The document provides character summaries for major characters in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It summarizes the roles and backgrounds of the guards who first see the ghost of King Hamlet, Hamlet's friends Horatio and Marcellus, Hamlet's father's ghost, Laertes who plots with Claudius, Hamlet's love interest Ophelia, Polonius the Lord Chamberlain, Hamlet's best friend Horatio, Hamlet's mother Gertrude, the new King Claudius, and Hamlet himself.

1. Hamlet

2.  Guards at Elsinore
 The first two guards to see the ghost of old
King Hamlet while patrolling the roof of the
castle
 They then summon Horatio to see it.

3.  Old friends of Hamlet
 Not very close to him anymore
 But when the King and Queen summon them
to Denmark, they jump on the chance.
 Claudius and Gertrude do not really know
they are not that close to Hamlet and ask the
two to help them figure out what’s wrong
with the prince.

4.  Prince Hamlet’s father who recently passed
away.
 He asks his son to avenge his death
 Assures Hamlet that his mother had no part
in his murder.
 Does not tell how Claudius murdered him.
 At first Hamlet’s unsure if it was really his
father.

5.  Son of Polonius, who is the Lord Chamberlain
and Ophelia’s older brother.
 Goes to Fance for a big part of the play.
 Claudius plots a sword in which Laertes and
Hamlet would fight and kill Hamlet in the
process.

6.  Hamlet’s love interest
 Her father makes her spy on Hamlet to find
out what’s wrong with him.
 Hamlet finds this out and loses trust.
 When her father dies, she goes insane and
dies.

7.  The Lord Chamberlain of the court of
Denmark
 Dedicated to the King and Queen
 He tries to find out what’s wrong with Hamlet
but he fails to find it.
 Eventually dies.

8.  Hamlet’s best friend.
 Goes toWittenberg with Hamlet
 Always loyal to Hamlet
 Willing to help him avenge his father’s death.
 Even after Hamlet dies, he agrees to honor
Hamlet’s dying wish to tell his story.

9.  TheWidow of old Kind Hamlet
 Prince Hamlet’s mother
 Marries Claudius after the death of King
Hamlet
 This makes Prince Hamlet think that she
might have been involved in the crime.

10.  The new King of Denmark
 Hamlet’s uncle&step father
 Villain of the play
 Wants to send Hamlet away to get him out of
his sight.
 Plots to kill hamlet

11.  The Prince of Denmark
 College student atWittenberg
 People are unsure if he is really insane
 Becomes obsessed with avenging his father’s
death and killing Claudius
 Killed in Act 5 after being stabbed with
Laertes’s poisoned sword