Susan Gale once said “Actions speak louder than words, but words sometimes get all the attention.” This quote is essential to the “being a better man” aspect. This quote explains that actions are what truly define the quality of a person. This quote also appears as an important topic in the play Hamlet. Scholars have debated the morality of actions displayed by Hamlet's character and Hamlet's opposite character, Laertes. The question that arises from these discussions is "Who is the better man, Hamlet or Laertes?". To answer this question requires an analysis of each character's situation. The answer to this question is that Laertes is the better man, because although Laertes speaks cruel words, he does not act on his cruel words, Hamlet is thoughtful, but murderous, while Laertes is compulsive, but not murderous. Hamlet ended up killing several characters with little to no remorse, making him a cold-blooded killer. Besides being a murderer, Hamlet is also jealous of not being crowned king. While Laertes' main motive was to avenge his father's death, Hamlet was not only focused on his father's death, but was concerned about his royal status. Laertes also displays qualities of a man, as he is protective of his sister Ophelia. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes never disrespected any woman in the play. Although Hamlet is the protagonist, he is not the "best man". In conclusion, Laertes is the better man, because although Laertes speaks cruel words, he does not act on his cruel words, unlike Hamlet. To reference Susan Gale's quote, the reason why Laertes is depicted as the worse man of the two is because sometimes the audience only pays attention to the characters' words rather than actions. Actions always trump words, making actions more important than words. Actions defined who a man is, and Hamlet's actions defined him as a cold-blooded person. In similar situations Hamlet chose to behave cruelly. For these reasons Laertes is clearly the “best”.