Michael J. Cawley IV ENGL 129H.001 Laertes Character Study Essay 4/13/15 In William Shakespeare’s tragedy ​
Hamlet​
, Laertes, while not one of the most prominently featured characters in the play, is one of the most essential characters in the play for his significance to the development of the plot and his thematic significance as a parallel character to Hamlet himself. He is also an interesting character for his significant differences from Hamlet despite his overall similarity to him. Laertes’ most important actions in ​
Hamlet​
are few but essential to the play. He seeks vengeance for his father’s murder as Hamlet does with his own father, he tells Hamlet that Claudius has killed him, motivating Hamlet to finally kill Claudius, and, finally, he kills Hamlet and is himself killed by him. Laertes’ chief characteristics are his protectiveness and love of his sister, Ophelia, his devotion to his father, Polonius, his trustingness, his vengefulness, and his recklessness. While many of Laertes’ traits are good ones, their motivation of and combination with his bad traits lead eventually to his tragic undoing. Despite the similarity of his story to that of Hamlet, his traits are not entirely like those of Hamlet, but are rather unique, although they lead him to the same fate. Laertes’ seeking of vengeance, his reveal to Hamlet of Claudius’ treachery, his killing of Hamlet, and his killing by Hamlet, are all essential actions that have a great effect on the rest of the play. His seeking of vengeance leads to both his and Hamlet’s deaths, his reveal of Claudius’ actions motivates the conclusion of Hamlet’s main character arc, and his and Hamlet’s deaths form the main dramatic action of the play’s tragic climax. While Laertes is a very interesting character on his own, his main contribution to the meaning of the play is how he serves as a parallel character to Hamlet, as Laertes’ similarities to Hamlet highlight those traits in Hamlet, and his differences from Hamlet highlight those traits in Hamlet as well while presenting alternatives to aspects of Hamlet’s character and actions. Laertes and Hamlet share many similarities and a few key differences. Both have recently returned from foreign studies to Denmark for King Claudius’ coronation at the beginning of the play, Laertes from France and Hamlet from Germany, where he was studying at the University of Wittenberg. Both Laertes and Hamlet seem to enjoy and be good at fencing, but Laertes is said to be better at it. Just as Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, is killed by Claudius, Laertes’ father, Polonius, is killed by Hamlet himself. Both Laertes and Hamlet resolve almost immediately to seek vengeance for their fathers’ deaths, but Laertes also seeks vengeance for his sister Ophelia’s death, which was also Hamlet’s fault. However, while Laertes, with Claudius’ help, hatches an elaborate plan to kill Hamlet, Hamlet does not really have a plan for how to kill Claudius, rather attempting, often unsuccessfully, to seize opportunities as they arise. This difference shows that if Hamlet had executed his plan similarly to Laertes, he may have been more successful and gotten to live to enjoy his success. Laertes and Hamlet both love Ophelia, Laertes’ sister and Hamlet’s love interest, and both grieve greatly at her death. Laertes and Hamlet both die by poisoned rapier, at each others’ hands, and each gets to kill his father’s killer. Both desire peace with each other as they lie dying, and they make their peace. Hamlet and Laertes are both killed by poison provided by Claudius, as was Hamlet’s father. This highlights the theme of Claudius the illegitimate monarch poisoning the kingdom of Denmark and the necessity of Hamlet to set things right. The duality of Laertes and Hamlet is only one of many dualities which Hamlet shares with many characters in the play, including his own father, Fortinbras, and Ophelia. Each duality serves to parallel and/or contrast one or more qualities of each character with some quality or qualities of the character of Hamlet. Laertes and Hamlet also share a few more specific, subtler similarities within the broader similarity of both seeking vengeance for their fathers’ murders. Hamlet rightly blames his uncle, Claudius, for his father’s murder, as does Laertes at first, organizing an angry mob to take Claudius down and make himself king, but he is soon told by Claudius the truth, that Hamlet killed his father. Laertes is only one of many avenging sons other than Hamlet who appear or are mentioned throughout the play, and each one serves to reflect a different aspect of Hamlet’s character. The other avenging sons are Fortinbras, who ironically seeks revenge for a killing committed by Hamlet’s father, and Pyrrhus. Laertes and Hamlet are also motivated to seek revenge in the same way. When Hamlet first speaks with the ghost of his father, the ghost challenges him: “If thou didst ever thy dear father love . . . Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (​
Hamlet​
, 1.5.23­25).1 Hamlet did love his father, very much, and he is determined to prove this to him, so he swears to seek revenge. Likewise, King Claudius attempts to convince Laertes to seek revenge on Hamlet by challenging him: “​
Laertes, was your father dear All quotations from ​
Hamlet ​
will be from William Shakespeare, ​
Hamlet​
, ed. Sylvan Barnet (New York: Signet Classics, 1998). 1
to you? / Or are you like the painting of a sorrow, / A face without a heart?​
” (​
Hamlet​
, 4.7.107­109). Like Hamlet, Laertes loved his father very much, and he is determined to prove this to Claudius, so he swears to seek revenge. This parallel serves to illustrate the theme of how far people will go to prove a point, especially if it involves love, their honor, or their word. The fact that Hamlet and Laertes react to this test in the same way proves the universality of this human impulse. For both characters, this assertion pushes them further on the path to doom. In ​
Hamlet​
, Laertes shares many similarities with Hamlet, which serve to highlight these traits in Hamlet’s character. He also has many differences from Hamlet, which also serve to highlight these traits in Hamlet’s character while presenting alternative traits to Hamlet’s and alternative courses of action to the ones taken by Hamlet. Laertes’ differences from Hamlet also make him a compelling character in his own right, and his subplot, along with all the other subplots masterfully woven into the play, helps to enrich this, one of Shakespeare’s most complex plays. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. ​
Hamlet​
. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. 2nd ed. New York: Signet Classics, 1998. Print. Laertes’ Appearances and Mentions in ​
Hamlet​
: ● Act I ○ Scene II ■ Laertes gets permission from Claudius to return to France. ○ Scene III ■ Laertes advises his sister Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet, then leaves for France after receiving famous advice from his father, Polonius. ● Act IV ○ Scene V ■ Laertes stirs up an angry mob which wants him to become king, then confronts Claudius about his father’s death. Claudius takes Laertes off alone to tell him Hamlet killed his father. ○ Scene VII ■ Claudius and Laertes hatch a plan for Laertes to kill Hamlet with a poisoned, pointed rapier in a fencing match. Gertrude comes and tells them of Ophelia’s drowning. ● Act V ○ Scene I ■ At Ophelia’s funeral, Laertes argues with the priest over Ophelia being refused the usual rites due to her alleged suicide. Hamlet shows up and brawls with Laertes in Ophelia’s grave. ○ Scene II ■ Hamlet makes peace with Laertes, who pretends to make peace with him, and they duel. Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned rapier, then they switch rapiers and Laertes himself is wounded with the poisoned one. Laertes tells Hamlet of Claudius’ treachery as he dies. Hamlet kills Claudius, then Laertes asks for forgiveness and dies.