Who Is Hamlet's Foil?

David Miller
David Miller
• • 7 min read

The Foils in Shakespeare's Play Hamlet Are the Fortinbras, Laertes Laertes Laertes /Leɪˈɜːrtiːz/ Is a Character in William Shakespeare's Play Hamlet. Laertes...

Who Is Hamlet's Foil?

The foils in Shakespeare's play Hamlet are the Fortinbras, Laertes

Laertes
Laertes /leɪˈɜːrtiːz/ is a character in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. In the final scene, he mortally stabs Hamlet with a poison-tipped sword to avenge the deaths of his father and sister, for which he blamed Hamlet.
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, and Ophelia. Laertes is a major foil of Hamlet.

Who is Hamlet's foil and why?

Hamlet and Claudius

If so, Claudius is a perfect foil for Hamlet, because Claudius does what Hamlet only thinks about doing: killing Hamlet Sr., and then marrying Gertrude. Some scholars even suggest that Hamlet delays so long in killing Claudius because he realizes Claudius is just like himself.

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Is Claudius a foil to Hamlet?

Claudius is Hamlet's uncle and serves as an immediate foil to the prince. Hamlet wants to be king following his father's death, but Claudius marries Hamlet's mother and assumes the throne.

David Miller

David Miller

Executive Financial & Market Analyst
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David Miller brings 15 years of experience in global economics, personal finance strategy, and market dynamics. He specializes in turning complex economic trends into actionable insights for everyday readers.