Hamlet

Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark, a thoughtful university student called home to Elsinore Castle after his father's sudden death. He is brilliant, funny, and deeply unhappy — quick with wordplay one moment and lost in grief the next. As the story opens he is the only person at court still openly mourning, and he cannot understand why everyone else has moved on so quickly.

Claudius is the newly crowned King of Denmark, brother to the late king and now, by marriage to the widowed queen, Hamlet's stepfather as well as his uncle. He is a smooth and capable ruler — warm in public, skilled at handling ambassadors, and eager to be seen as generous. He would very much like his nephew to stop grieving and start behaving like a son.

Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark and Hamlet's mother, recently widowed and now married to her late husband's brother. She loves her son sincerely and worries about him constantly, though she cannot see why he will not simply cheer up. Warm, peace-loving, and eager for the household to be happy, she avoids conflict wherever she can.

Ophelia is the daughter of the king's chief counsellor and the younger sister of Laertes. Gentle, obedient, and well-liked at court, she has been receiving letters and attentions from Prince Hamlet — something both her father and her brother have opinions about. She is used to being told what to think by the men in her family.

Polonius is the chief counsellor to the King of Denmark and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. He is proud of his long service, certain of his own cleverness, and physically incapable of making a short speech. He means well by his children, though his idea of good parenting involves a great deal of advice and a certain amount of spying.

Horatio is Hamlet's friend and fellow student from the university at Wittenberg, visiting Elsinore at the time the story begins. Level-headed, honest, and rational, he is the sort of person who asks for evidence before he believes anything. He has no wealth and no ambition at court, which is exactly why Hamlet trusts him.

Laertes is the son of Polonius and the older brother of Ophelia, about to return to his studies in France. He is hot-tempered, proud, and fiercely protective of his sister. He is a skilled fencer and more of a man of action than of long thought.

The Ghost appears on the battlements of Elsinore in the likeness of the dead King Hamlet, the prince's father. The night-watch have seen him walking in full armor, silent and kingly. Hamlet has not yet spoken with him when the play begins, but the rumor of his appearance has already unsettled the castle.

Rosencrantz is one of two old schoolfellows of Hamlet who are invited to Elsinore by the new king. He is sociable, adaptable, and happy to be useful to people in power. He arrives with Guildenstern, and the two are rarely seen apart.

Guildenstern is Rosencrantz's inseparable companion and the quieter of Hamlet's two old friends. He is more cautious and more ambitious than he lets on. Together they have been asked to visit the prince and cheer him.

Fortinbras is the nephew of the King of Norway and the son of the elder Fortinbras, who once fought Hamlet's father. He is restless, martial, and eager to recover honor for his house. His name is spoken at Elsinore before he himself appears.

Marcellus is an officer of the guard at Elsinore, honest, superstitious, and loyal to the old king's memory. He has seen the Ghost on the battlements and wants the scholar Horatio to witness it too. He is a practical man who does not like mysteries on his watch.

The Gravedigger is a sexton of the parish, a man who has spent his working life among bones and earth. He is cheerful, argumentative, and fond of riddles. He treats death as a trade, not a tragedy.