Character Analysis Of Laertes In Shakespeare's Hamlet

In Shakespeare 's Hamlet, Laertes is a character that appears to be protective towards his family, revengeful, and impulsive. Impulsive behavior is the act of displaying behavior without thinking of the consequences or acting on a whim. In act four scene five Laertes is seen reacting to the news of his father 's death saying, “ How came he dead? I’ll not be juggled with. To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation.” This is a good example showing just how impulsive Laertes’ personality is. Although he did not yet know who killed his father he was immediately ready to throw honor and vows out the window so he could get revenge for his father 's tragic death.
During the beginning …show more content…
However, he is a character that played an important role in the play. Since the beginning of the story, readers got to see Laertes as a good guy who loved his family and who choose to leave the country rather than stay and serve a king he did not like. When he was leaving for France, Polonius had someone go and spy on him in France so a “scandal” wouldn 't happen again. It 's understood from that that Laertes has a mischievous past, although no one knows if he has changed or not . When Laertes appeared again in the last act of the play the audience got to see the serious and angry side of him. It was a big contrast from how his personality was at the beginning of the play . These changes that Laertes displayed played a big part in the play because it was what fueled his need to go after Hamlet and kill …show more content…
When reading Hamlet, it is very clear to see that there are both similarities and differences between Hamlet and Laertes. Both characters had their fathers die in a very cruel way and both characters go on a revenge scheme to go after their father 's killers. Both characters also have ties to Ophelia. Laertes being her brother. While Hamlet is her suitor. That is where the similarities end. When comparing Hamlet’s revenge scheme to Laertes it 's clear that there are big differences between the two. Throughout the play Hamlet seemed to always procrastinate killing Claudius and resorted to using tricks, such as the made up play, to prove if Claudius is really guilty. While Laertes immediately found out who killed his father, he made a plan to have them killed. Laertes was very quick and impulsive to react to the news of his father and sister 's death. He did not question who committed the crime nor did he hesitate to get justice for their deaths. In the end however, both characters tragically die at each others hand and in a way succeeding with their