The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark characters

Also known as Prince Hamlet

Appears from the start

The prince of Denmark, grieving for his dead father and disturbed by his mother's swift marriage to his uncle. A thoughtful student recently returned from Wittenberg, he distrusts the court's celebrations and remains preoccupied with mortality, loyalty, and the contrast between public appearance and private feeling.

Also known as King Claudius

Appears from the start

Hamlet's uncle, newly crowned king after the death of his brother and newly married to the widowed Queen Gertrude. He is a confident public ruler who balances mourning with celebration, manages foreign threats, and urges Hamlet to accept the new order.

Also known as Queen Gertrude

Appears from the start

Hamlet's mother, queen of Denmark, and widow of the former king. Her rapid marriage to Claudius wounds Hamlet deeply, though she hopes her son will stop mourning, remain at court, and accept her new husband as family.

Also known as The Ghost

Appears from the start

An armed apparition resembling Denmark's dead king, seen at night on the castle battlements. Its resemblance to Hamlet's father and its silence toward the watch suggest that some unresolved danger remains behind the recent royal death.

Appears from the start

Hamlet's trusted friend from Wittenberg. Rational and steady, he initially doubts reports of the apparition but confirms what he sees and brings Hamlet to the battlements, remaining a loyal witness when the prince's situation grows dangerous.

Appears from the start

A young noblewoman at court, daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes. She has received Hamlet's romantic attention, but her father and brother warn that a prince may not be free to choose his own wife and urge her to guard her reputation.

Appears from the start

The king's senior counsellor and father of Laertes and Ophelia. Fond of elaborate advice and confident in his own explanations, he watches his children's conduct closely and treats private relationships as matters to investigate and manage.

Appears from the start

Polonius's son and Ophelia's protective brother. Before returning to France, he warns Ophelia against relying on Hamlet's declarations and receives a long catalogue of advice from their father.

First appears in chapter 2

A former school companion of Hamlet invited to Elsinore by the king and queen. He arrives with Guildenstern under the appearance of friendship, while the royal couple expects the pair to discover the cause of Hamlet's changed behavior.

First appears in chapter 2

A former school companion of Hamlet who comes to court alongside Rosencrantz. His friendly visit also serves Claudius and Gertrude's effort to observe Hamlet and report what is troubling him.

Appears from the start

The prince of Norway, seeking to recover lands his father lost to Denmark. His military preparations concern Claudius at the opening of the play, making him a distant counterpart to Hamlet as another son living with a father's political legacy.

First appears in chapter 2

The leading performer in a visiting company known to Hamlet. He can summon intense emotion for an ancient story and readily adapts the troupe's planned court performance when Hamlet asks for additional material.

First appears in chapter 5

A cemetery worker preparing a grave while singing and joking about death. His practical familiarity with human remains gives Hamlet a stark encounter with how status, memory, and identity end in the same physical condition.