Hamlet Analysis

Author: William Shakespeare
Setting: The setting is Elsinore in the kingdom of Denmark in the late Middle Ages. The kingdom seems to emphasize martial rule.
Characters:
Hamlet - He is the Danish prince, and his father has recently died. His uncle marries his mother and claims the throne. He learns that his father my have been killed by his uncle and contemplates action. He is portrayed as either mad or acting mad. He mourns for his father and feels betrayed by his mother.
Claudius - He is Hamlet's uncle and kills the old Hamlet and marries Gertrude.
Gertrude - She is Hamlet's mother and marries Claudius. She is torn between her love for Claudius and her love for Hamlet.
Ophelia - She is Hamlet's lover, but she is not royalty; she is the daughter of Polonius.She refuses to see Hamlet after Polonius instructs her to. She commits suicide after she goes mad.
The Ghost - The ghost is of Hamlet's dead father who tells Hamlet Claudius killed him. He tells Hamlet to avenge him.
Polonius
Laertes
Fortinbras
Horatio