... foil characters. This element created by Shakespeare helped the readers better understand the depth and mystery of their characters as they are indirectly compared and contrasted throughout the play. Hence, all striking similarities and sharply contrasted differences are not a mere co-incidence. Hamlet and Laertes are compared to each ... way when they saw Ophelia's corpse in the grave. One major difference, though, is that the audience was never really sure of the trueness of Hamlet's feelings for Ophelia until the end of the play when he said "I lov'd Ophelia: forty thousand brothers ...

• Word Count: 777
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate