| Bernardo | Guard at Castle Elsinor- sees Ghost & reports to Horatio |
| Francisco | Guard at Castle Elsinor- also sees Ghost & agrees they should tell Horatio |
| Marcellus | Captain of Guard at Castle Elsinor- watches with Horatio |
| Horatio | Nobleman who is Hamlet’s friend and tells Hamlet the news about the Ghost. |
| King Claudius | the dead King Hamlet’s brother; Recently made King; marries Gertrude who is Hamlets mother |
| Laertes | son of Polonius; brother to Ophelia; student at university; |
| Queen Gertrude | Hamlet’s mother; widow of King Hamlet; fall in love with Hamlet’s uncle Claudius who is made King after her husband’s death; Naive and trusting |
| Hamlet | Prince of Denmark; son of King Hamlet who died; nephew of King Claudius; loves Ophelia; mourns for his father longer than others |
| Ophelia | daughter of Polonius; sister of Laertes; young woman who loves Hamlet |
| Polonius | Lord Chamberlain to the King; Ophelia’s father; Laertes’ father |
Hamlet Act 1 Characters
July 29, 2019