Character Analysis

Hamlet:

Hamlet, the tragic hero of the play, newly educated at the Protestant village of Wittenberg, is the son of the late king Hamlet and queen Gertrude. A well-known literary character, Hamlet is extremely complex. He constantly evaluates his own actions and raises pertinent questions about vengeance, mortality, and religion. Caught in the liminal space between action and inaction and spurred on by his father’s ghost to seek revenge, Hamlet is lost between the realms of reality and fiction. Hamlet treats his lover Ophelia and mother Gertrude in contemptuous ways, but displays a playful attitude when around others. His nihilism and his ruminations over life, death, and purpose, which are expressed through his long soliloquies, make him one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters.

Hamlet is an enigma. There is no single way to interpret him. He represents both the old medieval world of absolute truth as well as the modern world of doubt, skepticism, and disbelief.

Claudius:

Claudius, the newly anointed king of Denmark, is Hamlet’s uncle who marries his mother after his father’s death. A tactful and clever politician, Claudius is blamed by the ghost for King Hamlet’s murder. Hamlet is furious with these developments, which makes Claudius regard Hamlet as a mad person. His confession comes at the end of a performance arranged by Hamlet. This scene adds another dimension of complexity to his character.

Gertrude:

Gertrude, one of the central characters of the play, is Hamlet’s mother who marries Claudius after her husband, King Hamlet, is killed. Her decision to marry Claudius is seen as an act of betrayal by Hamlet, who believes that his mother is loathsome and cunning. However, the audience must also consider that perhaps this might have been the only option available to aristocratic women after their husbands’ death. Throughout the play, she appears to genuinely care for Hamlet and hopes for his health to improve. Her death is caused by accidentally drinking the poisoned wine meant for Hamlet.

Polonius:

Ophelia’s father and a political counselor and advisor to Claudius, Polonius is constantly thinking of ways to be in the good books of the royal couple. He devises various plans to spy on Hamlet to learn the truth behind his “madness.” Polonius’ servitude is detestable to Hamlet. Polonius is unknowingly killed by Hamlet when he hides behind a tapestry trying to eavesdrop on Hamlet’s conversation with Gertrude. His perception of himself as a devoted and loyal subject is in contrast with the audience’s view of him as conniving and slimy.

Ophelia:

Gertrude and Ophelia are the two important female characters in Hamlet. Ophelia is Hamlet’s lover and Polonius’ daughter. Ophelia’s father and brother are not happy with her engagement with Hamlet and ask her to reject his suit. Being dutiful and respectful, she agrees to their demands, making Hamlet more unstable. Hamlet murders her father and continues to abuse her, which leads to her suicide. She is unable to reconcile the two worlds she inhabits and, therefore, chooses to end her life. Ironically, in choosing to end her life she seems to have more agency than Hamlet, who only contemplates suicide and is unable to act on it.

Ghost:

Hamlet believes this supernatural ghost-like presence to be his recently murdered father who has come to blame Claudius for his death and urge Hamlet to seek revenge. Scholars are divided on the real identity or the purpose of the ghost; some argue that it might be a spirit from hell, whereas others suggest that it is in fact Hamlet’s father from heaven demanding justice. Other scholars argue that it could be an illusion conjured up by Hamlet’s mind. The Ghost speaks of being stuck in a limbo in the afterlife, which mirrors Hamlet’s struggles to reconcile action and inaction. The Ghost is seen by other minor characters throughout the play, but not by Gertrude even though it is visible to Hamlet in the same scene.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:

A pair of Hamlet’s school friends, their identities seem interchangeable. Claudius asks them to visit Elsinore in order to meet Hamlet and possibly determine the likely cause of his madness. They confess to Hamlet that they worry of being used as spies. In his strange state, Hamlet, by forging Claudius’ signature, orders the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet sees them as gullible men; he thinks they are no more than “sponges.”

Laertes:

Laertes is Ophelia’s brother and Polonius’ son. A university student in France, he is involved in the events at the court and is concerned about how they might affect his family’s honor. It is due to this obsession with family honor that he opposes Ophelia’s relationship with Hamlet. Unlike Hamlet, who is a thinker, Laertes believes in taking action. He decides to attack Hamlet by taking help from Claudius to avenge his father’s and sister’s deaths. In his feud with Hamlet, Laertes uses a poison-tipped sword, but is fatally wounded by the poison as the swords get exchanged. Before his death, he is able to look through Claudius’ devious plans and forgives Hamlet.

Horatio:

Horatio is Hamlet’s closest confidant; he is privy to Hamlet’s feelings and thoughts. Horatio supports all of Hamlet’s decisions, including his call to avenge his father’s murder. However, as Hamlet descends into inaction, the stoic Horatio becomes reluctant and tries to dissuade him from dueling Laertes. Later, when Horatio attempts to end his life due to Hamlet’s impending death, Hamlet stops him and asks him to continue to love and document his (Hamlet’s) story for posterity. Thus, Horatio, during Hamlet’s last breath, is given the responsibility of documenting Hamlet’s life and the circumstances leading up to his death.

Fortinbras:

Fortinbras, the young prince of Norway, steadily plans to conquer foreign lands and avenge his father’s death at the hands of Hamlet’s father. We do not see the character on stage, but the audience can infer that he, unlike Hamlet, is a man of action. He takes charge of Denmark at the end of the play.

Yorick:

Yorick is an ex-court-jester whose skull is exhumed by a group of gravediggers. Hamlet expresses his fondness for the late jester by calling him “a fellow of the infinite jest.” In custody of the skull, Hamlet cradles and plays with it, highlighting the play’s main themes: death, darkness, and absurdity of life.

Osric:

Osric is an inexperienced courtier who lacks court etiquette. He delivers the news about the fencing challenge to Hamlet.

Gravedigger:

The gravedigger provides comic relief in the play; he also mirrors Hamlet’s sarcasm and outlook toward life. The gravedigger’s character also serves as a reminder of human mortality.

The Players:

The Players are professional actors hired by Hamlet from out of town to enact the story Hamlet had heard from his father’s ghost. To ascertain whether the ghost had told him the truth, Hamlet keenly observes the reactions of Claudius and his mother during the play.