shakespearean character study
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ENGLISH RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT
HAMLET: LAERTES
Rupert Averill
LAERTES
Laertes is a character in the Shakesperian play
Hamlet. He is the son of Polonius and brother of
Opheila. He is an antagonist character in the play
because he causes conflict. This play is a tragedy
because of all the conflict and deaths. ‘Hamlet’ is set
in the 16th century in Denmark.
Synopsis:Not long after Laertes returns to France he finds out about his
fathers death and returns to Denmark as soon as possible to
solve the murder and get revenge. At first Laertes suspects
King Claudius has killed his father but after confronting the
King he finds out it was actually Hamlet. Soon after this he
hears that his sister Ophelia has drowned because she was
driven mad, just as Laertes had feared. Laertes gets revenge
on Hamlet by poisoning his sword and slashing him in a
fencing match that ends up killing both himself and Hamlet.
CONFLICT IN THE PLAY ‘HAMLET’
Person vs Person – Laertes has confliction on Hamlet for
driving his sister Ophelia mad to the point of suicide and for
the murdering of his father Polonius.
Person vs self – Laertes has an extensive inner conflict of
loyalty, honour and becoming a good man, understanding
what Polonius has told him. He deals with conflict very
prompt and direct, ‘as soon as he hears about his fathers
death, he acts as soon as he can to go get revenge.
MAIN CONFLICT
The main source of conflict driving the play is the
conflict between Hamlet and Laertes and the revenge
the both want on certain people. The more hungry
Laertes got for revenge his inner conflict of honour, love
and loyalty was taken over by vengeance. The deaths of
Polonius and Ophelia is the driving force behind Laertes
and King Claudius's plot in killing hamlet.
STRUCTURE OF PLOT
Introduction: We are introduced to Laertes when he first
comes into the play asking King Claudius if he can leave to
France, so he can escape the questionable circumstances
of his marriage and subsequent ascension to the throne.
Exciting force: Hamlet kills Polonius so Laertes returns to
Denmark to seek revenge.
Rising action: Laertes just suspected that King
Claudius Killed Polonius but finds out that it was
actually Hamlet and this changes the way he feels
about revenge.
Turning point: Ophelia drowns because she was
driven mad, Laertes blames Hamlet for this which
makes Laertes even hungrier for revenge on Hamlet.
Falling action: To this certain decisive point Laertes
has followed his love, honour and loyalty but now the
scales have tipped off balance and now he turns to take
the other end of the spectrum.
Resolution: King Claudius and Laertes plan way to kill hamlet
and get revenge. The out come is a fencing match between
Hamlet and Laertes which results in Hamlets death as Laertes
had poison on his sword that just sliced Hamlets flesh.
Untangling: Laertes honour finally takes control as he admits
his guilt but it is too late as he lost the match to Hamlet
because he slashed him three times with his own poisoned
sword.
Comic relief: The Graveyard scene provides dramatic relief
when the gravediggers are digging Ophelia’s grave deciding
weather she should be buried in a churchyard because her
death was a suicide.
BEGINNING OF PLAYIn the beginning of the play Laertes is simply seen as a
miner character. In the first lines that Laertes speaks in the
play he is asking King Claudius for his approval to allow him
to return to his duties in France. This is important from the
viewpoint as it demonstrates his dislike of the King and wish
to escape from the questionable circumstances of his
marriage and subsequent accession to the throne. Before he
leaves he show’s love for his family epically Ophelia by
trying to warn her about her relationship with hamlet and
asking her to be careful, but she refuses to listen as she is in
love with Hamlet.
CHANGES THROUGH THE PLAY
As the play goes on we find out Laertes is a great
importance in the play, so far he has followed his loyalty,
love and honour to the decisive point where the scales are
starting to tip off balance. He has tried the stoic way, of
staying totally apart but has failed and now tries to take the
other end of the spectrum and by acting with vengeance
and revenge. This results in planning with King Claudius to
get revenge on Hamlet. Laertes ends up going through with
the plan to poison Hamlet in a fencing match therefore
driving the conflict further.
BY THE END
By the end of the play Laertes Honour finally takes
control of him as he realises what he has just done was
wrong. He admits his guilt and tells all of the kings plot to
kill hamlet even though it’s to late as it doesn’t do any
good. He realises and learns the hard way that killing
Hamlet was neither achieving or gaining anything and
revenge doesn’t bring back the love ones lost.
QUOTESI'm lost in it, my lord. But let him come;
It warms the very sickness in my heart,
That I shall live and tell him to his teeth,
'Thus diest thou.' • Laertes, scene vii
For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favours,
Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood;
A violet in the youth of primy nature,
Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting,
The perfume and suppliance of a minute —
No more. • Laertes, scene iii
Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia,
And therefore I forbid my tears. • Laertes, scene vii
I lov'd Ophelia: forty thousand brothers
Could not, with all their quantity of love,
Make up my sum. • Hamlet, scene
Lay her i' the earth:
And from her fair and unpolluted flesh
May violets spring! • Laertes, scene i
• LAERTESHow 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. To this point I stand,That both the worlds I give to negligence,Let come what comes; only I'll be revengedMost thoroughly for my father.(4.5.6)
“Laertes: It is here, Hamlet. Hamlet, thou art slain; No medicine in the world can do thee good. In thee there is not half an hour of life. The treacherous instrument is in thy hand, Unbated and envenom'd. The foul practice Hath turn'd itself on me. Lo, here I lie, Never to rise again. Thy mother's poison'd. I can no more. The King, the King's to blame.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Websites:
http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/characters.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/hamlet-1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laertes_(Hamlet)
http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=7963
http://schoolworkhelper.net/laertes%e2%80%99-role-importance-in-shakespeare%e2%80%99s-hamlet/
http://www.ez-essays.com/free/1862.html
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/hamlet/at-a-glance.html
http://www.enotes.com/hamlet
Books:
Insight publications- Hamlet Sample essays- 2009
John Jump- Shakespeare Hamlet- 1968
Leon Garfield- Shakespeare, the animated tales of hamlet- 1992
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