Hamlet and Laertes' Response to their Father's Murder

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In the play of the famous William Shakespeare, Hamlet, two characters are very comparable in terms of their life stories. These characters are Hamlet and Laertes. Both of the characters have experienced loss of a loved one, specifically the head of their families. Due to the murders that occurred, anger and revenge have been the focus of these two characters, but each presents a different attitude and style with regards to the execution and fulfillment of their goals.
Both Hamlet and Laertes, are devoted sons to King Hamlet and Polonius, respectively. These also explains both the characters anger and need to avenge their fathers. They both show concern and affection towards their immediate families. Hamlet towards his mother, Gertrude, and Laertes towards his beloved sister, Ophelia, who was also the love interest of Hamlet. Hamlet and Laertes have both exhibited the negative effects of uncontrolled anger or rage. Hamlet was able to kill Polonius behind a curtain while Polonius was listening to Hamlet and Gertrude’s conversation. He did it by accident thinking that it was Claudius who was spying on them. Laertes also demonstrated how anger can control him, and this is triggered by Claudius, who manipulated him and fueled his anger towards Hamlet. Aside from anger being a similarity, they also share a deep love for Ophelia (Mulready & Merrit, 2015). This is evident with every encounter and concern that they show, and is especially seen when they fought about who loved her more during the funeral of Ophelia.
Hamlet’s character is portrayed as an intelligent, strong, and reflective man. He is introspective and is verbal with his thoughts and feelings. He shows a more careful response with the grief and revenge that he is feeling over the loss of the king. Upon seeing the ghost of his father, he still contemplated on what actions he should take (Wilso...