Pennsylvania College of Technology   Dr. Vavra's ENL 121: Lit & Comp

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1     In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet [Titles] the actions of Laertes and Hamlet are the focal point of the play. They are the sons of major characters who must have grown up together in Elsinore castle, and known each other for years. Laertes warns his sister Ophelia about continuing a relationship with Hamlet because of his royal obligations. The tragic deaths of their father’s [No '] forces them both to seek revenge at all costs. They learn that pursuing revenge is a dark way to travel and it cost them their lives.

2     Hamlet and Laertes are both close and loving sons. The emotional outbreak of shock from Hamlet as his father’s ghost told of his most unnatural murder (Act 1 Scene 5 Line 25). [Frag -1]  His father’s ghost had confirmed Hamlet’s suspicions (Act 1 Scene 5 Line 42). Hamlet seems to have a deep[ly] felt loss for his father that can only come from love for his father. The love for his father is twisted later by rage. Laertes is much loved by Polonius, as he leaves for his ship back to France, Polonius gives him a torrent of fatherly advice and his love (Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 55-80). [CS -1] Polonius and Ophelia give him a warm good-bye: they are a close family.

3     Ophelia is a point of contention for both Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet has been attracted to Ophelia and she to him (Act 1 Scene 3 Line 100). Ophelia is very much attracted to Hamlet and has been told by Polonius to discourage him. Laertes loves Ophelia as a sister and warns her of Hamlet’s show of affection toward her, reminding her of his royal role (Act 1 Scene 3 Lines 10-42). Hamlet and Laertes care for the girl[,] and her feelings for both of them are dangerous for her. Ophelia’s mind is torn apart by Hamlet’s rage against his mother as he turned his frustration on her, telling her to get herself to a nunnery (Act 3 Scene 1 Line 120). The sight of Ophelia’s madness when he returned, melts Laertes’s heart and deepens his need for revenge (Act 4 Scene 6 Line 185).

4     Laertes[,] as Polonius’s son[,] could not imagine being disloyal to the king. [Poor topic sentence] His father is the king’s advisor and loyalty to the king will come as second nature to him. Laertes showed this as he came home to Elsinore for the king’s coronation (Act 1 Scene 2 Line 53). Hamlet, [No ,] is not loyal, he has a hard time being civil to the king, as he mentions that he is more [than] kin and less than kind (Act 1 Scene 2 Line 65). Hamlet’s distaste for his uncle now king is represented when he calls Claudius a satyr comparing him to his father as Hyperion, the sun god of mythology (Act 1 Scene 2 Line 140). Hamlet envisions Claudius as an opportunist, getting the throne and his mother, the Queen, by birth order only, not by qualification or qualities. [Evidence for this?] Hamlet’s rage at the Queen for so quickly replacing his father dissolves his loyalty to her also (Act 1 Scene 2 Lines 128-155).

5     Laertes and Hamlet have the same reaction to the pain of personal loss. [This is a better topic sentence.] Hamlet reacted to the ghost of his father with surprise, fear, and astonishment, then as the ghost told of his murder his need for revenge was not easily controlled (Act 1 Scene 5 Line 10- 42). [CS] Laertes’s reaction to the death of Polonius was just as swift and emotional. His grief was compounded because of his discovery of Ophelia’s "madness" as well (Act 4 Scene 6 Lines 199-215). The need for revenge on the minds of these men opens them up to be used by the king. Hamlet’s loss of respect for his mother and Laertes’s loss of Ophelia is ["are"] comparable because, they both represent a fallen womanhood. [SV Agr] The Queen’s quick remarriage to Hamlet’s uncle and Ophelia’s damaged mind. [Frag -1] These women meant a great deal to them both and they had to feel devastated by their loss. At the end of the play when Gertrude dies from the poison[,] Hamlet’s quick response shows that whatever his mother’s shortcomings he still loved her.

6     Hamlet and Laertes, at the time of Polonius’s death[,] are literally pawns of the King. Hamlet is used by Claudius to obscure the ease ["case"?] that he came into his brother’s throne from Gertrude. Her fear that Hamlet was going mad distracted her[,] and the madder Hamlet acted the better for Claudius. Laertes was loyal to his king[,] so Claudius used Laertes’s deep hatred for Hamlet to conspire to murder Hamlet (Act 4 Scene 7 Lines 127-163).

7     Claudius’s plan and intentions turn for the worst. The poisoned blade and drink combine to turn his plan against him. When Claudius drinks to Hamlet’s first hit of the swordplay[,] his false praise is cover of him poisoning of the cup that will kill the Queen. The king[']s use of these men only shows their honor in the end as Laertes and Hamlet forgive one another (Act 5 Scene Line 304-315). [Paragraphs six and seven are short and should be combined. They also appear to be more of a plot summary than a development of Laertes as a foil. (The points made are not really based on the developed similarities and differences between Laertes and Hamlet.)]

8     The use of Hamlet and Laertes in this play was to illustrate that evil can effect [affect] the best of men. The similarities of Hamlet and Laertes gave Claudius the notion that he could predict their actions and control the outcome of their conflict. He failed because the goodness of both of the young men overcame their need for revenge. [This needs a lot more explanation. I do not see it in the play, nor do I see it supported in the body of the essay. Does either Hamlet or Laertes overcome their need for revenge BEFORE that need is satisfied?] The obsession of Hamlet and Laertes for revenge at all costs is evil and empty.

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