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Literature & Language
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Hamlet Literary Analysis Essay: Laertes' Similarity To The Prince Of Denmark

Essay Instructions:

Option # 1Analyze Hamlet's "antic disposition." Is his madness feigned or real?  What purpose does it serve him?  Does he ever slip from his “acts” of madness into true insanity?  Option #2Like Hamlet, Laertes is a son confronted with a father's death.  To what extent does he function as a foil to Hamlet?  What do they have in common?  How do they differ? 
Option # 3One of the essential elements of any tragic figure is his/her tragic flaw(s)-an inherent personality trait or set of traits that inevitably dooms the character to destruction.  Identify and explain Hamlet’s tragic flaw(s) and how it/they bring about his downfall.
Guidelines: Present Tense 1. Use a variety of names for a character, rather than writing Brutus 25 times. For example, instead of Mickey Mouse, use “the lovable companion”, “the silly protagonist” or “cartoon legend”.2. Set up all quotes with the occasion, speaker and dialogue tag. Be sure to properly cite your quotations. DO NOT WRITE: “BRUTUS SAID…”Mrs. Mauger explains the assignment, “follow all directions (II:i;21-3)”, and continues with her lesson.Mrs. Mauger continues her lesson by explaining the assignment, “follow all directions (II:i; 21-3).” 3. Avoid summarizing at all costs. Your essay must show your ability to think not summarize.4. Thesis – Last sentence of first paragraph□   Thesis Statement addresses the prompt clearly, and it is not a summarizing statementPoor Example: Brutus is the tragic hero because he loves Rome. Better Example: As each act of the play unfolds, Brutus continues to become more loyal to Rome, proving him the tragic hero of the text. 
5. No sentence in the same paragraph should start with the same word or phrase.  Transitions, Transitions, Transitions! 6. Contractions are written out, unless part of dialogue. 7. Avoid the verb, ‘To be’ (is, was, were, are, am, have been, has been, being)8. 2 quotes per paragraph (excluding the intro; conclusion should have 1)9. Do not use phrases such as “This is shown…” “This Theory…” “It…” “Hamlet can be viewed as insane because…” Rather, explicitly state your point; never make it seem to your reader that you are implying something.  “Hamlet is viewed insane because…” 

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Hamlet Literary Analysis Essay
In his book Hamlet, William Shakespeare presents two people who experience death, but react differently to these deaths. Both Laertes and the main character who happens to be the prince of Denmark experience a similar fate, but use different approaches to overcome their circumstances. Throughout the play, the two share same attributes where they are sons of well-known people who lose both their fathers and also show affection towards Ophelia. They face parallel situations on how to overcome these difficulties. Hamlet wants to kill Claudius because his father's ghost had directed him to do so, but he is not sure if this is true or is an evil spirit pushing him to commit a crime (Foakes 86). Laertes come into the play as the prince’s foil to present similarities of his character. Laertes’ similarity to the prince of Denmark commences when confronted with his father's death and wants to seek revenge (Foakes 89).
The circumstances of the deaths of the fathers of both the main character and Laertes are different, however; both deaths are caused by political rivalry, but the prince of Denmark and Laertes’ reactions are the same; they direct their anger at Claudius (Hopkins 189). For instance, when the prince learns from his father’s ghost that he was assassinated he says
Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swiftAs meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge (Shakespeare 137).
Similarly, Laertes upon learning of his father’s death, he blames Claudius and Gertrude, demanding to know the cause of his father’s death. He says
Let come what comes; only I'll be revenged Most thoroughly for my father (Shakespeare 154)
In the play, both the prince of Denmark and Laertes are seeking revenge for their father's death but Laertes revenge is personal and does not consider the consequences of his actions when he says
To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation (Shakespeare 139).
The two characters display impulsive behavior at some point, upon realizing that his father had been killed, Laertes immediately believes that it was Claudius responsible for the death. He quickly moves to revenge and wants to kill Claudius. Their sudden anger drives the prince of Denmark and Laertes to act without thinking and not considering the consequences of their actions (Shah 3). As the prince of Denmark , he does not review the spiritual consequences instead, considers killing the evil king and sending him to heaven as an act of a martyr (Shah 3).
Laertes and the prince of Denmark experience change in their thoug...
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