Fortinbras as Foil for Shakespeares Hamlet Essay

Fortinbras as Foil for Hamlet In the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the character of Fortinbras, has been used as a foil for the main character, Hamlet. Hamlet and Fortinbras have lost their fathers to untimely deaths. Claudius killed Hamlets father, King Hamlet, and King Hamlet killed Fortinbras father. Both Hamlet and Fortinbras have vowed to seek revenge for the deaths of their fathers. Since the revenge tactics of Hamlet and Fortinbras are completely different, Hamlet perceives the actions of Fortinbras as better than his own and the actions of Fortinbras, then, encourage Hamlet to act without hesitating. Hamlet, after learning that his fathers death was a murder and vowing to take revenge, wants to be†¦show more content†¦The soliloquy begins with Hamlets thoughts on how time is running by and he still hasnt done anything. He says: How all occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge! What is a man, If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more. (Hamlet IV.iv. 32-35) In these lines Hamlet is thinking about all the time he has wasted by procrastinating. He sees how everything around him is taking shape, all except his own actions. He goes on to say Sure, he that made us with such large discourse, Looking before and after, gave us not that capability and god-like reason to fust in us unusd (IV.iv.38-41) Here Hamlet is saying that every man has reason, and that reason should be put to good use. He also expresses the thought that he has cause and will and strength and means to dot (IV.iv.47-48) but still waits and thinks of taking action instead of taking action. Next Hamlet goes on to describe Fortinbras. He asks the audience to: Witness this army of such mass and charge Led by a delicate and tender prince, Whose spirit with divine ambition pufd Makes mouths at the invisible event, Exposing what is mortal and unsure To all that fortune,Show MoreRelated The Foils of Laertes and Fortinbras in Hamlet Essay1031 Words   |  5 PagesThe Foils of Laertes and Fortinbras in Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare wrote the classic play, Hamlet in the sixteenth century.   Hamlet would be a very difficult play to understand without the masterful use of foils.   A foil is a minor character in a literary work that compliments the main character through similarities and differences in personality.   The audience can identify similarities and differences between any of the characters and Hamlet, however, there are two characters thatRead MoreThe Foils of Hamlet Essay646 Words   |  3 PagesA foil is a minor character in a literary work that compliments the main character through similarities and differences in personality and plot. 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