Major Character Chart
• Hamlet,
Prince of Denmark, the title character, is the son of the late King, also named
Hamlet. He is just back from Wittenberg, where he was a sometime student at the
university.
• Claudius,
King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle. He succeeded to the throne upon the death
of his brother, the old King Hamlet. He also, in short order, married Gertrude, his brother's
widow, Hamlet’s mother. He is revealed to be the killer of King Hamlet.
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother widowed by King Hamlet's death, she
rather too quickly wedded Claudius. In Shakespeare's England, marriage to the brother of
one's deceased husband was considered incest by the Church.
• Ghost
appearing to be Hamlet's father, the former king may be an evil spirit. The old king
has died recently, so his spirit, while suffering in Purgatory, could be walking at night, vexed
and vengeful.
• Polonius,
counsellor to the king is Claudius's chief advisor and father to Ophelia and
Laertes. He is old, and often humorously played as fatuous (unintelligent) and longwinded.
• Laertes,
son of Polonius is a young aristocrat, who has been living in Paris and comes
home for the coronation of Claudius. "Laertes" is the name of Odysseus's father in Homer's
epics.
• Ophelia,
daughter of Polonius. She and Hamlet have had a romance, although whether
it was mainly in the form of letters, gifts, and significant looks, or had advanced further, is
not clear. She is later driven mad by her father's death.
• Horatio,
Hamlet's friend and fellow-student from Wittenberg. Apparently a Dane, he had
come to Elsinore for old Hamlet's funeral and has stayed on. He is viewed as a "scholar",
and converses easily with almost everyone in the court, from the guards to the royals.
Horatio is the only character with whom Hamlet converses freely for the majority of the
play.
• Rosencrantz,
Guildenstern, former schoolfellows of Hamlet. If they knew him at university,
it must have been a while ago, as they seem not to know Horatio, recently from
Wittenberg. Both their names were extant in Denmark at the time Shakespeare composed
Hamlet, so he could have obtained them from a number of sources.
• Fortinbras,
Prince of Norway. He is the son of King Fortinbras, who was killed in battle by
Hamlet's father, so he, too, has vengeance on his mind. His firm and decisive action
contrasts with Hamlet's procrastination. His name means "strong arm".
• Osric
is a courtier, "full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse," who referees the sword fight
between Hamlet and Laertes.
FAMOUS QUOTES
Something is rotten in the state of
Denmark.
I must hold my tongue.
Frailty, thy name is woman.
My words fly up, my thoughts remain
below. Words without thoughts never to
heaven go.
Do you think I am easier to be played on
than a pipe?
Thrift, thrift, Horatio.
I will speak daggers to her, but use none.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
Alas, poor yorick! I knew him, Horatio.
This above all – to thine own self be true.
There are more things in heaven and
earth, Horatio, then are dreamt of in your
philosophy.
Words, words, words.
The cat will mew, and dog will have his
day.
A hit! A very palpable hit!
Good-night, sweet prince, and flights of
angels sing thee to thy rest.
Brevity is the soul of wit.
Thou this be madness, yet there is method
in’t.
Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove
unkind.
To hold, as t’were, the mirror up to nature.
What a piece of work is a man.
I could be bounded in a nutshell, and
count myself a king of infinite space, were
it not that I have bad dreams.
The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the
conscience of the king.
There is nothing either good or bad, but
thinking makes it so.
All that lives must die, passing through
nature to eternity.
To be or not to be – that is the question.
There’s rosemary, that’s for
remembrance...and there is pansies,
that’s for thoughts.
Get thee to a nunnery.
A little more than kin, and less than kind.
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
I am but mad north-north-west. When the
wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a
handsaw.
My offence is rank, it smells to heaven.
The rest is silence.
Hamlet Act 1
All the major characters of Hamlet emerge in the first act. As you read act 1, focus on Hamlet’s
developing relationships with the characters listed below. In each box state the relationship between
Prince Hamlet and the character named and then describe the feelings that the prince has toward
that character.
King Hamlet
Claudius
Gertrude
relationship:
father
feelings: grief
respect
loyalty
Prince Hamlet
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Ophelia
Horatio
Scene Summary
(Write in a summary in your own words)
Scene 1
Write down any important Quotes/ Themes/ Imagery
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Theme= An
issue or idea
that keeps
coming up in
the play
Scene 5
Imagery = A word picture/ visual nature of language
The term 'imagery' refers to the visual nature of language. Shakespeare is famous for his imagery his use of
language to paint mental pictures. He faced the limitations imposed by the stagecraft of the Elizabethan stage,
by conjuring up other worlds through his language.
Famous Shakespearean imagery:
Animals, light and dark, heaven and hell, nature, eyes, ghosts (supernatural) and graveyards,
Consider these questions:
1. Have you ever had a friend or family member betray you? Did you trust them again? How did you communicate after
2.
the fact?
Is it possible to earn trust back once it has been lost? Why or why not? Reflect on a time that you had to earn
someone’s trust back, or that someone tried to regain your trust.
What? Why? How?
1. What reasons do Laertes and Polonius give for their command to Ophelia to stop seeing
Hamlet ? Are they reasonable?
2. What country is Horatio from? What makes it difficult to decide?
3. What similarities are there in the thoughts contained in each of the soliloquies in this act? (In I.ii.
after Claudius and the court leave and in Act I.Scene v. after the ghost leaves)
4. The first scene could be (and has been) cut without damaging the plot. For what reasons would
you wish to include it in a performance?
5. In what ways is the language spoken by the apparition different to the normal language of the
play?
6. What signs are we given of a potential for madness on Hamlet's part?
7. How does Claudius attempt to establish his popularity in the second scene?
8. How can we tell Denmark is a Catholic country? Find TWO references which help to suggest this.
9. How did Old Hamlet tackle foreign policy, and how does this contrast with Claudius?
10. What does Hamlet believe about his father's death before he meets the apparition?
11. What does Hamlet learn from the Ghost's speech?
12. What is "rotten in the state of Denmark," as Marcellus tells us? What do we learn about the
situation in Scene I? In Scene II?
Stagecraft
1. How does Shakespeare create tension in the first scene? How does he surprise us? How does he
mislead us?
2. How does Shakespeare invite us to compare and contrast Hamlet with Laertes and Fortinbras?
3. How does Shakespeare create tension in the second scene?
Imagery and Symbolism
1. Find TWO references to disease or decay.
2. In what ways is Scene II a contrast to Scene I? What do we learn about Gertrude, Claudius,
and Hamlet in this scene?
3. What is the function of the Polonius-Ophelia-Laertes family in this play? What parallels exist
between their situation and that of the ruling family?
Themes
1. The ghost comes in 'questionable shape'. Find THREE references to the idea that it may not be
what it seems.
2. Find THREE other references to characters not being what they seem.
3. The prince must decide whether and how to act according to his dead father's wishes. Find
THREE references to remembering or forgetting.
4. The play suggests that our lives may be controlled by a divine power. Find THREE references to
Fate or Providence.
Scene Summary
(Write in a summary in your own words)
Write down any important Quotes/ Themes/ Imagery
Scene 1
Scene 2
Altogether, Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, including comedies, tragedies, and histories. He also wrote
more than 150 sonnets, establishing himself as one of the greatest lyric poets of his era. Shakespeare’s many
plays and poems reveal his talents as a writer and his keen understanding of human nature. The personalities of
his main characters are often complex, revealing the ambiguities and personal conflicts found in all of us. (T H E G
L E N C O E L I T E R A T U R E L I B R A R Y)
BACKGROUND
Did You Know?
When Hamlet meets with the acting troupe that visits Elsinore Castle, he asks a player to give a speech
about the death of King Priam, a figure in Greek mythology. In this speech the player describes the brutal
murder of King Priam at the hands of Pyrrhus, witnessed by Priam’s wife, Hecuba. Priam was the last ruler of
Troy, a city conquered by forces from mainland Greece at the end of the legendary Trojan War. Pyrrhus led
the final attack on Troy to avenge the death of his father, Achilles, who was killed by one of Priam’s sons.
Appearance and Reality
The troupe of actors in act 2 will play an important role in Hamlet’s pursuit of revenge. Shakespeare’s use of
the actors reflects one of the play’s important themes—appearance versus reality. Like the actors,
Shakespeare’s main characters do not always present honest images of themselves to the world. This
includes Hamlet, who is obsessed with finding truth but who hides his own true feelings and intentions.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
commission n. order
firmament n. sky
malefaction n. evil deed; crime
pestilent adj. destructive; deadly
promontory n. high land jutting into the sea
sovereign adj. supreme in power
The tone of a work of literature reflects
a writer’s attitude toward his or her
subject. How does the tone of act 2
compare to the tone of act 1?
tedious adj. dull and lifeless
In act 2 many of Shakespeare’s characters are hatching secret plots to expose the motives and true feelings of
other characters. As you read, complete the chart below by filling in a description of each scheme or plot and its
desired effect. Use as many boxes as you need.
What? Why? How?
1. In what ways is the Pyrrhus character similar to Hamlet and to Claudius?
2. How might the answer to (1) above help to explain Hamlet's desire to be reminded of this
speech 'in particular'?
3. How does the interaction between Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern help to
explain what's wrong with Hamlet? Why are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Denmark?
4. How might we connect the content of Hamlet's supposedly crazy remarks to Polonius to
what the prince is actually feeling?
5. Name FIVE different characteristics of Polonius that can be proven on the basis of this act.
6. Why might one suspect that Hamlet's theory that the ghost may be devil is not what has
actually stopped him from taking action?
7. What reasons for not acting are suggested by Hamlet himself?
8. What different types of madness do we see in Hamlet during this act?
9. What do each of the main characters feel to be the cause of Hamlet's madness?
10. Why might we agree that Claudius is a good king?
11. How does the Polonius and Reynaldo scene in II.i. contribute to the effect of the play as a
whole?
12. The First Player's speech is often cut in performances of the play. Explain why it is important
and why it should not be cut.
13. Hamlet's "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I" is the first of his soliloquies. What is he
saying, and how does this set of words help to move him to action?
14. What does he decide to do at the end of this speech?
Imagery and Symbolism
1. Find TWO references to disease or decay.
Themes
1. Why does this act open with Polonius and Reynaldo? What does this tell us about Polonius's
character, and what theme or motif does it introduce in the play?
2. Who is acting a part in this act? In what ways?
3. 'The time is out of joint'. In what ways does Hamlet discover this to be the case during Act
Two?
4. Find THREE references to remembering or forgetting our feelings.
Scene Summary
(Write in a summary in your own words)
Scene 1
Write down any important Quotes/ Themes/ Imagery
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
The greatness of Shakespeare’s technique lies in the way he constructs this momentum
through intense action, rich language, and layer upon layer of metaphor and symbols. Like
many of Shakespeare’s tragic characters, Hamlet has an intensity that is revealed in his
complex range of emotions. The climax occurs not only in the outward events on stage, but
also, and perhaps more importantly, within the character of Hamlet himself.
What? Why? How?
1. What do Claudius and Polonius do in scene one, that Hamlet and Horatio do in scene two,
that Hamlet does in scene three and Polonius does in scene four?
2. In what respects is the 'Play Scene' (III.ii) a turning point in the play? How is this turn
compounded by Hamlet's actions in the 'Closet Scene' (III.iv)?
3. What does the fact that Hamlet's soliloquy in the 'Prayer Scene' (III.iii) was cut from
performances of the play for nearly 200 years tell us about Shakespeare's likely intentions in
writing this speech for the prince?
4. Does Claudius' soliloquy revise or compound your opinion of this character?
5. Hamlet is often thought to have a lot of soliloquies, though in actual fact, he has fewer than
6. Macbeth and around the same number as Othello, who are thought to be men of action
rather than meditation. How does the placing and subject of Hamlet's soliloquies in this act
encourage the idea of a meditative prince?
7. What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?
8. Why is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
9. 'I essentially am not in madness' says Hamlet (III.iv.188). Name four lines spoken by Hamlet in
this act which might make you doubt this.
10. Is Hamlet at his worst in scene three or scene four of this act?
11. What happens in the "play-within-a-play"? How do the speeches and actions reflect on
events in the kingdom of Denmark? How does the king respond?
12. In what way is Hamlet's second major interaction with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
(III.ii.375-415) different from his first encounter with them?
13. How do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to have become more immoral since their first
appearance in II.ii.?
14. For what reasons might you think that the Ghost in III.iv is an hallucination, and for what
reasons might you think it is real?
15. After III.ii., the next time we see Ophelia she is mad. How are the seeds for this planted in this
act?
16. Why does Hamlet decline to take action against Claudius in III.iii?
17. Based on what you've seen in III.iv, do you think Gertrude knew about the murder?
Stagecraft
1. Name three dramatic surprises in this act.
2. Name two sections which successfully create tension.
Language and Imagery
1. Find three references to disease or rottenness.
2. What happens in III.iv (the closet scene)? Why is this death so important for the play, or
what does the death of this figure represent?
Hamlet Act 3
The play reaches its climax, or turning point, in act 3. As you read this act, use the ovals below to record the events
leading up to the climax. Use as many ovals as you need.
Scene Summary
(Write in a summary in your own words)
Write down any important Quotes/ Themes/ Imagery
Scene 1 , 2&3
Scene 4,5
Scene 6-7
Tragic Heroes
The central character of a tragedy is a tragic hero, or a noble character who meets his or her death typically because of
a character defect or an error in judgment. The problem that causes a character’s downfall is called a fatal flaw. This
concept was first introduced by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in the Poetics. Aristotle referred to the flaw or error in
judgment that causes a hero’s suffering as hamartia, a Greek word meaning error or fault. Hamlet is one of
Shakespeare’s tragic heroes. As the play draws to a close, try to identify Hamlet’s tragic flaw.
What? Why? How?
1. Claudius begins and ends the act by lying to Gertrude. Name FOUR other aspects of his
character that are provable on the basis of what he says and does in this act. Is he still
wracked with guilt, do you think?
2. Has Gertrude reformed after her confrontation with Hamlet in III.iv.?
3. In what ways does Hamlet appear to change during this act?
4. When Laertes speaks in this act, he often uses hyperbolic (over-exaggerated) expressions.
What might this imply about him?
5. Why has Ophelia gone mad? How might this be proven?
6. What does Ophelia’s condition and death symbolize about the kingdom?
7. What does the Queen's speech about Ophelia's drowning suggest about her madness and
the reasons for her death?
8. Is Hamlet really mad in this play, or is merely pretending to be mad? (Find lines that support
your answer.)
9. Why is Hamlet less present in this act than in the previous three?
Structure
1. A past exam question reads: 'The action of the play begins to break down after act three'.
Discuss. Why might you agree on the basis of act four?
2. Do Hamlet and Fortinbras meet in IV.iv? Why is this significant?
Themes and Imagery
1. Where is disease imagery used in this act? Find FOUR examples. How is the meaning of this
imagery made explicit?
2. What do scenes five and seven suggest about what commitment to taking revenge does to
people?
3. Nonetheless, in what ways might Hamlet appear to be (morally) better than (a) Fortinbras
and (b)Laertes?
4. A foil is a character who is like
the protagonist in some
respects but who has
contrasting qualities that
"reflect" or illuminate the traits
of the main character. Who
are Hamlet's foils, and in what
ways do their characters shed
light on his?
VOCABULARY MOMENT
abatement n. decline; end
convocation n. gathering
cunning adj. skill in deception
impetuous adj. hasty; impulsive
profound adj. having intellectual depth; intensely felt
rendezvous (ron-day-voo) n. meeting; encounter
churlish adj. ill-mannered
conjure v. call up
equivocation n. a statement with two possible interpretations
potent adj. strong; effective
treachery n. act of disloyalty
umbrage n. displeasure; resentment
Scene Summary
(Write in a summary in your own words)
Write down any important Quotes/ Themes/ Imagery
Scene 1
Scene 2
Shakespeare’s Comic Characters
Shakespeare’s tragedies frequently include characters that provide comic relief in the midst of seriousness. Their
role is to relieve the emotional intensity generated by the other events of the play. At the same time, the
presence of these characters can increase audience awareness of the seriousness of the surrounding events by
providing contrast. Because they are on the outside of the main action of the play and have a different
perspective from that of the main characters, the commentary of comic characters can also be a source of new
insight for the audience and for other characters. The gravediggers in act 5, identified as “Clown” and “Other” in
earlier editions of the play, serve this purpose. Think about how these two characters provide contrast to the
serious events of act 5 and help Hamlet to gain new insight into life and death.
What? Why? How?
1. Why does this scene begin with two gravediggers trading jokes? Do their jokes make any sense
in the context of the play? What do you feel is the point of the gravedigger's riddles and song?
2. In what ways do Hamlet's reactions to the skulls in the graveyard seem to suggest a change in
his outlook?
3. How old is Hamlet?
4. Where do Hamlet and Laertes fight in V.ii?
5. What does the violent argument between Hamlet and Laertes add to the play?
6. What developments in Hamlet's character are presented through the story of what happened
on the boat? (V.ii.)
7. How do Hamlet's motives in killing Claudius seem to have shifted according to his speech
beginning 'Does it not, think thee ... ' (V.ii)?
8. Who is Osric, and why is he included in the play?
9. What concerns of the play are reinforced in the Osric episode? (V.ii.)
10. Does Hamlet realize that he might not come out of this fight alive? See V.ii.225-238.
11. What is the outcome of the fight scene at the end?
12. Why does Hamlet 'defy augury'? (V.ii.)
13. What does Laertes say is his motive in still resenting Hamlet? How has he already lost this? How
does this contribute to the presentation of revenge in the play? (V.ii.)
14. When Gertrude drinks from the cup, Claudius asks her not to drink and she refuses. Has she
ever disobeyed Claudius before?
15. Who is alive at the end of the play, and how do the others meet their ends?
16. Why is Fortinbras' presence important?
17. How might the dying lines of Gertrude, Claudius and Laertes be viewed as typical of the way
their characters have been presented throughout the play?
Stagecraft
1. What means does Shakespeare use to raise suspense during the graveyard scene?
2. What means does Shakespeare use to raise suspense during the fencing match?
Language and Imagery
1. In V.ii., Hamlet refers to Claudius as "this canker of our nature". What makes this so
appropriate?
Themes
1. Which characters view the ending as bloody carnage and which as poetic justice? Why
such confusion?
2. Who "wins" in Hamlet? How?