These two characters act as a foil to Hamlet who shows the other possibilities of how to act. The death of their fathers led them to act in different ways and in the end only one survived. With their different approaches, only one proved superior: acting rationally and deliberately. The theme of revenge was deeply explored by Shakespeare illustrating our human nature that acts on revenge. Hamlet initially felt unprepared to face his revenge directly so his approach of considering everything and reflecting seemed wise, however it proved to be too slow. Laertes' reckless behavior to gain revenge proved ineffective as he was easily controlled by anything that came near him. Fortinbras was the ideal middle ground between the two, acting deliberately, but not acting harshly on the situation. That's why, in this tragic ending of a play, Fortinbras was really the only one who considered it a comedy.