There are several characters that could be Hamlet's foil (Fortinbras, Horatio, and even Ophelia). However, Laertes wins the prize because he most closely resembles Hamlet in many ways, but his approach to life is different. Both young men loved Ophelia, both have lost their fathers, both are from the same class of people. The difference is in their approach to life. Laertes is impulsive and rash, whereas Hamlet is calculating and indecisive.
