Hamlet character analysis pdf

Plot summary characters hamlet the prince of denmark, son of gertrude, nephew of claudius, and heir to the throne. Hamlet is a tragic play written by william shakespeare somewhat in 1599. Along with gertrude, ophelia is the only other female character in the play, ophelias actions and trajectory are unfortunately defined by the men around read full character analysis get the entire hamlet litchart as a printable pdf. Hamlet is the prince of denmark, the son of the recently deceased king hamlet, and the protagonist of the play. In the end, hamlet proves to be an exceedingly existential character. Hamlet begins the play a depressed, angry young man who is. Hamlet the prince of denmark, the title character, and the protagonist.

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. Polonius s daughter, laertes sister, and hamlet s lover. Hamlet is shocked to find his mother already remarried to his uncle claudius, the dead kings. The character of polonius in hamlet from litcharts the. Prince hamlet is introduced as a reflective, slowtoact character. Three different texts of hamlet were published in shakespeares time. 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 ophelia. Detailed analysis of characters in william shakespeares hamlet. Act 1, scenes 15 the story of hamlet is so famous, it is easy to forget that at the beginning of the play, hamlet is unaware of the fact that his father was murdered by his uncle. Free hamlet character analysis essay exampleessays. Prince hamlet is a university student who enjoys contemplating difficult philosophical questions. But though hamlet certainly seems mad, he does not seem to love.

Get free homework help on william shakespeares hamlet. Certainly, the poet and critic samuel taylor coleridge thought hamlet s main fault was his indecision. As always, hamlet moves from the particular to the general, and he asks why humans put up with their burdens and pains when they have a means of escape with a bare bodkin. Essay on character analysis of hamlet 964 words bartleby. Hamlet is a very unique individual and handles many situations in unusual ways. Polonius is determined to do whatever it takes to stay in the good graces of the king and queen, and invents many different ways of spying on hamlet in an attempt to win the. Hamlet s body is taken offstage with the honors due a soldier. Hamlet characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. In william shakespeares tragedy, hamlet, the main character, hamlet, is incredibly dynamic. Pdf cliffsnotes shakespeare s hamlet download full pdf. Hamlet because the king blamed hamlet for killing his father, polonius. Hamlet study guide please see the main page for the complete play with explanatory notes for each scene. The creators of sparknotes hamlet characters from litcharts. Character list for hamlet from the folger shakespeare library edition.

An actual production of hamlet takes place at the same time as the interview show, and the characters go back and forth between three spaces. Hamlet and claudius were major ond round character and. Hamlet is the melancholy prince of denmark and grieving son to the recently deceased king in william shakespeares monumental tragedy hamlet. Hamlet is one of the most iconic plays that has been studied in depth for over 400 years. Character list for hamlet from the folger shakespeare. The king of denmark, hamlets uncle, and the plays antagonist. Download pdf cliffsnotes shakespeare s hamlet book full free. It might be hard for many of us in the modern world to connect with some of shakespeares characters, especially renaissance royalty. Hamlet character list hamlet the prince of denmark, the title character, and the protagonist.

Hamlet has fascinated audiences and readers for centuries. Gertrudes role in hamlet abstract typically, gertrudes character in productions ofhamlethas been limited by her guilt and sexuality. Hamlet study guide explanatory notes, character analysis. These two events are the cause of hamlet s distress and disgust in act 1, and form the basis of the revenge plot. Tools of characterization character analysis speech and dialogue. However, shakespeare deliberately leaves the extent of gertrudes historic involvement with claudius as both his lover and potential accomplice in murder unclear. Analysis of hamlet by william shakespeare hamlet is a story about a prince who wants revenge on the new king for killing his father. A councilor, or advisor, to claudius, and the father of ophelia and laertes. Hamlet character list kenton county school district. Hamlet is the son of king hamlet and queen gertrude. The antagonist of the play and the new king of denmark. By the end, hamlet decides that he is no longer going to deprive himself of the revenge he so badly desires against claudius, so he kills him. Cliffsnotes shakespeare s hamlet available for download and read online in other formats.

Hamlet is a complex character with multiple character traits that lead him through his many confusing and often conflicting actions throughout the play. The words that tend to come up when people try to analyse the character or personality of hamlet are indecisive, delaying, and uncertain, with inaction being the key defining feature of what. 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. He is the son of queen gertrude and king hamlet, who was murdered by his uncle claudius. William shakespeares hamlet follows the young prince hamlet home to denmark to attend his fathers funeral. The exact date of publication is unknown, however, many believe that it was published between 1601 and 1603. Polonius is a verbose, faltering old man whose servile devotion to claudius renders him slimy, untrustworthy, and pathetic in the eyes of hamlet. When polonius, the pompous lord chamberlain, suggests that hamlet may be mad with love for his daughter, ophelia, claudius agrees to spy on hamlet in conversation with the girl. Hamlet s friends, rosencrantz and guildenstern, to watch him. He returns to denmark from the university of wittenberg. King hamlet s death and gertrudes wedding to claudius happen immediately prior to the opening of the play.

Thanks to shakespeares skillful and psychologically astute characterization, hamlet now is considered to be the greatest dramatic character ever created. Other important themes in hamlet relationship between father and son. She is the daughter of polonius, the chief councillor to the king of denmark. Ophelia character analysis in hamlet english summary.

Hamlet s uncle and murderer of hamlet s fatherclaudius is a cunning politician whose lust for power and the queen set the plays tragic acts in. With themes of tragedy, love, revenge, family and many more, the play causes a reader to ask questions that can be only answered by shakespeare. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncles scheming and disgust for his mothers. Shrouded in his inky cloak, hamlet is a man of radical contradictions he is reckless yet. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncles scheming and. However, lacking the social and political conventions that confined elizabethan england, it would seem that there is another possible interpretation of hamlet s mother. Shakespeare has developed a character whose conflicts of interest and personality traits combine to lead him through actions that eventually led to his ultimate downfall, along with many of his. 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. Learn all about how the characters in hamlet such as hamlet and polonius contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. Contents page introduction ix thetragedyofhamlet i appendixi. Though charged by the ghost of his dead father to avenge his murder, hamlet is caught up.

Hamlet study guide contains a biography of william shakespeare, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Need help on characters in william shakespeares hamlet. Hamlet is a deep thinker, focusing on impossible to answer questions about religion, death, truth. These brief discriptions of main characters in hamlet along with some hamlet character analysis will help you impress your friends and neighbors with your knowledge of literature. Hamlet hamlets seven soliloquies philip allan literature guide for alevel 3 philip allan updates unhappily or not at all. Hamlet, written by william shakespeare around 1600, is a tragedy that explores themes of friendship, madness, and revenge. He is introspective, thinking a lot about his actions he seeks the truth so that he can be certain that what he does is the right thing, especially when carrying out the revenge wished for by the ghost of his death father he is indecisive and fails to decide what to do throughout, until the tragic ending it seems he has a duty to perform, but does not know how to go about it. 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. Read our detailed notes below on the play hamlet by william shakespeare.

From the moment we meet the crestfallen prince we are enraptured by his elegant intensity. 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. Table of contents 2 the nature of hamlet s character. While he stays true to this characterization for almost the entire play, he does undergo a transformation by the end of the play.

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. Dive deep into william shakespeares hamlet with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. Shakespeare makes it clear that the stakes riding on some of these questions are enormousthe actions of these characters bring disaster upon an entire kingdom. Hamlet by william shakespeare summary, themes, and analysis. Hamlet characters and analysis a research guide for students. The main characters in hamlet are prince hamlet, the deceased king hamlet, claudius, gertrude, ophelia, polonius, laertes, and horatio. Hamlet is the main character and protagonist in the play hamlet by william shakespeare. Analysis and discussion of characters in william shakespeares hamlet. Hamlet characters page 1 of 2 there will be 18 actors in this nac production of hamlet, nine of whom will take on other roles in addition to being members of the troupe of travelling players.

Ophelia character analysis in hamlet ophelia is the one seemingly loved by hamlet who is the protagonist of the play written by shakespeare. This is not an example of the work produced by our essay writing service. Introduction to hamlet hamlet is arguably the greatest dramatic character ever created. The villain of the play, claudius is a calculating. 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. Most people believe that revenge and the events drive the story, but hamlet s plot and actions are driven based on the conflicts between two characters and themselves. Indepth character analysis, critical essays, and insight into the novels literary devices will help unlock the novels deeper layers. Posted by nicole smith, dec 6, 2011 poetry comments closed print.