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2     Some similarities in Laertes and Hamlet were that they were both students. Laertes and Hamlet were dutiful sons that [who] were outraged and felt personally wronged by their fathers' deaths. They swore to get revenge against the assailant. Laertes and Hamlet both blamed Claudius for the deaths of their fathers'. [no '] Also, Hamlet and Laertes posed a threat to Claudius because of their potential for becoming king. They go above the law in order to seek justice, which discredits the honorable basis of their actions. There was a shared love for Laertes's sister, Ophelia. Hamlet and Laertes have seen the ghost of Hamlet's father. [?]

3      One of the differences in Laertes and Hamlet was that Laertes allowed his anger and grievance of his father's death to be known. Whereas when Hamlet's father died, he secretatively [sic] ran [?] and was deemed crazy. Laertes goes to school and indulged in a Parisian lifestyle, as Hamlet chose to study at Wittenburg in a more subdued environment. [Interesting point] Laertes has a lot of passion whereas Hamlet has none. Laertes was only raised by his father as Hamlet had a mother and father to raise him. Also, Laertes was portrayed as the well bred son of the counselor of a royal family and Hamlet portrayed [?] the role of a commoner. The ghost of Hamlet's father would talk to Laertes as he would to Hamlet. [Not true]

4     Being an ambitious young prince was a similarity in Fortinbras and Hamlet. They are both on a mission of revenge. Also, both Fortinbras and Hamlet lost their fathers'. [no '] Ironically Denmark is a similarity because it was initially controlled by Fortinbras' father, then Hamlet[' H-50]s' father, then Hamlet, and finally returning to Fortinbras. [Nice point] Fortinbras had a family tie with Hamlet's love Ophelia. [This needs a citation from the play -- I don't remember it.] They both seen [saw] the ghost of Hamlet's father. [Fortinbras did?]

5     There are differences in Fortinbras and Hamlet. Fortinbras seemed to be more eager to prove his courage than Hamlet. Fortinbras uses his anger and sorrow by attacking Denmark and reclaiming the land his father lost, while Hamlet has no actions. Fortinbras had no trouble slaying the innocent whereas Hamlet had a problem with slaying the guilty. [Nice Point!] The ghost of Hamlet's father wouldn't talk to Fortinbras, but htte [sic] ghost would talk to Hamlet.

6     Polonius represented the guarded side of Hamlet. Both men are aware of other people's motives. Polonius and Hamlet think the worst from their loved ones. An example: [For example,] Polonius ordered Reynaldo to go to Paris to spy on Laertes (Act II scene I). This behavior relates to Hamlet as he keeps himself confined. [It's a very nice point, but it needs a better example for Hamlet.] Polonius and Hamlet both seemed to stay abrupt [?] of things.

7     There are differences between Polonius and Hamlet. Polonius was portrayed as a weak person throughout the play. Hamlet acted as a mad person [cut: in order to continue his attitude of a mad person] in order to achieve his plan to kill the king. polonius would do anything to prove his loyality [sic] to the king, even before the ghost reveals Claudius is responsible for King Hamlet's death.

8     In conclusion there are foils in Shakespeare's "Hamlet," that compliment the main character through similarities and differences. Hamlet's character is impacted by Laertes, Fortinbras, Polonius, and others. The main reason for foils in Shakespeare's "Hamlet", they in one way or another have a mirror image to Hamlet character. [SS]

Barnet, S., Berman, M., Burto, W. Stubbs, M., Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 4th Edition, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 1996.

     [Sometimes we all need a little help from our friends. When I was a Freshman in college, I started out as a math major, taking Calc I. I was doing o.k., possible a B in the course, but the course was taking all of my time, and I found that I wasn't interested in it. (Not good for a math major.) I went to see the Dean, and changed majors. Then I went to my math professor and explained the situation to him. I struggled through the rest of the course, but did poorly. He ended up giving me what, at the time, was called a "Gentleman's C." (Now, I guess, it is called a "Gentleperson's C.") I don't think I deserved it, but I have always remembered and been thankful. The preceding essay deserves a solid C, but probably not the low B.
     The low B, however, brought the student's course grade up to a C, and I believe the course grade is just. Throughout the course, the student had clearly been working and improving. In addition, this paper was written while the student was experiencing a severe personal problem. (Once again I say, if you are trying and have personal problems, let the instructor know. In my case, you need not tell me any details, just let me know.) Finally, this is the best paper that the student wrote all semester. In the context of the other papers in this set, the grade for this one may seem a little too high. The writer can thank my college Freshman math instructor.
     As for the claimed time of 2.8 hours, an examination of the logs (below) indicates that the student actually spent 5.5 hours. In this case, I take the discrepancy to be a reflection of the student's acknowlegement of an inability to concentrate because of the personal problem.]
 

ENL 121 (Vavra) Grading Sheet for MP3B (1 of 3) Foils in Hamlet (Revised 11/27/97)
 

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