The king’s obsequious old councilor, Polonius, begins to believe that Hamlet's behavior is tied to his affections for Ophelia, Polonius’s daughter. He tells himself that his madness is a front which will allow him to investigate his uncle without the king realizing Hamlet is onto him, but as Hamlet investigates his own existential and moral center, his thoughts begin to tend toward serious distress, if not full-blown madness. He delays his revenge and begins to act half-mad, contemplates suicide, and becomes furious at all women. Hamlet, newly enraged, quickly accepts the ghost's command to seek revenge.Īs the days go by, however, Hamlet is uncertain if what the ghost said is true, and struggles to decide whether he should actually kill his uncle. The ghost reveals that he did not die of natural causes, but rather was poisoned by Claudius. Hamlet agrees to meet the ghost, and as he speaks with it, it claims to be the spirit of his father. Hamlet, however, cannot accept his uncle’s rule, furious as he is about Gertrude's marriage to Claudius, and resentful of both his mother and his uncle for besmirching his father’s memory with their union. Claudius seems to be an able king, easily handling the threat of the Norwegian prince Fortinbras, who is seeking to take back the lands his own father lost in battle with Hamlet’s father.
Hamlet is also the nephew of the present king, Claudius, who not only assumed his dead brother's crown but also married the king’s widow, Gertrude. When Horatio sees the ghost, he decides they should tell prince Hamlet-his closest friend and the dead king's son. The terrified sentinels Marcellus, Francisco, and Barnardo convince a skeptical nobleman, Horatio, to watch along with them one night. Two Clowns (the Gravediggers) Two rustics (identified as clowns) who dig Ophelia's grave.A ghost resembling the recently-deceased King of Denmark stalks the ramparts of Elsinore, Denmark’s royal castle, over the course of several nights, setting all the castle’s guardsmen on edge. Reynaldo Young man whom Polonius instructs and sends to Paris to observe and report on Laertes' conduct. Marcellus and Barnardo Danish officers on guard at the castle of Elsinore.įrancisco Danish soldier on guard at the castle of Elsinore. Voltimand and Cornelius Danish courtiers who are sent as ambassadors to the Court of Norway. Osric Affected courtier who plays a minor role as the King's messenger and as umpire of the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. Claudius summons them to Elsinore to spy on Prince Hamlet.įortinbras King of Norway, bound to avenge his father's death by the Danes' hands. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Classmates of Hamlet's in Wittenberg. OpheliaDaughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, Ophelia is beloved of Hamlet. LaertesA student in Paris, Laertes is Polonius' son and Ophelia's brother he returns from school because of King Hamlet's death, leaves to go back to Paris, and then returns again after his own father's murder. HoratioA commoner, Horatio went to school with Hamlet and remains his loyal best friend.
PoloniusThe elderly Lord Chamberlain, chief counselor to Claudius. The Ghost Spirit of the late King Hamlet, condemned to walk the earth until his soul is cleansed of its sins. Gertrude, Queen of Denmark Prince Hamlet's mother, King Hamlet's widow, King Claudius' wife. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark The crown prince of Denmark who returns from the university in Wittenberg, Germany, to find his father dead, his mother married to the king's brother Claudius, and Claudius newly self-crowned King.Ĭlaudius, King of Denmark Dead King Hamlet's brother who has usurped the throne and married his sister-in-law.