Foils to Hamlet

In Shakespeare's play, there are two glaring foils to Hamlet: young Fortinbras and Laertes. Fortinbras was also named after his father, who is dead at the beginning of the play, and struggles with the consequences of his death (although not to the same degree as Hamlet, since Fortinbras's father died nobly in combat). He is the prince of his country, and his uncle is the King of Norway, like Hamlet's uncle Claudius is the King of Denmark. Laertes, like both Fortinbras and Hamlet, is a nobleman and has lost a father (although it is a more recent death and part of the play's action). Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet all have a common duty they struggle with: the obligation to avenge their fathers' deaths.

However, while Hamlet questions himself and puts off revenge time and time again, Fortinbras and Laertes both take action rather immediately. Not long after his father's death and subsequent loss of territory to the Danes, Fortinbras raises an entire army and prepares for battle, blatantly ignoring the wishes of his uncle, the King of Norway. As soon as Laertes learns of Polonius's murder, he seethes with murderous intent, saying he will "cut [Hamlet's] throat i' th' church," (Shakespeare 116), implying that he will do anything, even commit a murder on the holy ground of a church, in order to avenge his father's death. Laertes immediately forms a tangible plan with Claudius to murder Hamlet. All three men seemed to be concerned with their fathers' and their own honor, but while Fortinbras and Laertes take action, Hamlet does not do anything significant except talk about getting revenge for most of the play. There's a reason why most of the deaths occur in Act V: Hamlet delayed revenge for so long that things got out of hand, causing many pointless deaths. If Hamlet had just killed Claudius when he had the chance (when Claudius was praying), Polonius, Gertrude, Laertes, Ophelia, and maybe even Hamlet would still be alive.