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Hamlet's inaction contrasts with two of the other characters who immediately react!. One is Laertes (Ophelia's brother) and the other is Fortinbras (the young heir to the throne of Norway)!.
I've always felt that Gertrude identifies with Ophelia as her younger self!. She wants to be young and fall in love, and not be part of the ugliness that is her life today!. The genuine horror with which she announces that Ophelia has drowned conveys the death of all innocence!. When she throws the flowers into Ophelia's grave and says "sweets to the sweet" she is imparting her empathy!.
Claudius and Polonius are the two schemers in the play!. Polonius is one of Hamlet's greatest creations- a babbling uncomprehending idiot who stumbles into some of the most profound quotes that Shakespeare ever wrote!. One of the best scenes in Hamlet is the very end of Act III scene 1!. After Hamlet subjects Ophelia to massive verbal (& physical!?) abuse Claudius and Polonius pop out and immediately begin discussing their plots, totally oblivious to the young girl who has been destroyed!. The only words her father says to her are: "How now, Ophelia!? You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said!. We heard it all"!. There's no kindness, no comfort, no shared anger, no sympathy from either man!. Ophelia is never appears appears as a sane person after this point!.

Finally, at the risk of pointing out the obvious, these six characters from two families all end up dead!. Death takes everyone in the end!. The good and the bad, the petty and the naive, the schemers and the victims, the profound and the stupid, the young and the old!. It is probably the only story where every major character dies!. The play is the eternal tribute to Shakespeare's ten year old son, Hamnet, who died before he experienced his life!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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This isn't a simple answer!.!.!.it's an essay question! Here's a start: For similarities, look at Hamlet and Laertes as two sons who each lost their fathers!.!.!.then look at how they handle that loss, how they think about revenge!.!.!.what they do- that's where you can find both similarities and differences!.!.
For Gertrude and Ophelia, the two women in the play, look at Gertrude as a woman who is compromised, who has indeed "sinned" and has been corrupted by lust, who loses her husband and remairries in an instant; then look at Ophelia, an innocent, who has loved purely, who doesn't know the meaning of "lust", who dies grieves herself into madness over her loss, both of Hamlet and her father, and who dies,chaste, of grief!.
For Claudius and Polonius, look at them as two "fathers"- Claudius, a scheming stepfather who pretends to care about his "son" Hamlet, Polonius, a genuinely caring father who tries to give his children advice and protect them from harm!. also, both of them "spy" on their children from a lack of trust!.!.!.
Hope this helps!.!.!.it's a start!Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Hey I could list a plethora of information for you but I believe you'll be better of visiting this site!. www!.sparknotes!.com
When you go to the site search up the title Hamlet, and look at the character analyst!. There is a vast amount of data that can answer all of your question with accurate information!. Hope this works =)

>>>Amateur Shakespeare theater actorWww@QuestionHome@Com

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