Concetti Chiave
- The mysterious protagonist is enigmatic, often leaving readers feeling they don't fully understand him. He is indecisive yet capable of impulsive actions.
- The King of Denmark, Claudius, is a calculating and ambitious politician who manipulates others for power but occasionally reveals guilt and human emotions.
- The Queen of Denmark, Gertrude, is a shallow and dependent woman who seeks affection for self-preservation, showing genuine love for her son, Hamlet.
- Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, is a pompous advisor who spies on his son and uses his daughter deceitfully, contrasting with his image of a concerned father.
- Ophelia, Polonius's daughter, is a sweet and innocent character who falls into madness and dies tragically, affected by Hamlet's actions and her father's death.
The Mysterious Protagonist
The protagonist,
Temper: he is there is always, more to him than all the other characters, something to figure out about him during the play;
even the most careful and clever readers come away with the sense that they don’t know everything there is to know about this character…when he speaks,
he sounds as if there’s something important he’s not saying,
maybe something he is not even aware of.
He is often indecisive and hesitant, but also, sometimes, prone to rash and impulsive acts.
The King of Denmark
The king of Denmark, elected to the throne after the death of his brother, King Hamlet.
Claudio has married Gertrude, his brother widow.
He is the major Hamlet’s enemy and antagonist.
Temper: he is calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power;
he has the ability of manipulate others with his skillful use of language;
but he also shows signs of guilt and human feelings sometimes; for example, his love for Gertrude seems sincere for instance…even though it could seem as a strategic move to have the throne too. Claudius acts only for his own good.
The Queen of Denmark
Queen of Denmark, King Hamlet’s widow; now married to Claudius, and Hamlet’s mother.
Temper: she is shallow, weak woman who seeks affection to fulfill her instinct for self-preservation… which, of course, makes her extremely dependent upon the men in her life; at least her love for the son Hamlet seems truthful.
She never exhibits the ability to think critically about her situation, but seems merely to move instinctively toward seemingly safe choices, as when she immediately runs to Claudius after her confrontation with Hamlet.
The Counselor Polonius
Polonius:
The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court, his chie counsellor, father of Laertes and Ophelia.
At the same time, Polonius reveals himself to be a far from perfect father. He sends Reynaldo to spy on his son, and he uses his daughter as bait to trick Hamlet.
Temper: he is pompous, conniving old man, but he is a proud and concerned father: the secure and happy family unit of Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia provides a stark contrast with the dysfunctional unit formed by Claudius, Gertrude, and Hamlet. But…at the end, Polonius reveals us himself to be a far from perfect father. He sends Reynaldo to spy on his son, and he uses his daughter as bait to trick Hamlet.
The Tragic Ophelia
Polonius’s daughter, young woman who’s been in love with Hamlet. During the play she gives into Polonius’s schemes to spy on Hamlet.
In Act Four she spirals into madness and dies under ambiguous circumstances.
Ophelia obeys, but her action sends Hamlet into a fit of misogynistic rage. Soon after, Hamlet mistakenly kills Polonius. The combination of her former lover’s cruelty and her father’s death sends Ophelia into a fit of grief.
Temper: she is sweet and innocent, even in her laps into madness and death, she remains maidenly, singing songs about flowers and drowning int the
river amid the flower garlands she had gathered.
She obeys her father and her brother.
The Ghost of the King
The ghost represents Hamlet’s father: the recently deceased King. He claims to be murdered by Claudius and asks to the son to avange him.
But we are not certain about the ghost nature and about who he represents, regarding Hamlet’s speculation: he believes that the ghost might be a devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder…
The question of what the ghost is or where it comes from is never definitively resolved.
Domande da interrogazione
- How does the King of Denmark's character influence his actions?
- How does Polonius's role as a father contrast with his actions?
The King of Denmark, Claudius, is a calculating and ambitious politician driven by his desires for power and affection. He manipulates others skillfully but occasionally shows guilt and human emotions, such as his seemingly sincere love for Gertrude, though it might also be strategic for securing the throne.
Polonius is a pompous and conniving old man who, despite being a proud father, is far from perfect. He spies on his son and uses his daughter as bait to trick Hamlet, contrasting with the secure family unit he tries to maintain with Laertes and Ophelia.
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