Most of the characters in hamlet are citizens of denmark and members of the royal court, reeling after the death of their king. His role in the play is that he is hamlet s most loyal and trusted friend, despite his poor status. Line by line modern translations of every shakespeare play and poem. The character of fortinbras in hamlet from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Hamlet is the main character and protagonist in the play hamlet by william shakespeare. Claudius the king of denmark, hamlets uncle, and the plays antagonist.
In this way, hamlet is using his power of analysis, and therefore cannot be truly crazy. There was also a renaissance play with the same name, probably written by thomas kyd. Prince hamlet is a university student who enjoys contemplating difficult philosophical questions. Though charged by the ghost of his dead father to avenge his murder, hamlet is caught up in his own intellectualizing and selfdoubt to act on his duty. Hamlet is such a complex character that playing him in the action equivalent of going to the olympics. Shrouded in his inky cloak, hamlet is a man of radical contradictions he is reckless yet. In a broader sense, this is a type of essay which requires an understanding of the character in question. 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. Essay william shakespeare s hamlet character analysis. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Hamlet the prince of denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. Can you help me write a character sketch for hamlet. Get everything you need to know about fortinbras in hamlet.
Since it was written almost four hundred years ago, the play has been seen by millions of people and has been translated into hundreds of languages. In rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead, a play that was later adapted into a film, playwright and screenplaywright tom stoppard imagines the various wordplays in hamlet as games. In fact, it often seems as though hamlet pursues lines of thought and emotion. She was married to the murdered king hamlet represented by the ghost in the play and has subsequently wed claudius, his brother. The character of fortinbras in hamlet from litcharts the. Character list for hamlet from the folger shakespeare. 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. Queen gertrude character analysis hamlet schoolworkhelper. And like other shakespeare characters who rely on ghosts and otherworldly portents, such as hamlet and king lear, macbeth does not fare well in the end. Virtually everyone knows the line, to be, or not to be. She is the motheraunt of hamlet, and she is also the wifeexsisterinlaw of king claudius. Causes of hamlet s indecision the play hamlet by william shakespeare, a seemingly traditional revenge play, depicts the prince of denmark hamlet who sought to take revenge on the murder of his father, but he actually failed to bring himself into actions. Hamlet study guide please see the main page for the complete play with explanatory notes for each scene.
Two being the heads and tails, the other being the thickness of the coin represented here by the why factor. Hamlet character list hamlet the prince of denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. He is a loyal, obedient, and trustworthy companion to hamlet. Table of contents 2 the nature of hamlet s character. It is debatable whether or not hamlet is one of the greatest dramatic characters ever made. Hamlet is the prince of denmark, the son of the recently deceased king hamlet, and the protagonist of the play.
Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncles scheming and. Hamlet is so complete a character that, like an old friend or relative, our relationship to him changes each time we visit him, and he never ceases to surprise us. Hamlet is a complex character with multiple character traits that lead him through his many confusing and often conflicting actions throughout the play. Hamlet facts introduction to the significance provides background on the and history of the play history and origins of hamlet plot synopsis onepage summary of outline the story with a class the action in the play characters quick character sketches familiarize students with the in a twopage handout characters in hamlet. In one scene, his characters play a set of tennis where words serve as balls and rackets. Hamlet is the son of king hamlet and queen gertrude. One of the aims would be to make a profile and analyze the characters. Hamlet is a tragic play written by william shakespeare somewhat in 1599. Hamlet, in particular, has a lot of most famous things in it. The creators of sparknotes hamlet characters from litcharts. The character hamlet from shakespeares tragedy hamlet explores these existential questions, seeking truth and understanding as he tries to come to grips with his fathers death. Hamlet is an extremely philosophical and contemplative character.
From the moment we meet the crestfallen prince we are enraptured by his elegant intensity. The paradox of hamlets nature draws people to the character. Most of the characters in hamlet are citizens of denmark and members. For if there is one thing that marks hamlet and the character, hamlet, it is his supposed vacillation, his indecision, his delaying. Hamlet s fall and the rise of fortinbras 296 6 hamlet in the light of theory. The idea of a woman playing the danish prince is especially interesting, because hamlet as a character is a man who seems to despise women, who detests what he perceives as his own femininity, who verbally abuses his mother, contributes to ophelias madness and suicide, and who seems to feel emasculated by the situation in which he finds himself. Shakespeare follows a trend in his plays there is a pot stirrer in each of the plays in macbeth it was macduff, always from the start questioning macbeths loyalty and kingship, and then in hamlet it was the prince hamlet that would not let the issue of the murder of his father leave the forefront of claudius mind leaving him forever unsettled. Hamlet s mother, claudius s wife, and the queen of denmark. Essay on character analysis of hamlet 964 words bartleby. Psychoanalysis of hamlet there are always three sides to a coin when it comes to psychology. Introduction to the characters in hamlet shakespeare online.
A violent crime has been committed against a family member. In the play gertrude demonstrates many characteristics and traits as the play progresses. Character analysis hamlet plays the role of a hero in the movie hamlet. These kinds of essays are used to analyze characters in a literary piece. The moment we are introduced to hamlet, many readers can recognize his intensity and the passion that he possesses. The presence of supernatural influences, another theme of macbeth, is another factor that affects the main character s choices. Posted by nicole smith, dec 6, 2011 poetry comments closed print. Focussing on key quotations and theatrical interpretations, tamara tubb explores the character of gertrude in hamlet and her role within the play. The ghost tells hamlet that his was not a natural death. Claudius appears to be a rather dull man who is fond of the.
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. 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. The villain of the play, claudius is a calculating. A central quality of gertrudes character is that she loves her son. No action is ever considered to be an accidental behavior, thus making hamlet an intriguing subject of analysis. In william shakespeares tragedy, hamlet, the main character, hamlet, is. Hamlet himself has 1,530 lines more than any other shakespearean. The ghost is the spirit of hamlet s father, who has recently died. Therein lies the secret to the enduring love affair audiences have with him.
A short analysis of shakespeares to be or not to be. Get free homework help on william shakespeares hamlet. In the end, hamlet proves to be an exceedingly existential character. Hamlet is arguably the greatest dramatic character ever created.
Get an answer for can you help me write a character sketch for hamlet. While hamlet s other friends, rosencrantz and guildenstern, turn on him, horatio demonstrates his loyalty throughout the play. Hamlets seven soliloquies philip allan literature guide for alevel hamlet philip allan updates 1 hamlets seven soliloquies 1 act i scene 2 lines 12959 hamlet is suicidally depressed by his fathers death and mothers remarriage. An analysis of the person or the inner self of hamlet, an analysis of his relations with different characters in the play, namely, gertrude, his mother, claudius, his new stepfather, ophelia, his love and his school friends, would help give an insight to the contradictions in the character hamlet that shakespeare has attempted to portray. Horatio character analysis hamlet schoolworkhelper. Actor rory kinnear and director nicholas hytner explain some of the key aspects of hamlet s character. Hamlet characters and analysis characters and analysis. She is a very caring character when hamlet is thinking about going back to wittenberg for.
Analysis of act five of shakespeares hamlet character analysis of horatio comment on hamlet s to be or not to be soliloquy staging for shakespeares hamlet. Typical themes of revenge tragedies present in hamlet. Hamlet hates the king for his treachery, but he would not act on that hate if he were not prompted to do so by the ghost. Gertrude marries her brotherinlaw, claudius, very shortly after the death of her husbandan action perceived as cruel, obscene, lustful, and. Problem play and revenge tragedy the hamlet and ophelia subplot the norway subplot in hamlet introduction to the characters in hamlet hamlet plot summary the purpose of the murder of gonzago the dumbshow. Hamlet is the son of king hamlet, who was the king of denmark,before getting assassinated by king claudius.
Tools of characterization character analysis speech and dialogue. Hamlet holds many negative qualities such as indecisiveness, hate, obsession, brutality, and spontaneity. Enter king claudius, queen gertrude, hamlet, polonius, laertes, voltimand, cornelius, lords, and attendants king claudius though yet of hamlet our dear brothers death the memory be green, and that it us befitted to bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom to be contracted in one brow of woe, yet so far hath discretion fought with nature. He is a friend of hamlet s from his school in wittenberg. Hamlet by william shakespeare summary, themes, and analysis. Hamlet 1601 it is set in denmark there were earlier versions of hamlet, as a revenge story, in the middle ages. Hamlet, in particular, has a lot of the most famous things in it. Read our detailed notes below on the play hamlet by william shakespeare. The character horatio in shakespeares hamlet in the play hamlet, by william shakespeare, the confidant horatio is created to serve a number of different purposes. One of the many talents of the playwright william shakespeare was that he broke the limiting mold of the onedimensional character by representing characters in all of their human complexity. The exact date of publication is unknown, however, many believe that it was published between 1601 and 1603. The character of gertrude in hamlet from litcharts the. Hamlet recalls yorick, in one of the plays most famous lines, as a fellow of.
547 1287 810 733 667 298 760 541 1324 291 1456 1057 1519 384 719 637 701 55 1609 369 720 1130 320 1175 1586 1268 1269 684 1063 147 696 961 474 954 870 1395 906 1384 701 1295 283 77 21