In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Claudius, Laertes and Fortinbras are three main foils to the main character: Hamlet. They play an important role in highlighting certain qualities in him, which might not have been seen otherwise. Claudius is a decisive man in that nothing can stop him from achieving what he wants; the end justifies the means. Both Laertes and Fortinbras are young men seeking revenge for the murders of their fathers. Hamlet shares qualities with each character, but the way he reacts is different, highlighting his personality. Claudius is the man who murdered Hamlet's father: his own brother; and he married his wife, that he might be king. In doing so, the audience can clearly see that he will ignore all his morals and act decisively to achieve his goals. This is important to see because it highlights Hamlet's own personality. Hamlet is the opposite of Claudius because he cares about his morality and is very indecisive about following through on what he says. This powerful contrast between the two is what makes Claudius an important foil for Hamlet. Laertes and Fortinbras are paired together because they both crave revenge against Hamlet. Laertes' father was killed by Hamlet, and Fortinbras' father was murdered by Hamlet's father; so they both want him dead. The two young men are very determined; Fortinbras is ready to start a war between the two countries, and Laertes is ready to murder Hamlet; this is important to know because Hamlet is very inactive in that he waits a long time to try to get revenge. They didn't know that their situations were linked: all their fathers were killed and they all show different ways of taking revenge. The relationship between ...... middle of paper ...... manipulates him into believing that he will never be happy if he doesn't kill the king, and essentially uses him as a pawn in his own little game to secure the king. crown. There are people today who are convinced by their spouse that doing something irrational or bad is for the common good, so they do it. Macbeth shows that humans are very ambitious people who can be corrupted in their quest for meaning. Macbeth also shows that people can be consumed by guilt and eventually drive them to the point of madness. It can be seen in humans, there is a Macbeth in everyone, varying according to circumstances, but always present in everyone. So it makes sense why Macbeth would be a representative human being because of his situations, circumstances, and choices. So I agree with the quote because I see that he has good intentions, but his means to achieve his goals have been corrupted by power..