The influential play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, consists of various different foil characters either surrounding Hamlet or other minor supporting characters. The use of foil characters assists the views of readers with respect to comparing and contrasting significant characters. Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras can all be proved as foils of each other because they are written to share similar situations, however react among their own individual manner. Shakespeare achieves such illumination when Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all seek vengeance for their fathers death. Although parallel in backgrounds, Hamlet and Laertes contrast greatly due to their hamartia, which results in death for both characters, whereas Fortinbras embodies balance that keeps his hamartia from flaring and hence leads to his survival at the end of the play.

The background of the characters contributes to the creation of their tragic flaw, or potential flaw with respect to Fortinbras, which results in Hamlet and Laertes' literal downfall in the end of the play. Hamlet, being the Prince of Denmark and heir to the throne, posses a scholar education and therefore has an extreme reasoning background. After his father died, and mother's remarriage to his uncle, Claudius, Hamlet carried out a melancholy state. Upon witnessing the Ghost of his late father, Hamlet discovered that Claudius is responsible for the murder of Old Hamlet. QUOTE ABOUT THE GHOST TELLING HAMLET THAT CLAUDIUS KILLED HIM. With this in mind, Hamlet beings to