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A list of all the characters in Hamlet. Hamlet characters include: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius, The Ghost, Laertes.
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Hamlet’s last words: ‘The rest is silence,’ are famously agnostic, but Horatio’s farewell, ‘Good night, sweet prince, / And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,’ poetically reinstates belief (Act 5, scene 2, lines 395-98). Surely, this is literature’s most famous example of fence-sitting.
- Hamlet. The protagonist of the tragedy, Hamlet is a beloved prince and a thoughtful, melancholy young man. Distraught by his father’s death, Hamlet is only made more depressed by his uncle Claudius’ succession to the throne and his subsequent marriage to his mother.
- Claudius. Claudius, the play's antagonist, is the king of Denmark and Hamlet’s uncle. According to the ghost of Hamlet’s father, Claudius is his killer. When we are first introduced to Claudius, he scolds Hamlet for still being so glum about his father’s death and forbids him to return to his university studies in Wittenberg.
- Polonius. Polonius is the main advisor to the king, also known as the Lord Chamberlain. Pompous and arrogant, Polonius is also the overbearing father of Ophelia and Laertes.
- Ophelia. Ophelia is Polonius’s daughter and Hamlet’s lover. She is obedient, agreeing not to see Hamlet anymore at her father's suggestion and spying on Hamlet when asked by Claudius.
Learn more about the characters of Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius and Gertrude, with photo galleries and study grids to complete. We explore key questions. What leads to Hamlet's downfall? What drives Ophelia to madness? why does Claudius murder his brother? Why does Gertrude marry Claudius?
- Hamlet. Prince of Denmark, son of the late King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude, and nephew and stepson to Claudius. Hamlet is one of the most famous figures in Western literature, and, in the world… read analysis of Hamlet.
- Claudius. Hamlet’s uncle and stepfather, and the new King of Denmark. After the death of Hamlet’s father and Claudius’s brother, the former king, Claudius married his brother’s wife, Gertrude, and assumed the throne of… read analysis of Claudius.
- Gertrude. Hamlet’s mother, Claudius’s wife, and the Queen of Denmark. One of only two female characters in the play (along with Ophelia), Gertrude’s arc throughout the drama is perhaps most representative of the… read analysis of Gertrude.
- Polonius. A councilor, or advisor, to Claudius, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius is a verbose, faltering old man whose servile devotion to Claudius renders him slimy, untrustworthy, and pathetic in the… read analysis of Polonius.
May 21, 2024 · Want to know who dies during the course of the play? Interested in the characters’ relationships and activity? Find here all the answers to your questions! This article contains Hamlet character list, analysis, and descriptions.
Explore the fascinating characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet, from the tormented prince to the deceitful Claudius. Learn about their motivations and roles in this iconic tragedy.
