List of Characters in the play, by Holly

Prince Hamlet- The protagonist in this play.  He is the Prince of Denmark and detests the untimely marriage between his mother and uncle.  He is an intelligent young student enrolled in the University of Wittenberg.  Hamlet is a passionate and somewhat rash character who wants nothing more than to avenge his father's death by exposing Claudius as a murderer and killing him.

Claudius- The uncle of Prince Hamlet, husband of Gertrude and the present king of Denmark.  Claudius is the man responsible for his brother, the king's, death.  He is the antagonist and constantly battles against Hamlet's attempts to foil him and plots against the young prince to defend himself. 

Gertrude-Queen of Denmark, wife of Claudius and widow of King Hamlet.  It is unclear whether Gertrude was completely innocent or if she was aware of Claudius's plans to kill King Hamlet or even encouraged it, but The Ghost shoes no signs of resentment for her.  She is a loving towards Hamlet and even proves this by hiding her son’s mental state from Claudius.

The Ghost- Claims to be the former King of Denmark also named Hamlet.  He appears in the play and gives Prince Hamlet valuable information concerning Claudius and his own death.  There is answer to whether these encounters are real or whether it is truly the spirit of King Hamlet.

Polonious- Chief advisor to Claudius and the father of Laertes and Ophelia.  He is the man responsible for tarnishing Prince Hamlet and Ophelia’s love.  He is concerned with Hamlet’s temporary madness and is convinced it is because of his daughter.  He is also unsure of Hamlet’s intentions with Ophelia and commands her to end her relationship with him.  He is murdered by Hamlet after hiding behind an arras hanging tapestry and listening to Gertrude and Hamlet’s conversation.

Ophelia- Daughter of Polonius and Prince Hamlet's love interest.  Her father forbids their love and convinces Ophelia to end her affair.  She goes mad because of devastation sprouting from her father's death and Hamlet's mistreatment, and this madness causes her death, whether this death was suicidal or accidental in unclear.

Laertes-  The son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia.  Laertes is more of a minor role until the deaths of his family members come into play, which reveals Laertes as an assertive, passionate character.  He argues with a priest for being disrespectful to his dead sister’s funeral and   He is talented fencer and notorious degenerate.  He plots Prince Hamlet’s murder with the help of Claudius, a poison-tipped sword.  His plan back-fires and is murdered by Hamlet with that same sword.

Horatio:  A good friend of Prince Hamlet.  He is the one truly trustworthy, good person throughout the play.  He proves his loyalty to Hamlet when Hamlet is nearing death.  Horatio declares he would end his life to spend his afterlife in heaven with him, but Hamlet assures him he must go on.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern-  Old friends of Prince Hamlet’s from Wittenberg who are naïve and senseless “sponges.”  Their purpose is to study Hamlet’s actions and report back to Claudius and Gertrude.  They betray Hamlet and are later murdered by him.   

Fortinbras-Prince of Norway.  Fortinbras seeks revenge on Denmark because his father, the former king of Norway, was murdered by King Hamlet.