Climactic Duel in Hamlet

In Act V, Scene ii, of Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Hamlet and Laertes engage in a deadly duel that has been orchestrated by King Claudius to kill Hamlet. Claudius has poisoned wine he hopes Hamlet will drink and, should the drink not work, he has provided Laertes with a poison-tipped rapier. In the fighting, both Hamlet and Laertes are hit by the poison-tipper rapier. They both die but not before Queen Gertrude dies from mistakenly drinking the poison wine meant for Hamlet and not before Hamlet stabs King Claudius with the poison-tipped rapier. All four die. Despite this tragic ending, there are different motives for the duel for Hamlet and Laertes. This analysis will compare and contrast the different motives for their duel.

The description of Laertes by Osric is one of "an absolute gentleman" (Shakespeare, 1601, V.ii). Hamlet refers to him as "a soul of great article" (Shakespeare, 1601, V.ii). However, it is King Claudius who has arranged the duel between Laertes and Hamlet, hoping Hamlet will die either by drinking poisoned wine or be

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Category: Literature - C