SmartPass Audio Education Study Guide to Hamlet (Dramatised) characters

First appears in chapter 2

The prince of Denmark, recalled from university after his father's death. He is grieving, intellectually restless, and disgusted by his mother’s rapid marriage to his uncle Claudius. His uncertainty about the court deepens when Horatio tells him that a figure resembling the dead king has appeared on the battlements.

Also known as The Ghost

Appears from the start

A silent apparition in armor resembling Denmark's recently dead king. It appears to the night watch and Horatio outside Elsinore, creating uncertainty over whether it brings a warning, a temptation, or unfinished business.

First appears in chapter 2

The new king of Denmark and Hamlet's uncle. He has married the widowed Queen Gertrude soon after his brother's death and presents the union as a practical way to steady the country while managing a threat from Norway.

First appears in chapter 2

The queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother, and now Claudius's wife. She wants Hamlet to set aside prolonged mourning and remain at court, apparently hoping the new royal household can restore stability.

Appears from the start

Hamlet's trusted friend from university. Level-headed and cautious about supernatural claims, he nevertheless accepts the evidence of his own eyes and brings news of the apparition to Hamlet.

First appears in chapter 2

The king's senior adviser and father of Laertes and Ophelia. He is talkative, confident in his worldly judgment, and strongly inclined to supervise his children's choices.

First appears in chapter 3

Polonius's daughter, who has received Hamlet's romantic attention. She is affectionate toward her brother Laertes but constrained by the warnings and commands of the men in her family.

First appears in chapter 2

Polonius's son and Ophelia's brother, preparing to return to France. Protective of Ophelia and confident in courtly conventions, he cautions her against trusting Hamlet's declarations of love.

First appears in chapter 7

A childhood acquaintance of Hamlet summoned to Elsinore with Guildenstern. The king and queen ask him to spend time with the prince and discover the cause of his altered behavior.

First appears in chapter 7

A childhood acquaintance of Hamlet summoned alongside Rosencrantz. He accepts the royal couple's request to observe Hamlet and report what may be troubling him.

First appears in chapter 2

A Norwegian prince whose attempt to recover disputed lands concerns the Danish court. Though initially known through reports rather than direct contact, his disciplined military purpose contrasts with the uncertainty inside Elsinore.

Also known as First Gravedigger

First appears in chapter 19

A cemetery worker preparing Ophelia's grave. He treats death as familiar labor and matches Hamlet's questions with literal answers, riddles, and practical observations about the dead.