Shakespeare includes characters in Hamlet who are obvious foils for Hamlet, including, most obviously, Horatio, Fortinbras, Claudius, and Laertes.

Who are Hamlet's foils and in what ways do their characters shed light on this?

The clear character foil for Hamlet is young Fortinbras. Young Fortinbras is considered to be a character foil to Hamlet. Hamlet is impressed that Fortinbras is such a “he man” ready to risk lives simply for a fight. He wishes he wasn’t such a coward over something that has really insulted him.

How is Hamlet a foil?

Laertes is a major foil of Hamlet. Laertes was in the play so Hamlet would have someone to fight at the end of the play. Both Hamlet and Laertes want revenge for their fathers’ deaths. But Laertes wants revenge on Hamlet.