The Tragedy of Hamlet Character List
(SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Hamlet.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2007.
Web. 1 Feb. 2012.)
Hamlet - The Prince of Denmark, the title
character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play,
Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of
the present king, Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of
hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s sexuality. A
reflective and thoughtful young man who has studied at the University of
Wittenberg, Hamlet is often indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to
rash and impulsive acts.
Claudius - The King of Denmark, Hamlet’s
uncle, and the play’s antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a
calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust
for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love
for Gertrude, for instance, seems
sincere.
Gertrude - The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s
mother, recently married to Claudius. Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a
shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral
rectitude or truth.
Polonius - The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s
court, a pompous, conniving old man. Polonius is the father of Laertes and
Ophelia.
Horatio - Hamlet’s close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in
Wittenberg. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After
Hamlet’s death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story.
Ophelia - Polonius’s daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in
love. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl, who obeys her father and her
brother, Laertes. Dependent on men to tell her how to behave, she gives in to
Polonius’s schemes to spy on Hamlet. Even in her lapse into madness and death,
she remains maidenly, singing songs about flowers and finally drowning in the
river amid the flower garlands she had gathered.
Fortinbras - The young Prince of Norway, whose father the king (also named
Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet’s father (also named Hamlet). Now Fortinbras
wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor, making him another foil
for Prince Hamlet.
The Ghost - The specter of Hamlet’s recently deceased father. The ghost, who
claims to have been murdered by Claudius, calls upon Hamlet to avenge him.
However, it is not entirely certain whether the ghost is what it appears to be,
or whether it is something else. Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be a
devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder, and the question of what
the ghost is or where it comes from is never definitively resolved.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - Two slightly bumbling
courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by
Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior.
Osric - The foolish courtier who summons Hamlet to his duel with Laertes.
Voltimand and Cornelius - Courtiers whom Claudius sends to
Norway to persuade the king to prevent Fortinbras from attacking.
Marcellus and Bernardo - The officers who first see the
ghost walking the ramparts of Elsinore and who summon Horatio to witness it.
Marcellus is present when Hamlet first encounters the ghost.
Francisco - A soldier and guardsman at Elsinore.
Reynaldo - Polonius’s servant, who is sent to France by Polonius to check up on
and spy on Laertes.
Web. 1 Feb. 2012.)
Hamlet - The Prince of Denmark, the title
character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play,
Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of
the present king, Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of
hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s sexuality. A
reflective and thoughtful young man who has studied at the University of
Wittenberg, Hamlet is often indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to
rash and impulsive acts.
Claudius - The King of Denmark, Hamlet’s
uncle, and the play’s antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a
calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust
for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love
for Gertrude, for instance, seems
sincere.
Gertrude - The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s
mother, recently married to Claudius. Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a
shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral
rectitude or truth.
Polonius - The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s
court, a pompous, conniving old man. Polonius is the father of Laertes and
Ophelia.
Horatio - Hamlet’s close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in
Wittenberg. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After
Hamlet’s death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story.
Ophelia - Polonius’s daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in
love. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl, who obeys her father and her
brother, Laertes. Dependent on men to tell her how to behave, she gives in to
Polonius’s schemes to spy on Hamlet. Even in her lapse into madness and death,
she remains maidenly, singing songs about flowers and finally drowning in the
river amid the flower garlands she had gathered.
Fortinbras - The young Prince of Norway, whose father the king (also named
Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet’s father (also named Hamlet). Now Fortinbras
wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor, making him another foil
for Prince Hamlet.
The Ghost - The specter of Hamlet’s recently deceased father. The ghost, who
claims to have been murdered by Claudius, calls upon Hamlet to avenge him.
However, it is not entirely certain whether the ghost is what it appears to be,
or whether it is something else. Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be a
devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder, and the question of what
the ghost is or where it comes from is never definitively resolved.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - Two slightly bumbling
courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by
Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior.
Osric - The foolish courtier who summons Hamlet to his duel with Laertes.
Voltimand and Cornelius - Courtiers whom Claudius sends to
Norway to persuade the king to prevent Fortinbras from attacking.
Marcellus and Bernardo - The officers who first see the
ghost walking the ramparts of Elsinore and who summon Horatio to witness it.
Marcellus is present when Hamlet first encounters the ghost.
Francisco - A soldier and guardsman at Elsinore.
Reynaldo - Polonius’s servant, who is sent to France by Polonius to check up on
and spy on Laertes.