Before entering the foil match with Hamlet, Laertes admits “I am satisfied in nature, whose motive in this case should stir me most to my revenge” (5.2.259-61). At this point, it seems that Laertes himself is not even sure that getting his revenge by killing Hamlet would be a good idea. He eventually reaches the point where it appears that he may even forgive Hamlet, but the King pressures him into going through with the plan to poison Hamlet. This issue relates to the peer pressure that not only appears in the play, but also in modern day. In this case, the pressure is of a negative nature because it may force Laertes to act in a manner that he wouldn’t normally if he had been left to himself to make the decision. For that reason, revenge is better sought without taking on the ideas and influences of others that may have a personal bias in the situation as in the case of the king who wanted Hamlet dead for most of the second half of the play once he found out that Hamlet knew of his father’s
Before entering the foil match with Hamlet, Laertes admits “I am satisfied in nature, whose motive in this case should stir me most to my revenge” (5.2.259-61). At this point, it seems that Laertes himself is not even sure that getting his revenge by killing Hamlet would be a good idea. He eventually reaches the point where it appears that he may even forgive Hamlet, but the King pressures him into going through with the plan to poison Hamlet. This issue relates to the peer pressure that not only appears in the play, but also in modern day. In this case, the pressure is of a negative nature because it may force Laertes to act in a manner that he wouldn’t normally if he had been left to himself to make the decision. For that reason, revenge is better sought without taking on the ideas and influences of others that may have a personal bias in the situation as in the case of the king who wanted Hamlet dead for most of the second half of the play once he found out that Hamlet knew of his father’s