertes The death of a loved one, especially a father to a son, is a very tragic and dreadful event in one’s life and can lead a person down a very difficult road. It may also lead someone to do things that they may not do in reality. In Shakespeare’s tragic play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the protagonist, young Hamlet, son of the late Old King Hamlet, and Laertes, son of Polonius, experience the loss of their fathers in tragic ways. Both Hamlet and Laertes react in very different ways to the tragic deaths of their fathers. Hamlet acted very passive in accordance to the death of his father because he waited throughout the whole play to actually act on getting revenge for his father’s death on his uncle, while Laertes reacted aggressively and wanted to take immediate revenge on Hamlet for killing his father. Their reactions weren’t right nor were they wrong, but the way that both figures handled the situations led to their tragic demise. Young Hamlet, son of the late King Hamlet, was hit very hard by his father’s death. Hamlet very much loved his father, and what made things worse for him was that he didn’t have his mother to look to for comfort and support because she was too busy marrying his uncle not two months after the mysterious death of his father. This drove Hamlet into a very dark period of mourning and depression, to which some say he went mad. For example, in Act one, Scene four, Hamlet encounters in what he believes to be the ghost of his late father, in which the ghost tells him that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, and that he should seek revenge upon him. Now, from this point on throughout the play Hamlet plays with the thought of if, how, and when he will murder Claudius, his uncle. For some time, Hamlet is very unsure of the fact that he should act on his revenge because he ponders if the ghost was real and if so was it in fact, speaking the truth. In regards to his doubts, Hamlet produces a stage play for all to see, including the king and queen, in which he reenacts the death of his father, Old King Hamlet, to see King Claudius’s reaction thus further confirming his suspicions. Once Hamlet is sure of his doubts he encounters many obstacles throughout the rest of the play, such as the accidental killing of Polonius, father of Laertes, and the death of his beloved Ophelia. These events somewhat distract Hamlet of his task, which further led to his tragic demise. As you can see, Hamlet’s self doubt coincides with his reluctance to act on his revenge, showing his passive reaction to his father’s death. Laertes, son of Polonius, reacted completely different from Hamlet in regards to the death of his father. Laertes acted very aggressively on taking revenge for his father’s death. He wanted to take immediate action and get revenge on Hamlet for killing his father as soon as possible. Laertes’ father, Polonius, was King Claudius’s advisor and friend. Polonius’s death was a complete accident and Hamlet didn’t mean to kill him. Hamlet thought that Polonius was Claudius and mistakenly stabbed him in his mother’s chamber. This did not matter to Laertes. He did not care whether it was either accidental or intentional. His father was dead and the only way he’d be satisfied was to take immediate revenge. Although, Laertes took into consideration the fact that Hamlet had gone mad in the eyes of the public, it did not affect his decision because his mind was already made up. There was also the fact that Laertes’ younger sister, Ophelia, was in love with Hamlet, but was ordered to stay away from him by their father, earlier in the play. Due to the death of Polonius, Ophelia had gone mad herself and this, furthermore, demolished Hamlet’s image in the eyes of Laertes. The only reason stopping Laertes from killing Hamlet on the spot was King Claudius’s plan for it to look like an accident because of Hamlet’s popularity and the fact that he didn’t want to hurt Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. In Act four, Scene seven King Claudius and Laertes discuss their plan to kill Hamlet. Their plan consisted of Laertes challenging Hamlet to a fencing match in which, Laertes’s sword will be sharpened and poisoned and just in case that wouldn’t kill Hamlet, the King would back up Laertes by giving Hamlet poisoned wine. Laertes thought this plan was brilliant and thus went through with it; thinking that this would lead this to his revenge, unknowing that the plan would backfire and lead to his eventual tragic demise as well. Laertes fast acting plans shows his aggressiveness to seek revenge on Hamlet for killing his father. Hamlet and Laertes both have demonstrated that the death of a loved one can lead a person down a very dangerous and tragic road. These two figures handled their situations very differently, but they both ended on a tragic note. Hamlets passive style of waiting throughout the play to finally seek revenge on Claudius led him to go mad in the eyes of everyone around him and also led him to lose friends, such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and loved ones, such as his mother and his beloved Ophelia along the way. Laertes completely different, yet somewhat ineffective style of aggressiveness also led to the loss of friends and loved ones. Laertes plan of action could have been successful if he had worked out the details well in advance and had more support, especially from the Queen. Hamlets reluctance and passiveness, and Laertes ineffectiveness and aggressiveness ultimately furthered their downfall, and should be a lesson learned to all. This goes to show that how these men reacted was neither good nor bad, but how they handled the situations was what ultimately led to their tragic deaths in the end.