Fortinbras

Fortinbras is a fictional character in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. He is the Prince of Norway and the son of the late King Fortinbras. His father was killed by Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, in a past conflict, and Fortinbras seeks to reclaim lands his father claimed, acting in the name of national honor and sovereign authority.

Motivated by duty and political legitimacy, Fortinbras raises an army to recover the territory lost to Denmark. His presence in the play grows as a looming threat to the Danish state, and he embodies a contrasting, action-oriented approach to leadership compared with Hamlet’s indecision. Although Fortinbras’s campaign is never fully realized within the play’s main action, his forces are described as marching through Denmark toward Elsinore.

In the climactic final scene, Fortinbras enters the Danish court after the deaths of Hamlet, Claudius, and Gertrude. He orders a dignified burial for Hamlet and is subsequently proclaimed king of Denmark, thereby restoring political order. The character’s arrival signals the restoration of national stability and a legitimate succession.

Fortinbras functions as a foil to Hamlet: where Hamlet wrestles with conscience and delays, Fortinbras acts decisively. This contrast highlights themes of leadership, legitimacy, and the consequences of action versus inaction. Across productions and adaptations, Fortinbras is typically portrayed as a capable, pragmatic ruler whose ascent to the throne concludes the play’s political arc.