Laertes is a character in the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare. He is the son of Polonius, the lord chamberlain, and the brother of Ophelia. Laertes is a young man who is driven by a deep sense of honor and a desire to avenge his father's death.
At the beginning of the play, Laertes is presented as a noble and honorable character. He is a skilled fencer and has a strong sense of duty towards his family and his country. However, as the play progresses, we see that Laertes is also impulsive and prone to making rash decisions. This is exemplified by his eagerness to return to Denmark and seek revenge on Hamlet for killing his father, even though he has not fully investigated the circumstances of the murder.
Laertes's impulsive nature ultimately leads him to become involved in a plot to kill Hamlet. He agrees to participate in a plan to poison Hamlet's sword during a fencing match, and also agrees to drink poison himself as part of the plan. Laertes's willingness to risk his own life in order to avenge his father's death shows the depth of his loyalty and his desire for justice.
Despite Laertes's initial hostility towards Hamlet, the two characters eventually come to understand each other better and form a bond. Laertes realizes that Hamlet was not responsible for his father's death and that the real culprit was Claudius, the King of Denmark. This revelation leads Laertes to reconcile with Hamlet and work together to bring down Claudius.
In the end, Laertes is able to achieve some measure of justice for his father's death, but he also pays a high price for his actions. Both Laertes and Hamlet are killed in the final confrontation with Claudius, and their deaths serve as a tragic reminder of the destructive power of revenge.
Overall, Laertes is a complex character who is driven by his sense of honor and his desire for justice, but who is also prone to making rash and impulsive decisions. His arc in the play serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of allowing emotions to guide one's actions.
Hamlet, Act 1, scene 3
Laertes' devotion to his family is evident from his first scene, wherein he advises his sister on her romantic relationship with Prince Hamlet. Laertes instantly goes in full attack mode and immediately comes up with a plan to take down Hamlet in a duel. Hamlet 's father was killed and he believes Claudius killed him. Villas' affection towards Ophelia, Laertes' sister makes more disdain among Hamlet and Laertes. And you, the judges, bear a wary eye. This presence knows, And you must needs have heard, how I am punished With a sore distraction.
Then both Laertes and Hamlet are wounded by the poisoned blade, and Laertes dies. You speak like a green girl Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. When talking to his sister Ophelia, Laertes plays the part of the concerned older brother, offering advice and discouraging her from pursuing a romance with Prince Hamlet. Ophelia calls on him him not to sermonize like a hypocritial religious minister, to heed his own advice to keep the "thorny way to heaven" and not to tread the "primrose path. Let the door be locked. Additionally, his advice, which Polonius later echoes, does not help Ophelia as she blames herself for Hamlet's acts of madness and is, herself, driven insane. Laertes is about to leave for Paris, a city that poses moral dangers for a young man.
. However, his actions clearly grate on his conscience, and as he dies, he reveals his account to Hamlet and petitions for a mutual reconciliation. HORATIO They bleed on both sides. LAERTES 90 Farewell, Ophelia, and remember well What I have said to you. In contrast to Hamlet, who spends much of the play attempting to rationalize his revenge, Laertes establishes himself as a man who prefers brash action over careful planning. He sets aside effort to demonstrate whether his uncle Claudius is blameworthy of the offense. And these few precepts in thy memory 65 Look thou character.
Laertes, Hamlet: Overview Of Shakespeare's Laertes Character
The King provides a poisoned drink as a backup measure. In other words, Laertes explicitly denies Hamlet's request for reconciliation for the sake of his manly pride. KING Come, Hamlet, come and take this hand from me. HAMLET Why, even in that was heaven ordinant. Regardless of whether the two of them look for vengeance, they have various attributes and feelings that cause them to vary in the manner they treat the issue.
HORATIO This lapwing runs away with the shell on his 200 head. KING Gertrude, do not drink. He becomes angry with Laertes for grieving too much and in return Laertes is angry at Hamlet because he thinks this is all his fault. Laertes while the level of his relationship with his father is unclear in the play shows very little emotion over the actual death of his father, but is over-eager to avenge it. Laertes seems to be more rough and unrefined than Hamlet-- like his actions, his words are bold and to the point. Regardless of whether the two of them look for vengeance, they have various attributes and feelings that cause them to vary in the manner they treat the issue. Now in his last year at university, Laertes must decide the kind of man he will become.
This dynamic parallels the twisted family dynamics of Hamlet's family tree, wherein Hamlet's mother married his uncle such a marriage would have been considered incestuous at the time. LAERTES 275 You mock me, sir. Read it at more leisure. In many cases, Hamlet and the foil characters react differently for each other in varying situations but yet show similarities in their reactions. Hamlet and Laertes are characters that William Shakespeare utilized in his play entitled Hamlet. Before Laertes returns to France from Denmark, returning to Denmark only to attend the coronation of During Laertes's absence, Hamlet kills Polonius in When Ophelia appears in her mad condition, Laertes laments, saying that if she had her wits she could not persuade him more to revenge. OPHELIA No more but so? POLONIUS Marry, well bethought.
Hamlet wounds Laertes with his own poisoned blade, and Laertes then falls as well. His displeasure makes him to kill Polonius, Laertes' dad, who thus looks for retribution. The king speculates that if Hamlet could be tempted into a duel with Laertes, it might provide Laertes with the chance to kill him. HAMLET Very well, my lord. Laertes is able to would hamlet with the dagger but loses grip and drops is soon after. Polonius' Advice to Laertes In Act 1, Scene 3 of the play, Laertes bids his sister Ophelia farewell before he heads back to France. His rush to execute his vengeance mission without pondering on the ruler's intentions prompts his defeat since Hamlet kills him during the match.
Polonius wants Reynaldo to spy on his Laertes while he is away in college. I can no more. Laertes played by Edward Bennet for the BBC While this is happening Laertes is embarking on his own new life, at university in Paris. If Laertes' nature is to be impulsive and quick to quarrel, staying true to himself goes against Polonius' earlier advice that implies Laertes should tame those parts of himself. Ruler Hamlet's passing makes Hamlet to escape school and return to Denmark to grieve his dad's demise. This was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof.
