According to William Styron, life “is a search for justice.” According to William Shakespeare, the search for justice can neither be too rash nor too cautious. In Hamlet, Young Fortinbras manages to successfully respond to an injustice (his father’s death) without being rash or overly cautious, showing Shakespeare’s message that a balance between impulse and rationality is needed in order to achieve justice. Young Fortinbras’ search for justice is similar to Hamlet’s search in the sense that they both wish to avenge their father’s deaths. When King Hamlet was alive, a battle ensued between him and Old King Fortinbras which resulted in Old Fortinbras’ death and King Hamlet’s conquest of Norwegian territory: “Fortinbras of Norway,/Thereto prick'd…show more content… Young Fortinbras seems to have a thorough understanding of justice; his actions suggest that he knows that a plan as well as a willingness to execute the plan are needed in order for justice to be served. Fortinbras’ perception of justice as a balance between impulse and reason, is highlighted by Laertes and Hamlet, both of whom seem to be misinformed about the meaning of justice. After Polonius’ murder, Laertes storms the castle ready to avenge his father’s death: “only I'll be reveng'd /Most thoroughly for my father” (IV, v, 132-133). Luckily, he is stopped by Queen Gertrude, who proclaims that Claudius had not murdered Polonius; Laertes’ impetuous decision almost resulted in the wrongful death of Claudius which would have resulted in the death of Laertes (if he had killed Claudius, he likely would have been hanged for treason). Unlike Laertes, after Hamlet is told that his father was murdered, he does not immediately seek justice, instead, he searches for evidence: “[t]he spirit that I have seen /May be a devil: and the devil hath power /T' assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps/Out of my weakness and my melancholy,/As he is very potent with such spirits,/Abuses me to…show more content… As part of the deal between Fortinbras, Old Norway, and Claudius, Fortinbras was allowed to cross through Denmark on his way to and from Poland: “And his commission to employ those soldiers,/So levied as before, against the Polack:/With an entreaty, herein further shown,/That it might please you to give quiet pass /Through your dominions for this enterprise,/On such regards of safety and allowance/As therein are set down” (II, ii, 74-79). After Young Fortinbras’ successful victory in Poland, he crossed through Denmark on his way back to Norway. His return coincided with the deaths of Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet; as he was crossing through Denmark, the Danish royal family was dying. As a result, he was able to ascend the throne and claim Denmark as his own: “Let us haste to hear it,/And call the noblest to the audience./For me, with sorrow I embrace my fortune:/I have some rights of memory in this kingdom/Which now, to claim my vantage doth invite me” (V, ii, 358-362). Fortinbras’ search for justice can be considered very successful because he accomplished significantly more than he set out to do without accumulating a body
