Explore the differences in the ways Hamlet and Laertes go about seeking revenge Essay

This essay will consider the relevance of father/son relationships to motive for and the manner of revenge, the initial responses of both Hamlet and Laertes to the news of the murder of their father. Finally I will conclude by comparing how Hamlet’s and Laertes’ responses each compare with Fortinbras’ responses to his fathers death. The relationship each son had with his father is important, because it can be seen what motivates them for revenge, and whether or not their father’s influence inspires such vengeance. Hamlets’ relationship with his father is only shown after his demise. This is the only way we are able to see father and son interact. What we do see of this indicates that they do not have a good relationship, as the ghost of Hamlet’s father takes no pains to cover up the torment he endures beyond the grave. The ghost wants Hamlet to †revenge his foul and most unnatural murder† and warns that he would find Hamlet a †fat weed that roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf† if he did not avenge his death. The ghost might have said this quite scathingly, perhaps because he is aware of Hamlet’s tendency to contemplate every action, and failure to get things done quickly. The love in this relationship is clearly one sided, Hamlet later on in the play, in Act 3 Scene 3-4 shows his mother a picture of his late father and a picture of Claudius. He bitterly comments on how superior his father is with his †Hyperion curls†, †grace† and †eye like Mars to threaten and command† compared to Claudius. He is furious and obviously holds his father in high regard. The abnormality of Hamlet’s situation is emphasised when the ghost appears before Hamlet and his mother in act 3 Scene 4. When Hamlet’s situation is compared to the relationship Laertes shares with his father, the result is starkly different. They both appear to have a very close father-son relationship and in Act 1 scene 3 we can see a conversation between them, where Polonius is giving Laertes fatherly advice on how to behave when in Paris. Among the many aphorisms given by Polonius, he warns Laertes too not â€Å"give any unproportioned thought his act; Later on in the play, we can of course, see that Laertes ignores this heartfelt piece of advice when seeking revenge on Hamlet. Through not sitting down and thinking the situation out calmly, he jumped to the wrong conclusions. Polonius went so far as to ask for Claudius’ permission for Laertes to leave for Paris on Laertes’ behalf. The language he uses such as â€Å"he wrung from me my slow leave† does not suggest anything other than a father who carries nothing but deep affection for his son, and does not which to see him leave. No sooner are we shown the cruel and malicious treatment of Hamlet by hid dead father, then we are shown the stark contrast of Laertes and Polonius’ concerned and endearingly caring farewell conversation. As well as having completely different familial relationships, Hamlet and Laertes themselves form one of the most important polarities in all of the play. This is important in understanding why both characters have different methods of avenging their fathers. As the plot progresses, Hamlet’s hesitance and general inability to obtain his father’s revenge, will be heavily contrasted with Laertes’ fierce willingness to avenge his fathers’ death. Before Hamlet spoke to the ghost, he didn’t know that his father had been murdered. When the ghost asks him to †revenge his foul and most unnatural murder† Hamlet replies †Murder? † the question mark in this statement indicates that Hamlet had not considered seriously the idea that his father had been murdered, and that it had taken him by surprise. Hamlet has been delivered a double shock. He was already grieving for his father’s death and is now confronted by the fact that he was murdered. The ghost exhorts Hamlet to seek revenge and Hamlet, who is intensely moved, swears to remember, obey, and â€Å"sweep to his revenge†. Whereas Hamlet doesn’t quite trust the ghost and seeks to test Claudius’ guilt himself by staging a play based on the murder, Laertes sees no cause to disbelieve the method in which his father died. Laertes instantly trusts Claudius’ word that Hamlet is his father’s murderer. Laertes is a complete foil for Hamlet in some actions; his cry for vengeance is an absolute contrast to Hamlets’ timorous testing for the ghosts’ truthfulness. Laertes acts as the wronged son operation in open fury who †dates damnation; He has all the moral legitimacy that Claudius lacks and that Hamlet has forfeited through not acting quick enough and procrastination too much. Hamlet, however, does have powerful and genuine incitement †a dear father murder’d† as one soliloquy puts it and †a mother stain’d† as does another. Laertes confronts the king in Act 4, Scent 5. He demands †where is my father†¦ how came he dead?†¦ I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my father† believing Claudius to be the perpetrator of his father’s murder. The words that Laertes utters could quite easily have come from Hamlet’s mouth. You can almost hear the bitterness and scarcely contained fury in Laertes tone as he said these words. It is poignant that whereas Hamlet took time to establish Claudius’ s guilt for himself, Laertes had jumped in at the deep-end and confronted the king wrongfully. Claudius managed to diffuse the situation by giving very short snappy answers such as †dead† by saying this; he is showing that he is being honest and up-front with Laertes and giving no excuses. In Act 4, Scent 7 Laertes initial fury has calmed down, although he remains extremely confident about the task ahead. He thinks about Hamlet’s dirty deed and his †noble father lost; he welcomes Hamlets’ return so that he can †tell him to his teeth ‘though didest thou†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Every word he says invites comparison with Hamlet. When he arrived at the palace to challenge the king, Laertes brought with him a †riotous head† who cried, †Laertes shall be king! † He is obviously very angry, and this can be seen in the manner in which he speaks to Claudius. He calls him a †vile king†, â€Å"dares damnation†, and †vows to the blackest devil! † He obviously wants to make very clear his feelings on the matter of his father’s death and wants revenge. It can also be seen that he has dispelled any respect he had for Claudius. This is different from Hamlet, because although Hamlet is not overly polite to the king, he does not openly defy him as Laertes does in this scene.