Hamlet
(William Shakespeare)

Hamlet (Ham-let)

When we meet the young Prince Hamlet he has just lost his father, the King of Denmark. His mother has also married his Uncle Claudius, which makes things worse, and his depression more acute. Hamlet hates his Uncle and despises his mother Gertrude for marrying another man so quickly after his father's death. When the Ghost of his father reveals what he feared and suspected most—that his father was murdered by Claudius—Hamlet becomes incensed with the need for vengeance but becomes waylaid by his own self-doubt. He contradicts himself often, and this contradiction usually lies between his need and desire for violent revenge and his more philosophical nature. His behaviour follows suit: Hamlet can be impulsive, especially in his murder of Polonius, but hesitant for much of the rest of time.

Claudius (Clow-dee-us)

Claudius is the newly crowned King of Denmark and Hamlet's Uncle. He is also Hamlet's Stepfather after his marriage to Gertrude, the late King's wife. Claudius is an ambitious man. He killed his own brother to take the Danish throne and won over his wife with gifts to gain a Queen. Claudius will do anything to get ahead and to keep his spoils. When both young Fortinbras and Hamlet threaten to undo some of Claudius' peace he solves the problem quite quickly through political cunning and manipulation. He sends Hamlet to England on the pretence of a diplomatic mission, but sends letters with him asking the English King to execute Hamlet. He doesn't do this because he doesn't want to kill Hamlet himself, but because he doesn't want the Danish people to rebel. They love Hamlet too much to see him killed.

Gertrude (Ger-trude)

Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark and Claudius' wife. She has little to no guilt towards her quick marriage to her late husband's brother. In fact, she seems overjoyed by it. While she has no main influence on the plot, Gertrude is in many of the scenes hoping for a cure for Hamlet's depression, and then his madness. She shows sympathy towards the mad Ophelia and regrets that she will never see Ophelia and Hamlet married. There have been many debates regarding how much Gertrude knew of her late husband's murder, and whether or not she was complicit. Some see her the way that Hamlet describes her. They believe she must be guilty of something because of the lack of remorse she shows marrying her husband's brother. Others have argued that Gertrude is an honest and loving woman who is only doing what she thinks is right for the country. She looks out for everyone's welfare and is a loving and forgiving mother to Hamlet, even though he insults and pushes her away for most of the play. Many negative things about Gertrude are spoken by Hamlet, who is angry with her. His insults, therefore, cannot be entirely trusted as they come from a place of extreme emotion.

The Ghost

The Ghost of Hamlet's late father appears to guards at Elsinore Castle. He does not speak until Hamlet arrives, and then reveals Claudius' involvement in his murder. He begs Hamlet to take revenge on his behalf, particularly as he is damned for sins he had no time to beg forgiveness for. Hamlet blames his indecision to take revenge for his father's death on his doubts about the Ghost. Although it looks and acts like his late father, he believes it could be a devil or demon trying to trick him.

Horatio (Her-rach-eo)

Horatio is Hamlet's closest friend and ally. Hamlet trusts Horatio above all over characters in the play, revealing and sharing news of plots and schemes he has discovered. Horatio remains loyal enough to Hamlet to stay alive at the end of the play, despite his desire to kill himself. Despite his sorrow over Hamlet's death, he stays behind to set the facts straight, tell Hamlet's story and clear his name.

Laertes (Lay-er-teez)

Laertes is Ophelia's brother and Polonius' son. He is a good fencer and is well liked by those that know him. Laertes is fiercely loyal to his family, protects his sister Ophelia by giving her sound advice and is dutiful to his father, Polonius. Hamlet is seriously jealous of his abilities and of the number of compliments he receives from other people.

Ophelia (O-phee-lee-a)

Ophelia is Laertes' sister and Polonius' daughter. She is an innocent girl who believes Hamlet is in love with her, but follows her father's orders dutifully when he decides Hamlet must be leading her on. Towards the end of the play, Ophelia becomes mad under the stress of her father's murder and Hamlet's refusal of her. Later she falls into a brook, does not know that she is in danger and is pulled underwater by her heavy clothing. She drowns and her death spurs debates of religious rites and suicide, and reignites Hamlet's love for her.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern (Rose-en-crants & Guild-en-stern)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been friends with Hamlet for a long time. They grew up together and seem to have a strong bond. They are summoned to Elsinore to help Gertrude and Claudius discover the reason for Hamlet's madness so that they can help him. However, as the play progresses, these two supposed friends start to connive and scheme with Claudius behind Hamlet's back and their loyalty shifts. They even agree to take Hamlet to England where he will be executed by the King.

Polonius (Po-low-nee-us)

Polonius is a lord and adviser to Claudius. He has two children, Laertes and Ophelia, and he looks out for their welfare. This is a man full of good intentions who rarely goes about his plans without the use of trickery. Polonius gives speeches that are long winded and idiotic, and is often teased for it by Hamlet. Polonius is also often confused about character's motivations. He can't understand Hamlet's madness, despite his unfounded claim that he does, thinks that Claudius is an excellent man and suspects his son, Laertes, of poor behaviour in France. So much so that he sends a servant to spy on him and question his acquaintances!

Osric (Oz-rick)

Osric is a courtier who is summoned by Claudius to send a message to Hamlet about the fencing duel. We learn through Hamlet that Osric owns a fantastic deal of land and has tried to make himself look and sound like an upper class man by talking pretentiously. He does talk in a confusing manner, and Hamlet often has to ask him what he is talking about. Hamlet thinks Osric is a foul man, but we do not learn much more about him to agree or disagree with Hamlet.

Young Fortinbras (Fort-in-braz)

Fortinbras is the young prince of Norway and named after his late father, the King of Norway. Fortinbras wants revenge for his father's death who was killed by Hamlet's father during a war which also lost Norway a lot of territory. He begins the play gathering an army together, which is disbanded when his Uncle finds out about it. Hamlet later admires Young Fortinbras and his army for having the tenacity to fight for land in Poland, even though it means nothing to them. Fortinbras ends the play with a claim to the Danish throne and looks set to become the next King of Denmark.

Marcellus (Mar-sell-us)

Marcellus is a Sentinel guard at Elsinore Castle and loyal to Hamlet. He is one of the first men to see the Ghost of the dead King marching. He vows to keep the Ghost a secret and tries to keep Hamlet from venturing off with the Ghost by himself. He follows Hamlet with Horatio to make sure that the Ghost has not harmed him.

Reynaldo (Ray-nall-do)

Reynaldo is Polonius' servant. He is asked to spy on Laertes and ask his friends and acquaintances leading questions to trick them into telling him what Laertes has actually been up to. Polonius suspects he has been gambling and behaving badly. Reynaldo is worried that these questions might harm Laertes' reputation, especially if people think he is accusing him of this kind of behaviour. That Reynaldo would feel comfortable enough to question Polonius suggests that he has been with the family for a long time and that he has their best interests at heart. He is most loyal to Polonius, however, and leaves for France to do as he is asked.

Gravediggers (also known as the Clowns)

The two Gravediggers meet in the churchyard. The Gravedigger and the Other discuss Ophelia's recent death and whether or not she should be given religious rites after killing herself. They conclude the only reason she would have been given these rights is due to her status as a rich woman, pinpointing a class divide. Neither seems particularly affected by death, and the Gravedigger sings as he digs and tosses skulls of the dead around. They are realists, rather than characters of extreme emotion.

Barnardo (Bar-nar-do)

Barnardo is another Sentinel in the King's guard and a loyal friend to Hamlet. He and Marcellus have witnessed the Ghost of the late King Hamlet marching. He is the first to see the Ghost resembles the late King and begs Horatio to speak to it. Beyond this not much more is known about his character.