Hamlet

            How does Shakespeare use foil characters in his play Hamlet?.
             The play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare is a classic tale featuring death, revenge, ambition, tragedy, lust, and deceit. The main character, Prince Hamlet, son of Old Hamlet who was recently murdered is contemplating whether or not to avenge his father's death and kill Claudius who is now king and also his uncle and the murderer. The whole play evokes a terrible tragic end in which everyone is slain. Foil characters are used to constantly compare the actions of Hamlet and the possible actions of other characters if they were put in his situation. This helps makes Hamlet's character more three-dimensional and makes it more appealing to the audience. With this, we can even compare ourselves to Hamlet, helping the play to be universal. Foil characters add psychological depth to the play and the link of Hamlet to that of a Renaissance man and furthering himself helps us to understand the nature of Hamlet. In addition to addressing possible Renaissance characteristics in Hamlet, we can find elements of a medieval morality play teaching us how to live well. .
             Perhaps one of Hamlet's most obvious foil characters is Fortinbras. Like Hamlet, Fortinbras is also a young prince whose father was also killed. However, unlike Hamlet, he has an unstable temper and is quick to act without thought. He wants to start a war against Denmark however Claudius cunningly convinces him to start a war against Poland. The land that Fortinbras is about to take is small and unprofitable. The earth is very infertile but Fortinbras is still willing to give up the lives of his own men just for a worthless piece of land. This way of thinking and acting shows us that Fortinbras is not afraid of doing what he wants to do. If he were in Hamlet's situation then Fortinbras would not hesitate to avenge his father's death. He can be thought of as a person who is mentally strong and stable.