"Hamlet" and "Henry IV"

Paper Summary:

The paper presents a discussion of the male characters in both plays and then constructs a comparison between the two plays in terms of the father/son relationships therein.

From the Paper:

"Polonius and Laertes, on the other hand, are portrayed as opposites in character. Although the play sees more of their relationship in the play, the viewers/readers cannot conclude that a happy relationship exists between the two of them. Laertes is a good and trusting son, who obeys his father unconditionally. Polonius, meanwhile, is a suspicious character that perceives his son as an alcoholic and womanizer. Polonius' distrust in his son was seen at Act Two, Scene One, when he ordered his servant Reynaldo to spy on his son Laertes at France. He even went to the extent of making Reynaldo tell a lie by telling the Danes (Denmark people) that Laertes has full of vices to affirm if Polonius' suspicion is true. Laertes, a man who left in good faith that his father bids him well, is unknowingly "stabbed at his back" by his own father because of Polonius' suspicious nature. Although Polonius' has not been a good example for his children, Laertes showed unconditional love for his father when he returned to Denmark to avenge his father's death wherein Hamlet was the murderer. In the end, both Hamlet and Laertes died, two men who sacrificed their lives to give justice to the death of their fathers."

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