Laertes’s redemption and Hamlet’s forgiveness happen at the very end of the play when Laertes confesses the murder plot, takes responsibility, and asks Hamlet to “exchange forgiveness” as he dies.

Key moment in the play

  • After both are wounded by the poisoned sword, Laertes admits that the weapon is envenomed and that Hamlet has been betrayed.
  • He openly declares that “the king’s to blame,” exposing Claudius’s treachery in front of everyone.

The action that redeems Laertes

  • Laertes then turns directly to Hamlet and asks him to “exchange forgiveness,” saying that neither his own death nor his father’s should be laid on Hamlet, and that Hamlet’s death should not be laid on him.
  • This act of confession and mutual pardon is what leads Hamlet to forgive Laertes, completing Laertes’s moral redemption as he dies.

Why this counts as redemption

  • Laertes moves from secret, dishonorable revenge (the poisoned sword plot) to open truth-telling, responsibility, and a plea for mercy.
  • In the tragic logic of Hamlet , that final choice to confess, condemn the real villain, and seek mutual forgiveness restores his honor, even though it comes only at the moment of death.

TL;DR:
The specific action is Laertes’s dying confession of the plot and his request, “Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet,” which prompts Hamlet to forgive him and marks Laertes’s redemption of character.

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