Before he was seen by the guards as a ghost, King Hamlet was challenged by King Fortinbras of Norway to a duel it which Fortinbras was killed. The bet made before the duel was that if King Fortinbras won, he would win large amounts of land from King Hamlet which would eventually be passed down to Fortinbras' son, also named Fortinbras. Since the king did not live to witness the aftermath of his loss, Prince Fortinbras is the only character who was cheated by this defeat. Now, Denmark is preparing for the ominous attack that is bound to come from Norway as retaliation. As Horatio explains, "So by his father lost: And this I take it is the main motive of our preparation" (I.i).
Since neither King part of the original duel survives, this conflict has been passed down to the sons of the countries. Still suffering from the death of his father, It is possible that Hamlet will lack investment in the impending war especially if it is over a conflict in which he has little involvement. Both of the princes' reputations and the fate of their countries rely on the impending war.This could cause a tumultuous relationship between Hamlet and Fortinbras because of the differences in their dedication and involvement to a rivalry.
(Apparently I pressed save instead of publish so this is a day late.)
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