In most plays and short stories there are characters that help distinguish other main characters. The characters that create these distinctions are commonly known as foils. A foil is a minor character that contrasts the characteristics of a more important character. The foils in Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, help the reader understand the struggles that Hamlet went through to find out what happened to his father. Hamlet’s best friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, are prime examples of the foils that hinder Hamlet in his struggle to discover his father’s fate. Claudius, the king, sent Hamlet’s best friends to be nosy and find out what exactly was bothering Hamlet. When the two friends arrive in Denmark, Hamlet is immediately aware that something about their presence doesn’t seem right. Hamlet starts to question why the two friends were in Denmark. Through Hamlet’s suspicions we learn that he is very quick to recognize sketchy behavior. The …show more content…
Laertes cares deeply for Ophelia and warns her to stay away from Hamlet. Laertes does this because he is unsure if Hamlet’s love for Ophelia is genuine. Hamlet has an undying love for Ophelia, but this is unclear until the end of the play to both the characters in the play and the readers. When Hamlet sees that Ophelia has passed on, he confesses his love for her, “forty-thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum” (Act 5, Scene 1, Lines 243-245). Hamlet and Laertes both have an extremely short fuse, which causes them to make foolish and unwise decisions. Ophelia’s death causes Hamlet to go even more insane and make one of his many foolish decisions. Hamlet stabs and kills Polonius while he was talking to his mother. Hamlet, acting upon his sudden outburst of anger believes he has killed the king himself, but come to find out it was only the king’s
In the exchange between Laertes and Ophelia, one learns a great deal about Hamlet, as well. Laertes explains to his sister that she must consider Hamlet's rank and position and know that he is not free to choose a bride for himself (1.3.19-26). He also cautions her not put any faith in "Hamlet, and the trifling of his favor / [and to] Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, / A violet in the youth of primy nature" (1.3.5-7). He means that Hamlet follows a passing whim where she is concerned, and that he does not truly love her. In other words, Laertes impresses upon Ophelia that Hamlet merely feels toward her the passion that is present in the springtime of youth. It is clear that Laertes believes he is telling his sister the truth about her situation with Hamlet because if he thought Hamlet would marry her Laertes would most likely encourage a relationship between them. Hamlet and Laertes are friends and if Hamlet married Laertes' sister he would at some point enjoy the advantages of a brother-in-law of the King.
A foil is a minor character in a literary work that compliments the main character through similarities and differences in personality and plot. In William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet", the main character, Hamlet, has three major foils. These foils are his close friend Horatio, Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, and the brother of his love, Laertes. These three characters contradict and enhance Hamlet's major characteristics.
Laertes acts much like his father in taking a position of authority over Ophelia. He feels free to tell Ophelia what she has to do with her love life and expects she will oblige his demand. Like his father, he too tells her to break off her relationship with Hamlet. However, his reasoning is not selfish; he is worrying about her virginity, her reputation, and the
Foils in The Crucible In literature, a character’s true personality is revealed through the use of foils. A foil is a minor character that contrasts with a main character and highlights his or her particular characteristics. They are found in movies, television shows, novels, and plays. Foils can reveal both positive and negative traits. Throughout The Crucible, literary foils reveal the true personalities of many characters.
Hamlet and Laertes both have a strong love for Ophelia. Laerte's care and affection are revealed by his
In the end, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are naively loyal to Hamlet, and this becomes their downfall. They know that Hamlet has killed Polonius, and yet, they take no precautions as they accompany Hamlet to England. Their trust in both Claudius and Hamlet gets them killed. Hamlet’s reveals his mistrust of his schoolmates in a conversation with his mother, and refers to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as, "...my two-school fellows, whom I will trust as adders fanged..."
A more noteworthy comparison between Hamlet and Laertes would be each man’s intense relationship with Ophelia, the former’s love interest and the latter’s sister. Both men are passionately preoccupied with Ophelia’s actions, mainly those pertaining to her sexuality, but in different ways. Prior to the events in the play Hamlet actively pursues a romance with Ophelia, but during his staged madness he violently criticizes her for acting at all interested in his advances. As the play progresses Hamlet flips back and forth between sneering at Ophelia and declaring his love for her, but in either case he shows an obvious devotion to the girl. Laertes holds the same amount of devotion, but towards protecting her from Hamlet and anything else that may compromise her virtue. When he is told of her descent into
Foils are minor characters, that through similarities and differences, set off or accent the main characters of a play. There is a strong connection between the foils in a play and one's final perception of the main characters. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, there is a continuous shifting of the main character's emotions. These emotions range anywhere from madness and rage to grief and sorrow. In Hamlet there is a foil that represents each emotion and behavior that is displayed by the main character- Hamlet.
Some time later Claudius informs Laertes that Hamlet killed Polonius. This sends Laertes into a fury so great Laertes vows to avenge Polonius’s death. When Ophelia dies,