Foils in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" Hamlet, written in 1600 by William Shakespeare, offers one of the most complex and unique storylines in literature history. The cause of its excellence is primarily based on Shakespeare's profound use of his characters. The main character, Hamlet, is a reflective and thoughtful young man who is often hesitant and indecisive. This personality attributes to his hamartia, or tragic flaw. Shakespeare further demonstrates this throughout the play with the use of foils. …showed first 75 words of 997 total…

…showed last 75 words of 997 total…even to expose a flaw in his character. The foil, in this case, is a person who brings out an action or flaw in another character. In many ways, each flawed character brings out another person's flaws by way of his or her own. In this circumstance, Fortinbras and Laertes are the main foils. The differing plans of action adopted by Fortinbras and Laertes, though leading to the same goal, serve to emphasize Hamlet's hamartia.