One of only two female characters in the play along with ophelia, gertrude s arc throughout the drama is perhaps most representative of the theme of women. He changes from a peaceful young man to a bloodthisty man. Hamlet, prince of denmark the crown prince of denmark who returns from the university in wittenberg, germany, to find his father dead, his mother married to the kings brother claudius, and claudius newly selfcrowned king. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Dramatis personae please see shakespeares characters. He asks horatio to watch claudius reaction throughout the play. But the characters famous hesitationhis reluctance or unreadiness to avenge his fathers murderis central and peculiar to shakespeares. Hamlet son to the late, and nephew to the present king. A councilor, or advisor, to claudius, and the father of ophelia and laertes.
The characters themes in hamlet english literature essay. Shakespeares characters have diverse multiple personalities. Hamlet is described as mad by many characters, but is the madness real or just pretend. Jul 17, 2007 enotes video study guide for hamlet characters. Start a free trial of quizlet plus by thanksgiving lock in 50% off all year try it free. In many ways he does good, but flaws in his character cause him to lead a tragic life and make bad decisions.
It seems from hamlets many soliloquies that he is of basically sound mind, but is confused. Gertrude marries her brotherinlaw, claudius, very shortly after the death of her husbandan action perceived as cruel, obscene, lustful, and opportunistic by her son. Here kenneth branagh performs the definitve hamlet speech from act 3. When the rumour spreads that fortinbras is planning to invade denmark, both voltimand and cornelius are quickly sent to speak with the king of norway to discuss the possibility of war. A drama that doesnt skirt away from tough realities. In the original version of the play the crackwalker was a first nations man, drunk or high on drugs, known to all the characters from the streets. Gary buseys one man hamlet as performed by david carl, before. Hamlet and his father share a name as do fortinbras and his father. He is the prince of denmark, nephew to the usurping claudius, and son of king hamlet, the previous king of denmark. Gertrude marries her brotherinlaw, claudius, very shortly after the death of her husbandan action perceived as cruel, obscene, lustful, and opportunistic by her son, hamlet. The ghost of old hamlet charges him with the task of killing his uncle, claudius, for killing him and usurping the throne of denmark.
May 14, 2017 hamlet is repeatedly described as transformed and described by several characters as being previously a passionate scholar at wittenberg, logic dictates if his state of mind changed from external events of his fathers death and uncles usurpation then it can once again change in the future. He is the prince, the son to king hamlet and gertrude, and the nephew of claudius. Join a live hosted trivia game for your favorite pub trivia experience done virtually. Hamlets delay is what separates the play from other revenge tragedies. Hamlet is repeatedly described as transformed and described by several characters as being previously a passionate scholar at wittenberg, logic dictates if his state of mind changed from external events of his fathers death and uncles usurpation then it can once again change in the future. Introduction to the characters in hamlet shakespeare online.
He is depressed, bitter, and full of hatred all because of his uncle, claudius. The two main characters, hamlet and king claudius have colorful attributes. Character list for hamlet from the folger shakespeare library. Hamlets major antagonist is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Hamlet is a complex character with multiple character traits that lead him through his many confusing and often conflicting actions throughout the play. The old king hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but claudius is a corrupt politician whose main. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. View of spatial metaphor in the plays of judith thompson theatre. An overview of the characters and cast of the 2009 tv adaptation of the royal shakespeare company production with david tennant. All metaphors which stress the spatial character of human activities can find fruitful.
If a virtual private party is more your thing, go here for details. Polonius is a verbose, faltering old man whose servile devotion to claudius renders him slimy, untrustworthy, and pathetic in the read full character analysis polonius s daughter, laertes sister, and hamlet s. Hamlet, son to the late, and nephew to the present king. Hamlet the unlike characters of gertrude and ophelia the shakespearean tragedy hamlet features two ladies who are very unlike in character.
He has married his dead brothers widow, queen gertrude. William shakespeares hamlet follows the young prince hamlet home to denmark to attend his fathers funeral. In shakespeares hamlet, for instance, laertes serves as a foil to hamlet. There is always more to him than the other characters in the play can figure out. Hamlet character list hamlet the prince of denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. Shakespeare has developed a character whose conflicts of interest and personality traits combine to lead him through actions that eventually led. This would be a person who was considered noble or respectable that eventually falls from grace. Prince hamlet is the title role and protagonist of william shakespeares c. The facades that each character assumes are all essential to the intricate deception and insanity that is constantly present in hamlet. Although ophelia in hamlet is one of the least fullyrealised female characters in shakespeare she is probably the most interesting and relevant regarding current gender relations. Hamlet s delay is what separates the play from other revenge tragedies.
Hamlet character list kenton county school district. Characters hamlet hamlet has fascinated audiences and readers for centuries, and the first thing to point out about him is that he is enigmatic. Claudius, king of denmark dead king hamlet s brother who has usurped the throne and married his sister in law. Hamlet is as little of the hero as a man can well be. Whereas most of the other important men in hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. The play, originally written in 1967 and starring brian murray from last seasons a song at twilight. The language of crackwalker, hurls its lower depth characters. Hamlet could be, at heart, a brutal misogynist, terrified of love because he is terrified of women. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncles scheming and. Im the one whos always willing to help my friends, keeping them ground. Queen gertrude, denounced by the ghost as faithless to king hamlet, is pictured as evil by many, while ophelia is seen as pure and obedient and full of good virtues.
Hamlet characters analysis features noted shakespeare scholar william hazlitts famous critical essay about the characters of hamlet this is that hamlet the dane, whom we read of in our youth, and whom we may be said almost to remember in our afteryears. Hamlet, central character in william shakespeares hamlet. Hamlet s mother, claudius s wife, and the queen of denmark. Introduction to the characters in hamlet hamlet although hamlet himself desires to see claudius pay for his crime, he realizes the evil in the deed of killing the king, prompted by both heaven and hell ii.
Please see introduction to the characters in hamlet for analysis and fascinating facts. Hamlet, claudius, gertrude, polonius, horatio, ophelia, laertes, fortinbras, the. Jun 04, 2014 in the hamlet interpretation starring mel gibson as hamlet a normal age as hamlet is 30 in the text, interesting conclusions can be made from the analysis of the characters. The characters problematic nature has lent itself to innumerable interpretations by actors and critics.
It might be hard for many of us in the modern world to connect with some of shakespeares characters, especially renaissance royalty. Cast as the title character in a nontraditional version of hamlet, blandy finds. The only character with a true face is horatio, hamlets close friend. Indeed, they made my mind wander off to the former mayor rob ford and some of the. Teresa is sexy, seductive, and mentally challenged. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncles scheming and disgust for his mothers. The play, originally written in 1967 and starring brian murray from last seasons a song at twilight, was released as a motion picture in 1990. The costume of the character in hamlet play slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. About thirty years old at the start of the play, hamlet is the son of queen gertrude and the late king hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, claudius. Get free homework help on william shakespeares hamlet.
Hamlet and fortinbras both have plans that are thwarted by uncles that are also kings. A troupe of players happens to be in town and hamlet utilizes the actors to determine the validity of his fathers murder. The characters are deeply suspicious of one another, as it becomes clear that the king may have been murderedand by his brother claudius no less. His complexities have made him a character for many others authors through the centuries. Even the characters of joe and alan are not villains.
Gertrude marries her brotherinlaw, claudius, very shortly after the death of her husbandan action perceived as. The value of watching different interpretations is that it can give different perspectives of the same text, perhaps seeing things that others did not catch. Hamlet, his father, bernardo, marcellus, francisco, fortinbras and several other characters are all soldiers. He murdered the latter out of love or lust for gertrude and the crown. Maybe the best way to get hold of it is to consider it a kind of truncated hamlet. He distrusts the marriage between his mother and his uncle, which ultimately creates a distrust of women in general. Hamlet character scrapbook by adelene buchanan on prezi. At the beginning of the play, he struggles with whether, and how, to avenge the murder of his father, and struggles with his own sanity along the way. Another play on words, nunnery, in this instance, symbolizes both sexual abstinence and sexual perversity. Hamlet is full of contradictions, inconsistencies, and uncertainties just like the rest of the world at the time. Hamlet, rosencrantz, guildenstern, osric and polonius are all courtiers. At a time when western women struggle to establish their position in this part of the 21st century, ophelia speaks quite directly to our generation of their plight, which still has not been resolved. The ghost has placed hamlet in a most unnatural position by asking him to commit murder. Hamlet is disgusted by the marriage of his newly widowed mother, queen gertrude, to his uncle, king hamlets brother, claudius, who now has the throne.
In the end, though, the resolution of each revenge plot highlights the inadequacy of revenge. Most of the characters in hamlet are citizens of denmark and members of the royal court, reeling after the death of their king. Hamlet is one of, if not, the most complex character shakespeare had ever created. Hamlets story was centuries old at the time that shakespeare wrote hamlet, about 15991601. King is the murderer and royal successor of hamlets father and husband of his victims widow, queen gertrude, hamlets mother. Play sporcle s virtual live trivia to have fun, connect with people, and get your trivia on. Three different early versions of the play survive. Hamlet the prince of denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. Two minor characters from hamlet, rosencrantz and guildenstern, tell the tragic tale from their own perspective in tom stoppards rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead. Character list for hamlet from the folger shakespeare library edition characters in the play the ghost hamlet, prince of denmark, son of the late king hamlet and queen gertrude queen gertrude, widow of king hamlet, now married to claudius king claudius, brother to the late king hamlet ophelia laertes, her brother.
Both hamlet and holden caulfield from catcher in the rye are famously indecisive, and that drives some reade. Hamlet is a moody, theatrical, witty, brilliant young man, perpetually fascinated and tormented by doubts and introspection. A deep and melancholic thinker, hamlet is ever contemplating philosophical questions about life, truth, and the motives of others. Im going to say horatio, since i see so much of myself in him. Hamlet scrapbook voltimand and cornelius votimand and cornelius are caudius ambassadors. Devastated by his fathers death, he had nevertheless hoped to succeed him, only to see his uncle claudius both be chosen as king and marry his mother. One of only two female characters in the play along with ophelia, gertrudes arc throughout the drama is perhaps most representative of the theme of women. The character of hamlet goes through several psychological changes throughout the course of the play, hamlet. In an ideal world, no character in william shakespeares play hamlet should have died, with the possible exception of claudius, and ideally even claudius would have confessed his crime. Cast of characters hamlet william shakespeare lit2go etc. In the hamlet interpretation starring mel gibson as hamlet a normal age as hamlet is 30 in the text, interesting conclusions can be made from the analysis of the characters. David likes to play music, do impressions and play characters in his standup, and. Claudius married hamlets mother right after his fathers death.
Some people believe hamlet is, in some ways, a retelling of oedipus the king by sophocles. Hamlet corresponds to the figure of amleth, whose story is narrated in the gesta danorum, saxo grammaticuss late 12thcentury history of denmark. What follows is an overview of the main characters in william shakespeares hamlet, followed by a list and summary of the minor characters from the play. Hamlet deals with three revenge plots, all of which involve a son seeking vengeance for the death of a father. The crackwalker, judith thompsons first play, was first produced at theatre. Claudius is old hamlets brother, uncle to hamlet, and the present king of denmark. Hamlet is the main character from william shakespeares play hamlet. Hes trying to be a good king for denmark and a good father to hamlet, but hes got a secret to hide. See below for a full list of all characters in hamlet. Hamlet is a moody, theatrical, witty, brilliant young man, perpetually fascinated and tormented by. Which of the characters in william shakespeares hamlet. Voltimand, cornelius, rosencrantz, guildenstern, osric courtiers. Character list for hamlet from the folger shakespeare.
Claudius, king of denmark hamlet, son to the late, and nephew to the present king polonius, lord chamberlain horatio, friend to hamlet laertes, son to polonius. Review the crackwalker factory theatre, toronto christopher. The son of old hamlet and gertrude, thus prince of denmark. He will have them perform the very act of murder, killing a king through poison in the ear, which the ghost has claimed. Hamlet is shocked to find his mother already remarried to his uncle claudius, the dead kings. He verbally abuses ophelia, using sexual innuendo and derision, and he encourages her to get to a nunnery. The main characters in hamlet are prince hamlet, the deceased king hamlet, claudius, gertrude, ophelia, polonius, laertes, and horatio hamlet is the prince of denmark. Hamlets character transformation death to fanatics. Polonius is a verbose, faltering old man whose servile devotion to claudius renders him slimy, untrustworthy, and pathetic in the read full character analysis polonius s daughter, laertes sister, and hamlet s lover. List of characters from hamlet by william shakespeare. Character list for hamlet from the folger shakespeare library edition characters in the play the ghost hamlet, prince of denmark, son of the late king hamlet and queen gertrude queen gertrude, widow of king hamlet, now married to claudius king claudius, brother to the late king hamlet ophelia. I love all the characters in their own way, so itd be hard to pick a favorite.
New characters and hamlet evolution of hamlet hamlets role in the play was that of a tragic hero. New characters and hamlet evolution of hamlet hamlet s role in the play was that of a tragic hero. Seemingly going through mental torment and psychological trials and tribulations, to uncover the truth of. Shortly thereafter, a ghost has appeared to guards on nightly watch as well as hamlets good friend, horatio, who thinks the spirit has a likeness to the former king hamlet.
267 439 1293 832 1445 380 707 37 1351 101 240 733 383 1427 1144 941 1263 973 1172 712 1541 979 535 824 29 1149 245 763 1221 505 256