The Use Of “Foil” Characters In Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Part I of Essay
“What a piece of work is a man”. In this statement, Shakespeare through the words of Hamlet acknowledges man as a brilliant and complex creature. This inherit complexity may be the reason for Shakespeares use of foil characters. We can see examples of these foil charact ....

Part II of Essay
.... their true purpose in the play. If we first examine the acts of Fortinbras we can see numerous occasions when the brave and instinctive actions of this character reflect poorly upon the character of Hamlet. For example although we do not see Fortinbras’s initial reaction to his fathers death, we know that from the outset of the play he has already set out to avenge his fathers death. “...Now, sir, young Fortinbras, Hath in the skirts of Norway, here and there, Shark’d up a list of lawless resolutes,” This quote tells us that in this sh ....