Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
CHARACTERS
Claudius, King of Denmark
Hamlet, son of the last king, and nephew of the present one
Horatio, friend of Hamlet
Polonius, Minister of State
Laertes, son of Polonius
Marcellus, a guard
Ghost of Hamlet's father
A group of Actors
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark and mother of Hamlet
Ophelia, daughter of Polonius
Less than two months after the sudden death of King Hamlet,
Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, married his brother Claudius.This
was judged by everyone at that time to be a strangely unwise or
unfeeling act, or even worse.But young Hamlet had strong suspicions that
Claudius himself was the snake, and that the snake that had bitten
his father now wore his crown.Being of a most honourable character himself, he was
gready troubled by the shame of his mother's marriage; shame,
and grief at his father's death, made him fall into a state of deep
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sadness.Although the loss of the crown was a bitter wound to this
young prince, it was not this that troubled him and took away all
his cheerful spirits - it was the fact that his mother had shown
herself to be so forgetful of his father's memory.This in itself
was a very improper and unlawful marriage, as they were such
close relations, but it was made much worse by the speed with
which it was done and by the unkingly character of the man
whom she had chosen.In this way he was able to
prevent young Hamlet, the son of the buried king and his lawful
heir, from becoming king.Claudius was in no way like her first husband in the qualities
of his person or his mind.o