Hamlet and Laertes Share Common Characteristics

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is about a Danish Prince's quest for revenge for the murder of his father. Hamlet, the Prince, is told by his father's ghost that he was killed by Claudius, the current King and the dead King's brother. This infuriates Hamlet and there begins his quest for justice. Hamlet masks his knowledge of the murder under a cloud of lunacy. In this fit of supposed madness Hamlet kills Polonius, royal counsel to …

…Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul, and there I see such black and grained spots as will not leave their tinct." (3,4,89) Hamlet and Laertes are very similar in the way that they relate to their family. Although enemies, Hamlet and Laertes share many qualities that make them seem similar, such as their love for Ophelia, their loyalty to their fathers, and the way in which they both act spontaneously upon their anger.