- Hamlet
- Hamlet is the hero, the character for whom the play is named.
He's the son of the late King of Denmark, King Hamlet, after whom he was named.
He's the son of Gertrude, the current Queen of Denmark. Gertrude is the widow of King Hamlet.
He's the nephew of the current King, Claudius, King Hamlet's brother.
Hamlet has been a university student at Wittenberg, Germany, but returned to Denmark when informed of his father's death. After losing the election for King to Claudius, Hamlet wanted to return to the university, but he remains at Elsinore Castle in obedience to his mother's request that he stay.
Hamlet loves his mother, and obeys her as best he can, but he hasn't developed insight into her point of view, and doesn't understand her. He's extremely upset that his mother has married a crude, unattractive man he despises, and he's baffled by what she ever saw in Claudius.
Hamlet is secretly engaged to Ophelia, at the beginning of the play, and he hopes to marry her when it becomes practical, but because of his misunderstanding about his mother's behavior he doesn't trust women.
Hamlet apparently had a close relationship with his father, King Hamlet, but idolized his father, and feels very inferior to what his father was.
Hamlet is intelligent, well educated, and bookish. He's idealistic and passionate about his beliefs. He's too young to have gained wisdom yet. He's sensitive and takes things personally, and he thinks it's his own personal responsibility to set everything right.
Hamlet is unusually clever with words. He can say things in a way to mislead those who hear him, which does not always work to his advantage. He's mischievous, and he enjoys teasing people and fooling them with what he says. He uses words both as an assertion of his own skill, and also as a defense mechanism.
He's a loyal friend to those he sees as his true friends, but he has little use for others.
Hamlet's social rank is royalty, the Prince. He is correctly addressed as "lord." He can also correctly be addressed as "your honor" or "your grace."
The name 'Hamlet' comes from the medieval story of Amleth. The word 'Amleth' becomes 'Hamlet' simply by moving the last letter of 'Amleth' to the front. The two names are essentially the same word. If 'Amleth' were viewed as a cockney pronunciation, then 'Hamlet' would be the "upper-class" pronunciation of the same name.
Claudius
Claudius is the villain of the play, and the current King of Denmark. He was duly elected to the throne, by the Danish electors.
He's the brother of the late King, King Hamlet.
He's the husband of Queen Gertrude, his brother's widow.
He's Hamlet's uncle. Since it's normal for a son to succeed his father as king, Claudius is very worried about Hamlet as a political rival, even after defeating Hamlet in the election.
Claudius is rather good with words, especially when he can twist words to his own advantage. He's not the wordsmith Hamlet is, however.
He's an alcoholic. He's self centered, and self indulgent, and quite proud of finally becoming the King.
Claudius is a coward, who concocted a scheme to kill his brother with poison. (Poisoning is an act which the Elizabethans condemned as extremely dastardly.) He was jealous of his brother, and sought both the crown and Gertrude, whom he coveted. Claudius reveals during the play that he had plotted the murder of his brother, or at least thought about it, for many years.
He was in love with Gertrude when he was young, however, by the time he was able to marry Gertrude he found he no longer loved her, as he also reveals during the course of the play. He married her for political reasons, to become King.
He's a greedy man, immoral and underhanded. He isn't wise, but he's sly and devious, and intelligent in an evil way. Since Claudius is immoral he thinks everybody else is too, which makes him suspicious of others, especially Hamlet. Claudius is worried that Hamlet might be ambitious enough for the crown to kill him.
Politically and socially, Claudius is royalty, the King. He has political worries about Hamlet's popularity. Claudius is typically addressed as "lord" or "majesty." Since he's the King, he can also be called "The Dane," or he can be called "Denmark," the same as the name of the country.
The name "Claudius" comes from Roman history. Also, there's some allusion in the play to astronomical theory, and the astronomer Ptolemy had a first name of Claudius. Additionally, the Catholic Saint Claudius is a patron of stone masons, and also a patron against fever; both fever and masons are mentioned in the play. Shakespeare probably used the name, Claudius, because it goes along with various things in the dialogue.
Gertrude
Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, and the mother of Hamlet.
She's the widow of the late King, King Hamlet.
She's married to King Claudius.
Gertrude loves her son Hamlet, and wants him to be happy, but she doesn't understand him well. At the beginning of the play, Gertrude has apparently not had a good, long talk with Hamlet since his father died. Social and political activities for King Hamlet's funeral, her state wedding with Claudius, and Claudius's coronation, have interferred with Gertrude's communication opportunities with her son, and there is also the problem that Hamlet can be difficult to talk to.
It's unclear at the beginning why Gertrude married Claudius, raising various suspicions about her, but the answer emerges very subtly during the course of the play.
Politically, Gertrude's social rank is royalty, the Queen. She's popular and generally respected.
The name "Gertrude" comes from the old source story of Amleth. Shakespeare probably kept the name for several reasons having to do with his play.
Gertrude is implicitly associated with the Catholic saint, Saint Gertrude of Nivelles. Saint Gertrude of N. is a patron of the recently dead, gardeners, and pilgrims, and is also a patron against rats and mice, all of which are ideas that appear in the play. The feast day of Saint Gertrude of N. is March 17, the same as that of Saint Patrick, who is mentioned in the play. Saint Gertrude of N. had a substantial following in Europe in Elizabethan times. (Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is not to be confused with Saint Gertrude "The Great.")
Also, the name "Gertrude" is German in origin, and the "Ger-" part means "spear" which is, of course, the last syllable in the name "Shakespeare."
In the context of the times, the Elizabethans would inevitably have viewed Gertrude in some light related to Queen Elizabeth I.
The Ghost
The Ghost appears to be the spirit of the former King, King Hamlet, Hamlet's father.
The Ghost tells Hamlet that he's confined to Purgatory, but there's a question whether he might be lying, and could be an evil spirit from Hell, who is impersonating King Hamlet.
In one speech, Hamlet calls the Ghost "Truepenny," a name which comes from the old English comedy play Ralph Roister Doister, which was well known in Elizabethan times.
Polonius
Polonius is the top aide to King Claudius, and has apparently been a government bureaucrat for many, many years.
He's the father of Laertes and Ophelia.
He's apparently a widower, since there's no sign in the play that he has a wife. Going by the Death theme which is so prominent in Hamlet, his wife is probably dead.
Polonius treats his children, especially Ophelia, as property he owns, and he doesn't show loving parental feelings for them.
Polonius is a wealthy, elderly man, who could retire in comfort, but who is still intent on proving he's the King's best servant. The royal court is his life. He's worried about being replaced after the change of government. Claudius could bring in new servants (as we see Claudius do, in fact, with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.) Polonius's primary concern is proving his loyalty and dutifulness to Claudius, to keep his job. It's shown in the play that Polonius views Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as competition, and he tries to outdo them in serving Claudius.
Polonius is bossy, sometimes even to the King and Queen. He's a manipulator, a busybody, and a relentless snoop. When he wants information he doesn't care how he gets it, and he's ready to use methods that might be unethical or even unlawful. He doesn't trust people to tell him the truth, so he uses sneaky, roundabout methods to try to find out what he wants to know, a behavior that eventually gets him killed. He's a self-righteous hypocrite who honors religion in words, but has no moral scruples in his conduct. He has poor judgment, and no appreciation of anybody else's point of view.
Polonius is in his "second childhood." He rambles and misuses words, and misunderstands things. He's virtually addicted to the use of sayings.
Politically and socially, Polonius is known to the people because of his standing as the top bureaucrat. He's an aristocrat, and his proper title is "lord."
As pointed out by Bernice W. Kliman in the Spring 2002 issue of "Shakespeare Bulletin," * there was a notable incident at the English court between Queen Elizabeth I and a Polish ambassador. Queen Elizabeth instructed Robert Cecil to write a letter ** to the Earl of Essex about the incident, which Cecil did, a letter dated 1597. The Polish ambassador was supposed to be paying a courtesy call on the Queen, in the interests of peaceful relations between Poland and England. However, after being presented to Queen Elizabeth, the ambassador went into a diatribe against England, in Latin. The ambassador alleged that the Queen knew about abuses by the English against Polish merchants and subjects, but was intentionally doing nothing to stop the abuses. Queen Elizabeth was highly offended by the Polish ambassador's allegations, and by his attitude, and she replied smartly, also in Latin. As Kliman describes it: "[Queen Elizabeth I] criticized the ambassador for speaking to her in public in such a way, contrary to the usage of monarchs with each other; spoke slightingly about the Polish monarch as being chosen by election rather than heredity; but offered to have some of her counselors meet with the ambassador to assess his claims." (It may be observed that the mention of heredity, in such a context, could be heard as an extremely subtle and clever implication of the ambassador, himself, being a "bastard.") After speaking to the ambassador, Queen Elizabeth complained, in an aside, about being forced to "scour up my old Latin, that hath lain long in rusting." Although the Queen belittled her Latin as old and rusty, Cecil swore in his letter that her reply to the Polish ambassador was one of the best extemporaneous speeches in Latin that he had ever heard.
There is certainly no reason to suppose Shakespeare was present at the encounter between the Queen and the Polish ambassador, but the incident undoubtedly excited much talk, and became the news of the day. It's entirely credible that he heard about it. Kliman has probably identified the topical event that led to Shakespeare using the name "Polonius" for the verbose, manipulative, egotistical court councilor in Hamlet. "Polonius" most likely derives from the nationality of the ambassador who was insolent to the Queen of England.
Poland is prominently mentioned in the play, and the Latin name for Poland is 'Polonia.' The personal name "Polonius" can be read as "the Polish person," or "the Pole." Shakespeare fitted the name well to the play, partly by casting Poland as an enemy of Denmark, and then making Polonius unintentionally, and ironically, an "enemy" of Denmark, because of his bumbling. Thus the name "Polonius," is highly facetious. Further, the "Pol-" beginning of the name provides some opportunity for wordplay, on Polonius being a politician, who uses words like "policy."
* Kliman, "Three Notes on Polonius: Position, Residence and Name." Shakespeare Bulletin 20.2 (Spring 2002)
** The Robert Cecil letter is reproduced in "Queen Elizabeth and Her Times, A Series of Original Letters" by Thomas Wright, London, 1838.
Ophelia
Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, and the sister of Laertes.
She is Hamlet's sweetheart, and is secretly engaged to Hamlet at the start of the play, a fact which is subtly revealed in the dialogue.
Ophelia is a kind, sweet, and religious young lady. She's oppressed and dominated by her father, who lectures her while paying no attention to what she tries to say, or how she feels. Her father views her without affection, in terms of what she's worth to him. Her brother is also insensitive to her thoughts and feelings. Her mother is absent in the play, apparently dead. She apparently has no friends, other than Hamlet.
Politically, Ophelia is known to the people through her father's status as the top government bureaucrat. Her social rank is lady, and her title is "Lady."
It's uncertain why Shakespeare used of the name, Ophelia. It has been conjectured that the name could be from a Greek word meaning "help." The name has also been viewed as a variation on "Apheleia," a name that means "simplicity."
As my own speculation, the name "Ophelia" can be formed by taking the Greek prefix "philo-" which means "loving," and moving the "o" to the beginning (the same as in changing "Amleth" to "Hamlet" by moving the final letter to the beginning.) Then the suffix "-ia" can be added to create a woman's name on a pattern the author often used. See the names Cordelia, Emelia, Hermia, Maria, Portia, etc. in other Shakespeare plays. The resulting word, "ophilia," can be made more euphonious by changing the middle 'i' to an 'e'. Forming the name "Ophelia" by this method produces the meaning: "a loving woman."
Laertes
Laertes is the son of Polonius, and the brother of Ophelia.
He has been residing in Paris, and at the beginning of the play he has returned to Elsinore to attend Claudius's coronation.
Laertes is self-centered and superficial. He's an energetic and carefree youth, primarily in pursuit of his own interests. He is not wise or insightful; to the contrary, he's thoughtless and foolish. In his speech, he's somewhat a "chip off the old block," and he shows signs that he would become much like his father as he grew older. Laertes lectures Ophelia, nearly the same as Polonius does, and he pays no attention to what she says in reply.
As the play continues, we also learn Laertes has an obstreperous temper, acts impulsively, and is an outstandingly good swordsman and fencer, all of which become significant facts about his character in relation to the play events.
Politically, Laertes is known to the people because of his father's standing as the top bureaucrat. His social rank is gentleman, and he's properly called "sir."
In classic literature, Odysseus's father is named Laertes. It's unknown why Shakespeare used the name for this character; I've seen no persuasive explanation, and I have no suggestion to offer about that.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern [R & G] are old friends of Hamlet, since childhood. They've also been Hamlet's schoolmates at the university in Wittenberg.
R & G arrive at Elsinore in response to a summons from Claudius and Gertrude.
Politically and socially, their only prominence is due to them being in service to the King. They're both gentlemen, and are properly called "sir."
The names are two which can be found historically in Denmark. Various sources are known from which Shakespeare could have learned the names.
The name Rosencrantz means "rose crown," or "crown of roses." It was printed as "Rossencrast" in the First Quarto of Hamlet, published 1603, and then printed as "Rosencraus" in the Second Quarto, 1604-5. The Second Quarto form "Rosencraus" is particularly interesting, since it can be understood as "red and cross," which is a verbal description of the Danish flag. The Danish flag is red with a (white) cross on it. "Rose-n-craus" is the ideal name for a person of Denmark, a person under the Danish flag. The name approached its modern form when it was spelled "Rosencrance" in the First Folio, published in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare's death. Apparently Shakespeare, himself, never used the spelling "Rosencrantz." It would seem he did ultimately use the Folio spelling of "Rosencrance." Support for that idea, that the Folio form of the name is Shakespeare's own ultimate choice, can be found in the Hamlet dialogue. Discussion of the name in relation to the details of the dialogue goes beyond these character notes, however.
"Guildenstern" means "golden star." The name was spelled "Gilderstone" in the First Quarto, and "Guyldensterne" in the Second Quarto. The First Quarto form of the name, "Gilderstone," can be understood as "gold rock," i.e. fool's gold. Since fool's gold is a deceptive imitation, not the real thing, the name "Gilderstone" is excellent for a character who is a "fake" friend to Hamlet. However, apparently Shakespeare, himself, preferred the "star" idea that goes with the spellings Guyldensterne/Guildenstern that were printed later. This is not to imply Guildenstern as the star of the play, since he is not, of course. But "star" is a repeated idea in the play, all the way from first Scene to last. It makes "star" a thematic concept, or nearly so. One can only speculate, but perhaps the author might have preferred the "star" idea since it links to the play, overall, and he might have decided on the name Guyldensterne/Guildenstern for that reason.
Horatio
Horatio is a schoolmate of Hamlet's from Wittenberg, and is Hamlet's best friend.
He came to Elsinore to attend King Hamlet's funeral.
Horatio is a poor man, but honest and fair, and loyal to Hamlet. He's apparently also a military type of individual, since he makes friends easily with the sentinels. It's implied in the play that he's a good man to be friends with, but not good to have as an enemy. (One should probably picture Horatio as a rather large, tough fellow.) He's less verbose than Hamlet, but intelligent, and a good scholar.
Politically and socially, Horatio is prominent only through his friendship with Prince Hamlet. His social class is gentleman, and he's correctly called "sir."
The name 'Horatio' is an historical one, from Roman times. It comes from 'Horatius,' the name of a Roman gens (a gens being a paternal clan.) The name 'Horace' is a variant. It's unknown why Shakespeare used the name for this character, but it's a name found in another popular play of that era, The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd. In the classical connection, since Horatio is the name of a famous warrior of ancient Rome, it suggests someone who is a staunch ally, so it well suits the Horatio character's loyalty to Hamlet. Shakespeare might have used the name to imply strong loyalty.
By the way, the part of Horatio is the only one in the play that can't be doubled, i.e. an actor can't play this part and another part also, because Horatio appears on stage with all of the other speaking parts.
Francisco
Barnardo
Marcellus
Francisco is a military sentinel, on watch duty at the beginning of the play.
Barnardo is another military sentinel, who arrives to relieve Francisco on watch duty, at midnight.
Francisco and Barnardo are apparently not of high rank, or they would not have been assigned to lonely, cold guard duty at night. However, they are of high enough rank to be considered fully trustworthy, because the sentinel duty is important, since it's revealed that there's a military threat to Elsinore Castle. In modern terms, one could make Francisco and Barnardo anything from corporals to lieutenants.
Marcellus is also one of the military garrison at Elsinore Castle, and is a superior to Francisco and Barnardo. Marcellus is probably the supervising officer for the watch duty. His superior rank is shown when he escorts Horatio, and takes personal responsibility for Horatio's presence. In modern terms, it makes Marcellus probably a captain.
The name 'Marcellus' is Latin, or Latinate. The names 'Francisco' and 'Barnardo' have been called Italianate, but can also be seen as Spanish. It's unknown why each name, in particular, was used, but the mix of names, of various origins, gives the play a distinctly foreign flavor to an English audience.
As a matter of speculation, Shakespeare may have begun the play with the Spanish-sounding names, Francisco and Barnardo, to achieve emotional involvement of his English audience. Spain was the great Catholic power of the time, and was the major opponent of Protestant England. When the English audience heard "Barnardo" and "Francisco," and took them to be Spanish names, they may have booed, but if you're trying to achieve emotional involvement of the audience, even a boo is better than a shrug. It would get the audience paying attention, at least. Again, this idea about the names is only a speculation, but it's clear enough that Shakespeare knew quite a lot about human psychology.
Voltemand
Cornelius
Voltemand and Cornelius are Danish ambassadors dispatched by King Claudius to negotiate with old King Norway.
The name 'Cornelius' comes from a Roman gens. Beyond that, the word "cornelian" is a spelling variant of "carnelian," a word that has reference to a red or orange-red color. Speculatively, the author might have used the name Cornelius because - with the suggestion of "carnelian" - it goes along with the "red" idea in the play, or, since orange-red is the color of fire, it goes along with the Fire motif.
The name 'Voltemand' suggests "turned hand." The first syllable, Volte-, can be read as in the French phrase 'volte-face' which means to do an about face, or a reversal. The second syllable, -mand, can be read as in the word "mandate," which comes from Latin for "hand." The name, so read, can be understood to relate to the fact that what Voltemand reports back from Norway is exactly opposite to what Claudius originally said he wanted his negotiation to achieve. Voltemand is a character who "turns" Claudius's own "hand" against him, in that way. (Voltemand is not a traitor, it's unintentional.) Shakespeare may have used the name, Voltemand, to suggest "turned hand," going along with the Voltemand character reporting a diplomatic result contrary to what Claudius said he wanted.
Reynaldo
Reynaldo is one of Polonius's servants, dispatched by Polonius to try to find out any mischief Laertes might be involved in, in Paris.
The reason for the author's use of the name Reynaldo is unknown. I can only speculate, based on "Reynald" being an obsolete spelling of the name Reynard. Historically, Reynard is the name given to a cunning fox character in European fables and poetic writing. Thus, Shakespeare might have used the name, Reynaldo, because what the character is ordered to do, by Polonius, is supposed to be cunning, like a fox (although it actually is not.) Viewed in that way, the name becomes highly facetious.
Yorick [deceased]
Yorick is dead. He was once King Hamlet's jester, and a playmate of Hamlet when Hamlet was a child. His skull is accidentally unearthed at the graveyard.
The name is the English word "yore" with an '-ick' ending to turn it into a Danish-type name. 'Yorick' means "a Danish person of yore," and is therefore a name perfectly befitting a deceased Dane.
Ostrick
Ostrick is a dunce of a courtier who appears late in the play, sent by Claudius to inform Hamlet of the fencing match.
The name is the word "ostrich" recast in the form of a Danish name, to go along with the courtier being a birdbrain.
Fortinbrasse
Fortinbrasse is the son of Fortinbrasse Sr, who was slain in single combat against King Hamlet, in a battle over land.
Fortinbrasse is also the nephew of the current King of Norway, the brother of Fortinbrasse Sr (who was not a king.)
It is important to know about the character, Fortinbrasse, that he is not exactly analogous to Hamlet, any more than Laertes is exactly analogous to Hamlet. Fortinbrasse is not the son of a slain king. He's the son of a man who was slain trying to become a king.
(The play presents the concept of revenge for a father from three different angles. Hamlet's father was a king. Fortinbrasse's father was killed, lawfully, while trying to become a king. Laertes's father was a lesser man in social status, killed by accident. There is irony for Polonius, however, since he was so bossy, often telling Claudius what to do; Polonius tended to act like he thought he was king.)
The name 'Fortinbrasse' is from the French, for the phrase "strong-in-arm." It goes well with Fortinbrasse being one who seeks to gain his goal through strong-arm methods, and Shakespeare may have used the name for that reason.
Old King Norway [offstage]
He's the current King of Norway, and has been King for a long time. He can be called "Norway," the same as King Claudius of Denmark can be called "Denmark." His personal name is not used in the play. He does not appear on stage, but is only referred to in the dialogue.
He's the uncle of Fortinbrasse.
He's the brother of Fortinbrasse Sr, who was killed by King Hamlet.
Old King Norway was defeated in war by King Hamlet, as Horatio tells us early in the play. He's an experienced, wily, and ambitious man.
Claudio [offstage]
Claudio, who does not appear onstage, is Claudius's "double" or stand-in who holds a letter from Hamlet to Claudius, at a time when Claudius is not personally available to receive the letter.
The author used the name as a variation on 'Claudius' to go along with Claudio serving as a stand-in for Claudius.
a company of Players
the First Player
the Lad
The Players are a company of actors who arrive at Elsinore Castle. Their hope is to become Prince Hamlet's playing company, as Rosencrantz tells us. They include some capable musicians.
The First Player is the leading actor of the company, and an old friend of Hamlet.
The Lad is the boy who plays the female parts for the company, since women did not appear on stage in Elizabethan days.
a Captain in Fortinbrasse's army
The Captain is assigned by Fortinbrasse to get the official pass from Claudius that allows Fortinbrasse's army to be in Denmark. The Captain talks briefly with Hamlet.
two Sailors (pirates)
The two Sailors, who are actually pirates, bring a letter from Hamlet to Horatio. (The dialogue requires two sailors.)
the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting
In all of the Scenes in the Throne Room, Gertrude has her Ladies-in-Waiting nearby, as one would expect for a Queen. (In performance, the number of Ladies should be two, at least, and more if the playing company can easily provide the extras.)
During the action of the play, the Ladies become important when Ophelia, while she's mad, tells them goodnight, during the daytime, and they are then ordered by Claudius to keep watch on Ophelia.
Messengers
A Messenger announces to Claudius, and Gertrude, that Laertes is leading a mob recruited from the local town to attack the Castle.
Later, a Messenger brings Claudius a letter from Hamlet. This can be the same Messenger as earlier, but doesn't have to be.
Townspeople allied with Laertes
These are people from the local town who want Laertes to be King, instead of Claudius. They join with Laertes to attack the Castle. The ringleaders accompany Laertes when he enters the Throne Room to challenge Claudius. (In performance, the number who enter with Laertes should probably be two or three, with numerous extras crowded in the doorway to represent a large crowd.)
Swissers who are Claudius's bodyguards
Claudius has hired two Swiss mercenaries to act as his personal bodyguard. They stand near him when he's in a public area such as the Throne Room. (In performance, the action of the play implies there should be two.)
a Sexton Clown gravedigger
The Sexton is a loudmouthed, ignorant Clown, who tells contrived jokes instead of working, calls his friend a jackass, and demands liquor, while thinking himself a proper Christian, as good as anybody.
a court Bailiff Clown
The Bailiff is the Clown who is the butt of the Sexton's jokes. He's the deputy of the coroner's court, who informs the Sexton of the official verdict that Ophelia died by accident and is to have Christian burial.
a Doctor of Divinity
He's the cleric who presides at Ophelia's funeral. He's a Protestant minister. Laertes calls him a "priest" in the dialogue, but although one may think of a priest as typically Catholic, the word, priest, has an original meaning of "church elder." It can also be understood that Laertes calls the cleric a priest because Laertes has spent so much time in France, where a similar cleric would indeed be a priest, because France was Catholic.
English Ambassadors
The English Ambassadors arrive in Denmark intending to inform Claudius that his order for the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern has been executed.
Drummers and Trumpeters
They are the King's musicians, who play to salute Claudius, and to entertain him.
A certain GENTLEMAN
One must pay close attention when this Gentleman appears, and says a few words, because he knows what he's talking about.
Also - courtiers, lords and ladies, servants, freemen, military personnel, and others as required.
(Regained)
The characters are presented here roughly in order of their prominence, with the understanding that the order in which to describe the characters is inevitably only a judgment call. Characters that have proper names are listed first. All of the major characters are vital, and even the least characters are necessary to a proper presentation of the full play.
The character descriptions on this page are in the following order.
- Hamlet
- Claudius
- Gertrude
- the Ghost
- Polonius
- Ophelia
- Laertes
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
- Horatio
- Francisco
- Barnardo
- Marcellus
- Voltemand
- Cornelius
- Reynaldo
- Yorick
- Ostrick
- Fortinbrasse
- Old King Norway [offstage]
- Claudio [offstage]
- a company of Players
- the First Player
- the Lad
- a Captain, in Fortinbrasse's army
- Sailors (pirates)
- the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting
- Messengers
- Townspeople, allied with Laertes
- Swissers, Claudius's bodyguards
- a Sexton Clown gravedigger
- a court Bailiff Clown
- a Doctor of Divinity
- English Ambassadors
- Drummers and Trumpeters
- Courtiers, lords and ladies, servants, freemen, military personnel, and others as required
- a certain GENTLEMAN