No Fear Shakespeare Hamlet Characters

Hamlet The Prince of Denmark and the protagonist of the play. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s father King Hamlet Sr. has recently died, and his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married the new king, King Hamlet Sr.’s uncle Claudius. – He is melancholy, bitter, cynical, and full of hatred for his uncle and he is disgusted at his mother for marrying him. -He pretends to be crazy to give him time to figure out how he can get revenge- He struggles with himself about his hesitation to get revenge.
What University is Hamlet studying at? The University of Wittenberg
What happens to Prince Hamlet when the ghost of King Hamlet Sr. appears and claims to have been murdered by Claudius? Prince Hamlet becomes obsessed with avenging his father’s death but keeps thinking of reasons why he should wait before killing Claudius. When he does this he chastizes himself for failing to act boldly.
Claudius King of Denmark, and King Hamlet Sr.’s Brother and Prince Hamlet’s Uncle; Antagonist. – He secretly murdered his brother to become king and marry Queen Gertrude. – He plots with Laertes to poison Hamlet when he thinks that Hamlet may know his secret.
Gertrude The Queen of Denmark; Hamlet’s mother. – She marries Claudius soon after the king dies.- There is no evidence in the play that she knew about the murder but her sudden marriage to Claudius is suspicious. – Hamlet thinks she is weak. Hamlet also has such strong feelings about her sex life that he becomes momentarily distracted from his revenge quest. – She accidentally drinks the poison that Claudius intended to give to Prince hamlet to kill him.
King Hamlet/The Ghost The specter of Hamlet’s recently deceased father.-The ghost, claims to be murdered by his own brother Claudius. – The ghost asks Prince Hamlet to avenge his death.
Who does the Ghost appear before? The ghost appears before three soldiers, who recognize him as the dead king
What does Prince Hamlet speculate the ghost to be and for what reasons would the devil send a ghost to him? Prince Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be the devil to deceive him and tempt him into murder.
Polonius The Lord Chamberlain/Advisor to King Claudius.- He is the father of Ophelia and Laertes- He has good intentions, but he tends to be somewhat conniving and underhanded.- He spies on Hamlet for the king- Hamlet stabs him as he is hiding behind a curtain.
Laertes The son of Polonius and brother to Ophelia.- He is given advice by his father about how to behave in France- He returns from France when he learns of his father’s death- After Ophelia’s death, he plots with Claudius to stage a sword fight in which Hamlet will be poisoned.
Ophelia Polonius’s daughter, Sister to Laertes, and Prince Hamlet’s girlfriend.- Polonius tells her not to see Hamlet and her brother tells her Hamlet may not have good intentions towards her. – She allows Polonius to use her to spy on Hamlet. – She commits suicide after Hamlet kills her father.
Horatio Prince Hamlet’s closest and most loyal friend. – He promises to help Hamlet throughout the play. For example, he watches the king during the play to see if he is guilty. He also goes to the graveyard with Hamlet.- He is the only main character in the play to survive
Where does Horatio go to University? Horatio also studies at the University of Wittenberg with Prince Hamlet.
Marcellus and Barnardo Soldiers who first see the ghost of King Hamlet Sr. walking the ramparts of Elsinore and who summon Horatio to witness it. They are also Hamlet’s friend.- They swear to Hamlet that he will keep what he sees a secret.
Fortinbras The young Prince of Norway, whose father the king (also named Fortinbras) was killed by Prince Hamlet’s father King Hamlet Sr. – Fortinbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor. – Hamlet admires how Fortinbras acts to get revenge for his father.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern These two men are courtiers and old school friends of Hamlet.- Claudius asks them to spy on Hamlet to figure out why he has gone crazy- Hamlet realizes they are spying on him, rather than being his friends- They are sent to England with Hamlet, along with a letter from King Claudius instructing the King of England to kill Hamlet. – They are killed when Hamlet changes the instructions to read that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are to be killed instead.
Osrio The foolish courtier who summons Hamlet to his duel with Laertes. His speeches are pretentious and difficult to understand.
Reynaldo Polonius”s servant; He was sent to France by Polonius to check up on and spy on Laertes.
Francisco A soldier and guardsmen at Elsinore.
Denmark A country in Northern Europe
Voltimand and Cornelius These two men are courtiers whom Claudius sends to Norway to persuade the king to prevent Fortinbras from attacking.
July 24, 2019