[WesternCanadaKing]

If there are any high school english teachers who post here, and have a little bit of time on their hands, I would really really really appreciate if you could just possibly read over this essay and tell me what you think. I need to get a good grade with it and I just need to know if you would give it an 80 or higher. Or just a quick skim would work too.

The play Hamlet, written in 1600 by William Shakespeare, is known as one of the greatest pieces of literature in the English language. In the play, Shakespeare develops the idea that in order to effectively achieve ones goals a balance between planning and action is required, for too much of either could result in a lack of action or unexpected results, respectively. He does this by juxtaposing three characters who are each in similar situations: Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras. While Hamlet is melancholy and thoughtful, Laertes is brash and impulsive. Fortinbras serves as an effective middle ground to represent the balance that is necessary between making plans and putting them into action.

Hamlet’s character is extremely complex and has fascinated people ever since the play was first written. His character is effectively summed up in a quote, from his soliloquy in Act 2 “The spirit that I have seen – May be a devil, and the devil hath power – T’ assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps, – out of my weakness and my melancholy, – As he is very potent with such spirits, – Abuses me to damn me. I’ll have grounds – More relative than this. The plays the thing – Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.”. He starts off by saying that the spirit he had seen might not be the ghost of his father but rather a devil, and thus perhaps it shouldn’t be trusted. This is evidence of the aspect of Hamlet’s character in which he thinks more than perhaps another person would, and that he first must deal with his inner conflicts before he can start to deal with his external ones. He is very adamant in ensuring that it is actually Claudius who killed his father, despite the fact that the visitation of the ghost probably would have been enough proof of Claudius’ guilt for other people who could be in his situation. He is nervous that if he wrongly murders Claudius he would damn himself to Hell. This aspect of Hamlet’s personality is ironic, as he puts so much effort into making sure that he does not wrongfully kill anybody, but then in a brash impulsive action he stabs a person behind a curtain without first seeing who it is. In doing this he kills Polonius, who had nothing to do with his father’s death. As a result Ophelia is driven to madness and drowns while picking flowers by a stream. He then sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in England, simply because he thinks that they are in cohorts with the King, when they really have no idea what is going on. Throughout the play Hamlet is pondering is situation and in effect wondering why he hasn’t done anything, and along the way through his impulsive actions he hurts those who are not involved. It is not until the end of act 4 does he finally say “O, from this time forth – My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!”. It is not up until that point does he decide to take real action against Claudius. In the end he is able to kill Claudius, but not without he himself dying soon after. So although Hamlet has the ability to plan things out and also be impulsive, a balance does not exist because the two are separate. He will plan things but then will act on impulses which deviate from those plans, and as a result he has a lack of action in what he believes needs to be done, and unexpected results that leave others dead.

In stark contrast to Hamlet’s character there is Laertes. Laertes is hot blooded and impulsive; he is desperate to get revenge for the death of his father, Polonius. Upon news of his father’s death he comes raging back to Denmark and he says to Claudius “I dare damnation! To this point I stand – That both the worlds I give to negligence, – Let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged – Most thoroughly for my father!”. This provide insight into Laertes's mind displaying his desire for revenge at any cost. He is not guided by morals or principles as Hamlet is, which is most clearly shown as a direct juxtaposition from his character to Hamlet’s when he says “To cut his throat i’ th’ church”. Hamlet had the chance to kill Claudius in the church, but he refused, for fear of both sending Claudius to heaven for killing him during prayer, and also for doing the murder in such a holy place. This is the fundamental difference between the two characters, as Hamlet spends the entire play resolving his inward conflict before he can even start to carry out his revenge, Laertes lets himself get into a rage and puts no thought into what he is doing. This makes Laertes easily manipulated as without any thought or plan to his revenge Claudius is able to use his anger to his advantage, and devises a ‘fool proof’ plan with which to kill Hamlet. In acting purely on impulse Laertes essentially achieves nothing and ends up killing the wrong person, and he himself dies. This unexpected outcome could probably have been avoided had Laertes not allowed himself to be overcome with his passion and desire for revenge. He did not realize his follies until it was too late when he finally realized what Claudius had done.

The final character who in the main character foils of the play is Fortinbras, the young prince from Norway. Fortinbras is the epitome of the balanced and well thought out actions in the play. Two quotes effectively describe his character, such as when Horatio says of him “Now sir, young Fortinbras – of unimprovèd mettle hot and full”. This shows how Fortinbras is not unlike Hamlet and Laertes in that he is very hot blooded and thirsty to revenge the death of his father at the hands of King Hamlet. He is very determined in getting his revenge, in that he even assembles an army of 20,000 soldiers to march into Denmark and take over the throne. However, there appears to be another side of Fortinbras when Hamlet says “Witness this army of such mass and charge – Led by a delicate and tender prince – Whose spirit with divine ambition puffed” which shows that Fortinbras is not an impulsive or a man who is easily overtaken by his emotions. He made his plan to overtake Denmark and put it into to action. In fact, he waited nearly 30 years until he was finally able to take his army and take over Elsinore by force, which is clear in the quote “Of all the days i’ th’ year, I came to ‘t – that day that our last King Hamlet overcame – Fortinbras... that very day that young Hamlet was born”. As Fortinbras’ father was killed 30 years ago and he is only now taking action most distinctly shows how much control he has over his emotions and actions, and that he is able to both plan and put those plans into action to get the desired result. He knows what he has to do, like Laertes, so he puts morals aside in his plan to trick the King into letting his army walk freely into Denmark. However, unlike Laertes, this is not a result of pure frustration and rage, but rather a part of his plan. This can also be juxtaposed against Hamlet, who finds himself constrained and controlled by his virtues. So in effect, both Hamlet and Laertes are not in control of their actions and plans, as they allow their emotions, and in Hamlet’s case his virtues, to take over them. For Fortinbras, his actions are a direct result of his planning, so he is able to carry out his plans without his emotions taking over and leading to impulsive action. He is able to succeed in his revenge, and become the King, while both Hamlet and Laertes die.

Hamlet and Laertes both occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. For Hamlet, it is the end that is melancholy and thoughtful, while for Laertes it is the end that is brash and impulsive. They both allow their emotions to rule them, and are ‘slaves to their passion’. As Hamlet says in Act 3 “...blessed are those – Whose blood and judgement are so well – comeddled”, although this quote is not referring directly to Fortinbras, it represents exactly who Fortinbras is. He is able to find the balance between his actions and his planning and therefor he is able to achieve his goal without any unexpected results.