Most movies and books in this day and age have simple plots with miniscule character development, but this is not the case in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare uses foils that the viewer has to dig into in order to see what he is trying to convey, which increases the understanding of the play. The foils are created between three similar characters––Fortinbras, Laertes and Hamlet––that emphasize where they deviate from each other on specific traits. Even if one reads into all of the details they will still be thrown by the eventual, unpredictable, ending of the play. Shakespeare creates a new way to view masculinity by using both classical and modern interpretations of important character traits, defined by these foils, to show why Fortinbras is the only one left standing by the end of the play.
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Reason is the most important character trait and an imbalance of it has the ability to force a character away from the classical sense of masculinity and change how they react to other influential stimuli. Fortinbras’s ability to think over his actions, but not allow them to control his every move is crucial to his final success in the play. Fortinbras is described as being “unimprovéd mettle hot and full”, but is shown in glimpses as evolving and listening to the authority of his uncle (1.1.98-100). He takes the middle path of being both brash and thoughtful over his actions, exemplified by this shift in his founding ideas. This centrist attitude towards reason is stark in contrast to Hamlet and Laertes who are on opposing ends of this spectrum. Hamlet believes that “thought which quartered, hath one part wisdom and three parts coward”; his actions are dictated by this idea from the time his father passed and shows how too much reason can negatively impact a character (4.4.44-5). On the other hand, Laertes’s actions become impulsive once he learns of his father’s death. He will be “revenged most thoroughly for [his] father”,
Reason is the most important character trait and an imbalance of it has the ability to force a character away from the classical sense of masculinity and change how they react to other influential stimuli. Fortinbras’s ability to think over his actions, but not allow them to control his every move is crucial to his final success in the play. Fortinbras is described as being “unimprovéd mettle hot and full”, but is shown in glimpses as evolving and listening to the authority of his uncle (1.1.98-100). He takes the middle path of being both brash and thoughtful over his actions, exemplified by this shift in his founding ideas. This centrist attitude towards reason is stark in contrast to Hamlet and Laertes who are on opposing ends of this spectrum. Hamlet believes that “thought which quartered, hath one part wisdom and three parts coward”; his actions are dictated by this idea from the time his father passed and shows how too much reason can negatively impact a character (4.4.44-5). On the other hand, Laertes’s actions become impulsive once he learns of his father’s death. He will be “revenged most thoroughly for [his] father”,