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Characters

Claudius - King of Denmark. The old King Hamlet's brother. He gains the throne by murdering his brother and incestuously marrying his sister in law. He is a villian, devious and manipulative.

Gertrude - Queen of Denmark. Hamlet's mother and the late King Hamlet's wife. At the end of the play she is accidently killed by drinking a cup of poison which was meant for Hamlet.

Hamlet - Prince of Denmark. The protagonist and main character of the play. Hamlet suffers great unhappiness, his mother has incestuously re-married and his fathe rhas been murdered. Hamlet meets the ghost of his father which tells him that he was murdered. Hamlet becomes fixated on a vengeance for his father.

Ophelia - Polonius' daughter. She has a great love for Hamlet but her father forbids her to see him. Her father treats her like a toy, using her for bait for his schemes against Hamlet and also seeing Hamlet being "mad" causes her to have a breakdown. She drowns, which is more than likely suicide.

Polonius - Ophelia & Laertes father. He is the Lord Chamberlain of Elsinore. He is a rude, pompish and foolish man who is accidently killed by Hamlet.

Laertes - The son of Polonius & brother of Ophelia. He is the distinct contrast of Hamlet, as he is a man of action. He, like his father, instructs Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet. At the end of the play he conspires with Claudius to ensure Hamlet's death.

Horatio - Hamlet's best friend. He is the first character to speak to the Ghost of the late King.

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern - Former friends of Hamlet. Claudius instructs them to spy on Hamlet. This alliance eventually leads to their deaths.

Fortinbras - Prince of Norway. An aggressive leader who only wants to recover the lands and power lost by his father during past battle with Denmark. At the end, he is asked by Hamlet to rule Denmark.

Marcellus & Bernardo - Soliders