Susan Gale once said: “Actions speak louder than words, but sometimes words get all the attention.” This quote is the epitome of being a better man. This quote explains that actions are what truly define how good a person is. This quote also appears as a major topic in the play Hamlet. Scholars have discussed the morality of the actions displayed by Hamlet's character and Hamlet's character Laertes. The question that emerges from these discussions is "Who is the better man, Hamlet or Laertes?" ". To answer this question, each character's situation requires analysis. The answer to this question is that Laertes is the better man, because although Laertes speaks cruel words, he does not act on them. Hamlet is thoughtful, but murderous, while Laertes is compulsive, but not murderous. Hamlet ended up murdering several characters with little to no remorse, making him a cold-blooded killer. Besides being a killer, Hamlet is also jealous of not being crowned king. While Laertes' main motive was to seek revenge for his father's death, Hamlet was not only focused on his father's death but also worried about his royal status. Laertes also shows qualities of a man, as he is protective of his sister Ophelia. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes never disrespected the women in the play. Although Hamlet is the protagonist, he is not the “better man.” In conclusion, Laertes is the better man, because although Laertes speaks cruel words, he does not act on them, unlike Hamlet. Going back to Susan Gales' quote, the reason Laertes is portrayed as the worse man of the two is because sometimes the audience simply pays attention to the characters' words rather than the actions. Actions always trump words, which makes actions more important than words. Actions defined who a man is, and Hamlet's actions defined him as someone cold-blooded. In similar situations, Hamlet chose to act cruelly. For these reasons, Laertes is clearly the "best