Hamlet Characters

THE CHARACTERS OF HAMLET

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, son of the dead king Hamlet, seeks revenge for his father’s death. He can be both an intellectual, "sweet" person & a raving, uncaring person whose only concern is the death of his uncle, the current King Claudius.	Claudius: King of Denmark, secretly kills Hamlet’s father (Claudius' own brother) & marries Hamlet's mother. He is afraid that Hamlet is plotting to kill him. Essentially a corrupt leader.	Gertrude: Queen of Denmark, late wife of King Hamlet, wife of Claudius, Hamlet’s mother. She doesn’t understand her son’s lunacy; often seen as submissive, but has moments of strength.	Polonius: Lord Chamberlain to Claudius (king's advisor/right-hand man), father of Laertes & Ophelia, he is a humorous & meddlesome busybody who enjoys talking & thinks very highly of himself. Worries his kids might embarrass him with their behavior.
Horatio: Hamlet's friend from University, sensible and loyal to Hamlet. He first tells Hamlet about the ghost.	Rosencrantz & Guildenstern: friends of Hamlet who become willing spies for Claudius & betray their "friend".	Laertes: son of Polonius, Ophelia's brother. Living in France for most of story (sowing his wild oats); becomes unknowing pawn in Claudius' schemes.	Ophelia: daughter of Polonius, Laertes' sister, Hamlet's love interest before play starts, she agrees not to court Hamlet because of her father’s wishes.
	Fortinbras: Prince of Norway, also lost his father. Before the play even opens, Old Hamlet has killed Fortinbras' father (King of Norway) over a land dispute. Now his sickly uncle's the king and, needless to say, Fortinbras is out to get what's rightfully his. (HAMLET'S FOIL/PARALLEL)	The Ghost: spirit of Old Hamlet, father of Hamlet, Gertrude's former husband, who is dead at start of the story. Ghost's demands for revenge are the INCITING FORCE of the play.
.	MINOR	CHARACTERS
Marcellus & Bernardo: officers guarding the castle of Elsinore, first to see the ghost. Francisco: officer guarding the castle of Elsinore, relieved by Bernardo in the beginning from guard duties	Osric: King’s messenger Voltimand & Cornelius: courtiers, sent to Norway as ambassadors	. Gravediggers: two humorous people who dig graves & talk to Hamlet	Reynaldo: Polonius sends him to Paris to watch Laertes’ behavior
SETTING	Denmark: Ya think, considering the subtitle of the play is "The Prince of Denmark"??	Elsinore: castle, most all action occurs here (except for a few minor scenes)	Misc. settings include nearby graveyard/forest & a plain in Denmark.

	THEMES
APPEARANCE VS. REALITY Things aren't what they seem: the guilty appear innocent, friends prove untrustworthy, etc.	LIFE AS THEATER Characters can't determine who's for real & who's putting on an act. Best example is the play-within-a-play. This theme is similar to the metaphor "All the world's a stage".	GOOD VS. EVIL In less than black-&-white terms, Hamlet is a struggle of good vs. evil. He must determine who the bad guys are, where that evil exists, & then expose it.
PARENT & CHILD Hamlet examines several family relationships (father & son, mother & son, & father & daughter) & the loyalty & trust involved in them. Hint: most are found to be dysfunctional. For example, where should Hamlet's trust/loyalty lie now that his dad's dead, his mom's remarried, & his uncle's now his king/stepfather?	REVENGE Physical, psychological/emotional- revenge runs rampant in Hamlet, especially avenging the wrong done to a loved one. The Ghost's demands for revenge are what sets the whole play in motion. Can't we just let bygones be bygones? Apparently not in Hamlet.	THOUGHT VS. ACTION There are times to think, & there are times to act; most of the time Hamlet doesn't know which is which. He's so afraid of doing the wrong thing (or the right thing in a dishonorable way) that he overanalyzes everything & nothing gets done at all. Hamlet would've made a great shrink!