Hamlet, the major character in the Shakespeare play of the same name, was faced with a decision upon learning that Claudius murdered his father. Throughout the play, we see Hamlet's struggle with this issue. Many opportunities arise for him to kill Claudius, but he is unable to act because of his indecisiveness. Shakespeare uses the minor character Fortinbras as a foil to Hamlet, in order to help understand why Hamlet acts the way he does. Foils are used in plays so that the readers are better able to understand the major character. In a foil, the minor character contrasts and parallels the main character in many ways. However, it is through these similarities that we are able to see the more important differences. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet and Fortinbras are presented as foils of one another as seen through their similarities in...