Many scholars classify William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark as a revenge tragedy, a popular genre during the Elizabethan era (Gainor 41). Shakespeare's tragedy focuses on three sons – Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras – who seek revenge for the unfortunate death of their fathers – King Hamlet, Polonius and King Fortinbras respectively. In the play, the father-son relationship is the main motivation for each son's revenge. Because Elizabethan society places a strong emphasis on the relationship between father and son, each son feels obligated to right his father's wrongs. According to Fredric B. Tromly, author of Fathers and Sons in Shakespeare: The Debt Never Promised, “One definition. . . The characteristic of Shakespeare's portrayal of ambivalent sons is the rescue of their fathers At the risk of their own lives, these sons. . . attempt to save his father's name and legacy" (Tromly 9). To maintain his father's reputation, each son willingly takes on the duty of avenging his father. Although each son attempts to avenge his father in the tragedy Hamlet, only Fortinbras succeeds, because he not only avenges his father's death, but also preserves his legacy. Hamlet's plan to avenge his father ultimately fails due to his indecisive and self-centered nature. The prince's inability to make decisions emerges for the first time after seeing a group of actors rehearse for the show they are to perform for the kingdom Stunned, the prince does not understand how actors can fake emotions, but he is unable to express his personal problems scoundrel, peak/ Like John- a-dreams, not pregnant with my cause,/ And can say nothing- no, not for a king/ Upon whose property... middle of paper... s. Hamlet's indecision and Laertes' hasty nature prevent them to truly avenge the death of their fathers. As each son kills his father's killer, he also loses his life. Therefore, neither Hamlet nor Laertes can preserve their father's legacy. In contrast, Fortinbras' decisive action and maturity allow him not only to avenge his father, but also to uphold his father's reputation as a noble man. Works Cited Gainor, J. E., Stanton B. Garner, and H. M. Puchner. The Norton Anthology of Drama: Shorter Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010. Print.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Gainor, J.E., Stanton B. Garner, and H.M. Puchner. The Norton Anthology of Drama: Shorter Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010. Print.Tromly, Frederic B. Fathers and Sons in Shakespeare: The Debt Never Promised. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Inc: 2010. Print.