HAMLET PRINCE OF DENMARK BY William Shakespeare CAST

HAMLET: PRINCE OF DENMARK BY William Shakespeare

CAST OF CHARACTERS l Hamlet - The Prince of Denmark l the title character, protagonist l 30 years old l son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet; nephew of the present king, Claudius. l melancholy, bitter, and cynical l full of hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s sexuality.

l Gertrude - The Queen of Denmark l. Hamlet’s mother lrecently married to Claudius lloves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth.

l Claudius - The King of Denmark l Hamlet’s uncle, and the play’s antagonist l villain of the play l calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power l occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere.

l Polonius - The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court l a pompous, conniving old man. l the father of Laertes and Ophelia. l Laertes - Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother l a young man who spends much of the play in France l Passionate and quick to action l clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet.

l Ophelia - Polonius’s daughter l a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. l a sweet and innocent young girl, who obeys her father and her brother, Laertes. l dependent on men to tell her how to behave l she gives in to Polonius’s schemes to spy on Hamlet

l Horatio - Hamlet’s close friend l loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play l re-tells Hamlet’s story at the end • Fortinbras - The young Prince of Norway • whose father the king (also named Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet’s father (also named Hamlet) • wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet.

l The Ghost - The specter of Hamlet’s recently deceased father l claims to have been murdered by Claudius, calls upon Hamlet to avenge him l not entirely certain whether the ghost is what it appears to be, or whether it is something else l Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be a devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder

l Rosencrantz and Guildenstern l two slightly bumbling courtiers former friends of Hamlet from school l summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior

THEMES 1. “By indirection, find direction out. ” (Hamlet) 2. Death is a mystery that no one can explain 3. Revenge can be a driving motivation that is unstoppable 4. Lies and deceit destroy relationships 5. Expectations are different for women than men