Hamlet Critical Essay Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark may be one of the most criticized plays in all of literature. In addition to being the most criticized of his works, it is also the longest of Shakespeare’s works. As the play progresses the character of Hamlet becomes more and more complex. Hamlet’s madness and Hamlet’s hesitation are the cornerstones of his complexity. Hamlet’s inaction is mirrored in …showed first 75 words of 2279 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2279 total…her peril. Hamlet on the other hand only fakes his madness to cover up his dark plot and achieve his goal of vengeance. Litteur was right in stating that Hamlet’s foils ,both Laertes and Ophelia, are what Hamlet intended to do to the extremes. Ophelia’s madness and Laertes action are of a much greater magnitude than Hamlet’s madness and action. In conclusion both Ophelia and Laertes are foils for Hamlet’s character.