Foils as Reflections of Hamlet Essay - 1042 Words

Foils are minor characters, that through similarities and differences, set off or accent the main characters of a play. There is a strong connection between the foils in a play and ones final perception of the main characters. In William Shakespeares Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, there is a continuous shifting of the main characters emotions. These emotions range anywhere from madness and rage to grief and sorrow. In Hamlet there is a foil that represents each emotion and behavior that is displayed by the main character- Hamlet. Laertes holds the most important role as a foil to Hamlet. He represents the rage that boils within Hamlet and the revenge which he seeks. In many ways Laertes mirrors Hamlets character. Their†¦show more content†¦Both Polonius and Hamlet are constantly suspicious of other peoples motives and are ready to believe the worst in their loved ones. For example, Polonius sends Reynaldo to Paris to spy on Laertes and obtain any information which may prove detrimental to his own character (pp. Act II scene 1). This type of conduct resembles the world in which Hamlet keeps himself a prisoner of his own paranoia. In addition, it appears that both men would stop at nothing to stay on top of things. This first becomes obvious in the first scene of act two when both Polonius and Hamlet use Ophelia to hurt one another. Polonius uses her as a decoy to find out if Hamlet is truly mad, and in turn Hamlet uses her as a decoy to make her father think he was mad. The differences in thes e two characters are apparent from the very beginning of the play. Polonius is portrayed as a imbecile, throughout the entire play he continually makes a ragging fool of himself. Hamlet on the other hand, only acts as a fool at times in order to maintain his attitude of madness for the purpose of achieving his desired plan to kill the king. The most significant difference between the two men is in their level of respect for King Claudius. It is obvious that Polonius would do almost anything to demonstrate and prove his loyalty to the king. Whereas Hamlet feels only contempt for Claudius, even before the ghost reveals that he isShow MoreRelatedStoppards Rosencrantz Essay962 Words   |  4 Pagesthe story of Hamlet out of the eyes of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. It Is different to Shakespeare’s Hamlet because of a number of reasons. A writer will sometimes create a character who is put into the story to provide a contrast or comparison with the main character. Such a character may be placed into a similar situation as the main character, but react differently, in order to show how much better or worse he/she is than the main character. This kind of character is called a foil. 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