Few characters in the history of literature have filled opposite roles as well as Shakespeare's Hamlet and Laertes. Two young people found themselves faced with a similar situation, the murder of their father, and yet they reacted in completely contrasting ways. Prince Hamlet's analytical approach contrasts with the simmering passion of Laertes, blinded by his mission of revenge. Zeffirelli's Hamlet and Branagh's Hamlet of William Shakespeare both offer different interpretations of the personalities of Hamlet and Laertes, particularly in how they interact with each other and in their courses of action to avenge their fathers' murders. Through the text of the play and the depictions of the films, Hamlet and Laertes' contrasts represent two very different philosophies regarding two very similar events. When audiences first meet young Laertes, he finds himself giving his advice to his sister Ophelia before leaving for France, as some like CP Aichinger speculate, "[anxious] to return to the pans of Paris" ( Aichinger, par. 9). In this scene, Laertes thoroughly warns his sister to be careful of Hamlet's affections, whose noble birth will hinder their relationship, as such “His greatness weighed, his will was not his own. / For he himself is subject to his birth” (Shakespeare 1.3.17-18), yet while Ophelia retorts of Laertes' hypocrisy to teach her lessons, while “He himself walks the primrose path of love / And takes no account of his own rede" (Shakespeare 1.3 .50-51). This scene speaks to the two-sided nature of Laertes, as he preaches to his sister despite following a path of sin. Polonius, the father of Laertes, enters the scene next and proceeds alone to give advice and blessings on his s...... middle of paper ...... played so well within Hamlet, offering mirrored approaches on how to solve the problem dilemma of justice and revenge. Hamlet, with his “complex understanding of the moral dilemma he faces” (Foster, par. 14) due to his extensive scholastic education in Wittenburg and Laertes with his passion-fueled rapidity of action. , justified to himself from the expectations of the society around him. In these interactions one can understand and learn much about the repercussions of humanity's superior intellect and emotional capacity, both party animals and slaves to our understanding of morality and free will. Thought must be exercised before action so that the blade does not strike the unexpected, just as Laertes' plot struck Gertrude, but also so that we do not become obsessed with our thoughts, like Hamlet when his actions came too late to prevent the Elsinore tragedy.