The main characters in Hamlet include Hamlet, Cluadius, Polonius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, and Horatio. This play is centralized around Hamlet, however the other characters contribute to his problems. The main character is Hamlet. Hamlet is the son of passed King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. He must decide whether to kill his uncle Claudius and revenge his father's death. Hamlet is an introspective character who does not know whether to trust the ghost of his father or not. He hates his mother for marrying Claudius so soon after his father's death, and he is in love with Ophelia until she rej...

• Word Count: 639
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Character Analysis Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: The character of Hamlet dominates Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, yet Hamlet at the start of the play is not a commanding figure. Indeed, when we first see the Prince, his posture is defensive, Hamlet taking a passive, if resentful, stance toward the events that have befallen him. Slow to the conviction that the ghost is his dead father and that Claudius is ... Laertes' cause against the Prince. Killing a king is a weighty matter, a many modern critics have argued that, in his particular circumstances, Hamlet is wise to defer action. In th...

• Word Count: 782
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

"Crazy" is a word not easily defined. What one person considers abnormal behavior, another might just consider eccentricity. It is difficult to determine when a person has gone from simply acting on impulse and not thinking rationally to truly becoming "mad." This is a subject explored thoroughly in William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. The plot of the play centers around the supposed madness of its title character, Hamlet, but he is not the only character who displays irrational behavior. Hamlet, Laertes, and Ophelia are all loyal children who exhibit varying degrees of madness after their fath...

• Word Count: 1204
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Polonius, in Hamlet, is a minor character whose deceitful ways show the audience that he is one of many characters who lack sincerity and integrity. Throughout Hamlet Polonius is a hypocrite who looks out for his own interests, and betrays those he should be loyal to. These aspects of his character are exposed in his relationships with the King, Ophelia, and Laertes. Polonius is two-faced in his interactions with people. One example of this is his relationship with the King. Polonius was King Hamlet's loyal servant, well liked and trusted by King Hamlet and Prince Hamlet. But his loyalty to Ki...

• Word Count: 398
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Literary Analysis Discuss the theme of madness in the play. What does it mean to "go mad" and who fits that defenition? Madness plays a large role throughout this thorough play ... what may be considered madness can be an overwhelming of love or a loss. Out of all the characters, Ophelia and Hamlet can mainly be portrayed as the ones going mad throughout the story. Hamlet is obviously the main character who has fulfilled the qualities and behaviors as someone who has gone mad in the play. Hamlets first real action of madness ... she speaks. She is viewed with an appearance that would be fit...

• Word Count: 719
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School