The Ambassador from England arrives to bring the news that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been put to death in accordance with the directions in the altered letter. Finding only corpses at the Danish court, he wonders who there is to receive the news.
BAPTISA
Baptista is the name Hamlet gives to the Player Queen when he describes the play to Claudius and Gertrude. He states that she is married to a Viennese duke. In Q1, the speech headings are "Duchess" instead of "Player Queen" marking a more direct link to the play within the play, but a less direct link to the audience of Claudius and Gertrude.
BARNARDO
Barnardo is one of the guards to see the Ghost. He is clearly unnerved by the Ghost, as shown by his challenge of Francisco, rather than waiting to be challenged. His focus is purely practical; he has fewer lines than Marcellus and they all concern the Ghost's physical appearance. He is with Horatio and Marcellus when they tell Hamlet of the Ghost, but despite his claim that he has guard duty again that night, he is not present when the Ghost appears to Hamlet.
CAPTAIN
The Captain is sent by Fortinbras to greet Claudius and confirm their right to march over Danish lands on their way to fight the Poles. In F but not Q, he is met by Hamlet, on his way to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and inspires Hamlet with his tale of the coming war over a worthless piece of territory.
CLAUDIO
A "ghost character." The Messenger brings Claudius Hamlet's letters and when asked who brought them, the Messenger can say only that he had them from Claudio. These letters were given to Horatio in an earlier scene, and it is possible that Claudio is a mistake for Horatio.
CLAUDIUS
Claudius is the King of Denmark, a title he assumed after murdering his brother. He quickly marries his brother's wife, Gertrude and at first shows himself to be a good king: winning over the nobles and dealing with the threat of Fortinbras. He rebukes Hamlet for continuing to mourn publicly for his father and, with Gertrude's help, persuades Hamlet not to return to Wittenberg. When Hamlet appears to go mad, he summons Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two school friends of Hamlet's, to try to find out what is wrong. With Polonius, he spies on Hamlet and Ophelia, and comes to the conclusion that his nephew is not mad for love, and hatches the plan to send him to England (in Q1, he does not make this decision until after Polonius' murder). He agrees to attend the play Hamlet arranges, but leaves when the players reenact his murder of his brother (some have noted that his reaction may well be to the implied threat from his nephew Hamlet of having Lucianus, nephew to the duke, murder him). Struck with guilt, he attempts to pray, but cannot. Once he discovers that Hamlet has killed Polonius, he acts quickly, first confronting Hamlet and then sending him to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who carry Hamlet's death warrant. When Laertes returns from France to revenge his father, Claudius sooths him and together, once they discover that Hamlet is returning to Denmark, they plan his murder. Claudius arranges a supposedly friendly duel between Hamlet and Laertes, but Laertes carries a sharp and poisoned sword, instead of a bated one. In addition, Claudius offers Hamlet a cup of poisoned wine, but the plan goes awry when Gertrude instead of Hamlet drinks from it. Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink the wine, killing him.
CORAMBIS
In Q1, Polonius is named Corambis. See POLONIUS.
CORNELIUS
Cornelius is one of the ambassadors dispatched to Norway to deal with the threat of Fortinbras. He and Voltemand return with news that Norway has put a stop to Fortinbras' planned invasion and instead has sent him and his army to fight in Poland. They also report that Norway has asked for passage through Denmark for Fortinbras.
DOCTOR
The Doctor, to be understood as a Doctor of Theology, oversees the burial of the drowned Ophelia, and refuses to allow her the full funeral rites because her death was doubtful, possibly a suicide.
ENGLAND
A "ghost character." England designates the King of England, and Claudius addresses the absent monarch in soliloquy, asking England to kill Hamlet for him.
EYASES, LITTLE
"Ghost characters." Rosencrantz reports to Hamlet that the adult players are traveling because child players have taken over the profession in the city. He refers to them as "an eyrie of children, little eyases." The word comes from the French niais (originally a nias) and means a nestling. The eyrie or aerie refers to a brood of eaglets or hawks, and the reference is usually understood as Shakespeare's complaint against the competition from St. Paul's and Blackfriars playhouses with Blackfriars most especially meant as it appears to have been placed on an upper floor.
FIRST CLOWN
The First Clown, often called the Gravedigger after his profession, discusses the merits of Ophelia's Christian burial, makes several jokes based on class, and then sends the Second Clown for some drink. He sings and throws up old skulls while digging the grave, causing Hamlet to wonder at his treatment of the dead. When Hamlet speaks to him, the Clown jokes with him about graves and then shows him Yorick's skull.
FIRST PLAYER
The First Player is the leader of the traveling troupe of players. They were known to Hamlet in Wittenberg and are welcomed by him to Denmark. Rosencrantz tells Hamlet that the troupe travels because child actors have taken over all the play trade in the city. At Hamlet's insistence, the First Player recites a speech from a past play, concerning the murder of Priam by Pyrrhus, and the grief of Hecuba at her husband's murder. The First Player's emotional performance moves Hamlet, who compares the passion raised by a fictional loss to his own passivity in the face of his real losses. He asks the First Player if the troupe can perform The Murder of Gonzago and insert an additional speech; the First Player agrees.
FOLLOWERS of LAERTES
An unspecified number of supporters enter the palace with Laertes when he returns from France to revenge Polonius' death. They at first insist on coming in, but when Laertes asks them to wait outside, they obey.
FORTINBRAS
Fortinbras, sometimes called young Fortinbras to distinguish him from his father, is first described as a threat to Denmark; he is gathering an army to invade and take back the lands lost to Old Hamlet by his father. He is stopped by diplomacy, when Claudius sends ambassadors to inform Norway of what Fortinbras is planning. Fortinbras, sharply rebuked by his uncle, instead takes his army to attack Poland, and asks permission to cross the Danish lands. As Hamlet is dying, he hears drums and, on being told it is Fortinbras, voices his support for Fortinbras as the next king. Fortinbras does, in fact, almost immediately establish his right to the kingship, and takes on the role of organizing the dead and living as the play ends.
FORTINBRAS of NORWAY
A "ghost character." This is the father of the current Fortinbras, who fought with Old Hamlet, apparently in single combat, and was killed by him, thereby forfeiting his lands to the King of Denmark. Like his son, he was a warrior leader.
FRANCISCO
Francisco is the guard on duty who is replaced by Barnardo and Marcellus. He says that he has had a quiet guard but is glad to be relieved, partly because he is cold and partly because he is sick at heart, the reason for the latter remains unspoken.
GENTLEMAN
In Q2 only, the Gentleman, rather than Horatio, brings Gertrude the news that Ophelia is mad and wishes to speak with her.
GERTRUDE
Gertrude is Queen of Denmark and mother of Hamlet. After her first husband's death, she quickly marries his brother Claudius. She persuades Hamlet to remain, despite his desire to return to Wittenberg. After he appears to go mad, she confesses that she believes the cause to be his father's death and her hasty remarriage. Although she is aware of and supports the various attempts to find out Hamlet's thoughts, she does not confront him herself until after the play within the play. She cries out in fear when Hamlet threatens her, causing the hidden Polonius to call for help, alerting Hamlet to his presence. Hamlet kills Polonius and then accuses his mother of a disgusting and unnatural lust, a tirade stopped only by the Ghost's appearance. Gertrude cannot see the Ghost, and she believes Hamlet is mad, but he persuades her otherwise. She promises not to reveal that he is sane and to stay away from Claudius' bed (in Q1, she also swears that she did not know of the murder and that she will help Hamlet seek his revenge). She does defend Claudius from Laertes' attack, so it is unclear how much of Hamlet's advice she takes (in Q1 Horatio tells her privately that Hamlet has found the letter authorizing his death, and she swears to deceive Claudius and help her son). After Ophelia drowns, she speaks the famous willow speech, and attends Ophelia's funeral where she is forced to separate Hamlet and Laertes. At the duel, she drinks from the poisoned cup meant for Hamlet and dies, but not before warning him that the drink was poisoned. It is subject of debate whether she knowingly drinks the poison to save her son or drinks without knowing (or suspecting) that the draught is poisoned.
GHOST of HAMLET
The Ghost, dressed in armor, appears two nights in a row to Barnardo and Marcellus, who are too terrified to speak to it. The next night they enlist the aid of the scholar Horatio, who does manage to speak to it, but the Ghost does not answer. When Hamlet watches with them, the Ghost appears and waves him to a private place, where it reveals that it is the spirit of his father, doomed to walk at night and to spend the day in Purgatory. The Ghost further reveals that it was murdered, not bitten by a snake, and that Claudius is the murderer. It tells Hamlet to revenge the murder, but to leave Gertrude to her conscience. The Ghost appears in the closet scene to remind Hamlet of his purpose. The Ghost is invisible and inaudible to Gertrude, who therefore believes Hamlet is mad. In this appearance, according to Q1, the Ghost wears a nightgown rather than armor.
GILDERSTONE
The spelling of Guildenstern in Q1. See GUILDENSTERN.
GONZAGO
The name Hamlet gives to the Player King when describing the play to Claudius and Gertrude. He states that Gonzago is a duke in Vienna. In Q1, the speech headings are "Duke" instead of "Player King" marking a more direct link to the play within the play, but a less direct link to the audience of Claudius and Gertrude.
GRAVEDIGGER
The First Clown, often called the Gravedigger after his profession, discusses the merits of Ophelia's Christian burial, makes several jokes based on class, and then sends the Second Clown for some drink. He sings and throws up old skulls while digging the grave, causing Hamlet to wonder at his treatment of the dead. When Hamlet speaks to him, the Clown jokes with him about graves and then shows him Yorick's skull.
GUILDENSTERN
Guildenstern, with Rosencrantz, are the pair of school friends that Claudius sends to spy on Hamlet, a duty they accept with obsequious haste. They first suggest to Hamlet that he is melancholy because of thwarted ambition, but Hamlet reveals nothing, although he is pleased when they tell him about the coming of the players. They report this immediately to Claudius and are present at the play. After the play is broken up, they again appeal to Hamlet, asking him to tell them what is upsetting him. He is more openly scornful of them and again refuses to tell them anything. In Q2 only, they enter with Claudius immediately after Polonius' murder, only to be asked to withdraw by Gertrude. They return a moment later, and are told to find and arrest Hamlet, which they do. They are given the task of escorting Hamlet to England (although this has been decided earlier since both Hamlet and Gertrude mention it in the closet scene). They continue on to England after Hamlet is taken aboard the pirate ship, unaware that he has changed their commission to ensure their deaths. The Ambassador arrives in the closing moments to announce that they have been put to death as the letter instructed. His name is spelled Guyldensterne and occasionally Guyldersterne (Q2–4 and F1). In Q1 it is spelled Gilderstone.
HAMLET
Prince Hamlet is the son of old King Hamlet, and continues to mourn his father publicly despite his mother's marriage to his uncle Claudius. At the urging of Claudius and Gertrude, he agrees to stay in Denmark rather than return to Wittenberg, but he reveals in soliloquy that he is deeply depressed about his mother's remarriage. His close school friend, Horatio, and the two guards Marcellus and Barnardo arrive to tell him that they have seen a Ghost that appears to be his father. Hamlet agrees to watch for the Ghost that night, and, while waiting, muses on the drunkenness of Claudius and the Danish in general, and the way a single flaw can destroy a man (a passage present only in Q2). When the Ghost appears, Hamlet follows it to a private place and there hears that his father was murdered by his uncle, and he is given the task of revenging that murder. Hamlet is joined by Horatio and Marcellus, but refuses to tell them what the Ghost said. However, he insists that they swear not to reveal what they know, and claims he may find it necessary to act mad or put on an "antic disposition." Whether from real or feigned madness, or still reacting to his interview with the Ghost, he seeks out Ophelia, disheveled and pale, and terrifies her into seeking her father. Polonius immediately reports that Hamlet's madness is based in love, and attempts to find out more from him, but Hamlet only insults him under the guise of insanity (in Q1, this scene is preceded by the nunnery scene). Hamlet is next approached by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, schoolmates of his who have been summoned by Claudius to try to discover the cause of Hamlet's madness. They are no more successful than Polonius was in getting Hamlet to reveal himself, but they do interest him with the imminent arrival of a group of actors from Wittenberg. Hamlet asks them to play The Murder of Gonzago and, in soliloquy, muses over his delay in revenging his father, and his fear that the Ghost is really a devil sent to tempt and trap him. He decides to seek proof by staging a murder like his father's and seeing if Claudius reacts. In the next scene, in soliloquy, he considers whether or not to commit suicide, deciding that fear of the unknown is what keeps people alive. He is then confronted with Ophelia, who has been instructed by her father and Claudius to seek out Hamlet while they watch in secret. Hamlet becomes enraged at her apparent lack of faithfulness and accuses her of lechery, telling her to seek out a nunnery (in Q1, this scene precedes Polonius' attempt to confront Hamlet). Hamlet gives advice to the players on how to act their play. He asks Horatio to keep watch on Claudius during the play to see how he reacts. Hamlet taunts both his mother and Ophelia during the play, and is thrilled when Claudius rises and stops the play. On the way to visit his mother, Hamlet sees Claudius alone, praying, and considers killing him, but decides that sending Claudius's soul to heaven is no revenge. In his mother's chamber he kills Polonius, who is hidden behind an arras, and then berates his mother for her lust and sinfulness. For the murder of Polonius, he is sent to England, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In Q2 only, after meeting Fortinbras's captain on the way to fight in Poland, Hamlet declares, in soliloquy, that he will take the first chance he can to complete his revenge. On board the ship, he discovers his death warrant and changes it to request the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instead. He escapes from them on a pirate ship and returns to Denmark in time to witness Ophelia's funeral. Enraged by Laertes' ostentatious display of grief, Hamlet attacks him and they struggle in the grave before being separated. Hamlet agrees to fence with Laertes, despite some misgivings, and wins the first two touches. In the third pass, Hamlet is wounded by Laertes' unbated and poisoned sword, and then wounds Laertes with the same sword. Gertrude, who has drunk from the poisoned cup meant for Hamlet, dies and Laertes reveals that Claudius is to blame. Hamlet stabs the king and forces him to drink the rest of the poisoned wine. He then begs Horatio, who is planning to commit suicide, to stay alive and report his story so that his actions might be understood.
HECUBA
Only mentioned. Hecuba was the wife of Priam and Queen of Troy. She is described in the speech by the First Player as crying out to heaven as she sees her husband killed by Pyrrhus. Hamlet then refers to the passion the First Player exhibits for her, despite her fictional nature, and compares it to his own passivity in the face of his father's death and mother's adultery.
HORATIO
Horatio is a friend of Hamlet and a scholar at Wittenberg. His status at the Danish court is ambiguous. He is asked by Barnardo and Marcellus to confront the Ghost, although he believes it will not appear. When it does, he speaks to it, but the Ghost does not respond. He suggests they seek out Hamlet and tell him of the Ghost, which all three do. Horatio and Marcellus watch with Hamlet and when the Ghost appears they try to keep him from following it. Hamlet refuses to answer Horatio's questions about the Ghost, but both Horatio and Marcellus swear to keep secret what they have seen. Horatio next appears before the play within the play, and he agrees to keep watch for any reaction from Claudius (Hamlet apparently has told him of the murder by now). Hamlet praises Horatio for his dispassionate nature, a nature that is needed to control Hamlet's wild reaction to the play. After Hamlet is sent to England, Horatio remains in the court, although each version of the text gives him a slightly different role. In Q1, he meets secretly with Gertrude to reveal that Claudius was planning to have Hamlet killed in England. In F, Horatio tells Gertrude that she should speak with the mad Ophelia, and describes her state, a role given to a Gentleman in Q2. In both Q2 and F, Horatio is asked to look after Ophelia, a duty from which he is distracted by letters from Hamlet. When Hamlet, dying, asks Horatio to report his cause, Horatio declares his intent to commit suicide, and is only stopped by Hamlet's insistence that his story must be told. Horatio then does tell Fortinbras that he can relate all that has happened, and, further, that he will support Fortinbras' claim to the Danish throne.
JOHAN
A "ghost character." The First Clown/gravedigger tells the Second Clown to get ale from Johan, presumably a local innkeeper.
JULIUS CAESAR
Only mentioned. In Q2, after the Ghost visits Barnardo, Marcellus and Horatio for the first time, Horatio describes how just before Julius Caesar was murdered, ghosts were seen walking the streets of Rome and the heavens rained fire. Later, just before the play within the play, Hamlet asks Polonius about his acting at university, and Polonius says that he played Julius Caesar. This is probably an in-joke, since it is likely that the actor playing Polonius did play the title character in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar; and Richard Burbage, the actor playing Hamlet, may have played Brutus.
KING
Aside from the original list of characters, Claudius is never designated by his name, but only by the title King. In Q1, he is known only as King.
LAERTES
Laertes is the son of Polonius. His first desire is to return to France and, unlike Hamlet's desire to return to Wittenberg, Laertes' wish is granted. Before he leaves, he instructs Ophelia to reject Hamlet, claiming that since a prince cannot marry for love, she will only end up discarded and dishonored. When Polonius is killed, Laertes returns in a rage, with followers who want to proclaim him king, and threatens Claudius. However, he is quickly won over by Claudius and turns his rage on Hamlet. This rage is only increased when Ophelia, who has gone mad, drowns. At her funeral, Hamlet and Laertes scuffle in the grave, trying to prove who loved her most. Claudius and Laertes then plot Hamlet's death. Claudius comes up with the plan of accidental death during a supposedly friendly fencing match, but it is Laertes who adds the refinement of poisoning the foil's tip. He has an unction, bought from a mountebank, that he may have purchased originally to murder Claudius after Polonius' death. Despite Laertes' supposed greater skill at fencing, he at first cannot hit Hamlet and, when he finally does (after a pass that Hamlet has won), Hamlet is able to wrestle the sharpened weapon away from him and use it against him. Laertes is wounded and confesses that the sword that has cut them both was poisoned and that Claudius is to blame. He forgives Hamlet and is forgiven by him before he dies.
LAMORD
A "ghost character." Lamord is a Norman who Claudius says came to court and praised Laertes' ability to duel, thereby arousing Hamlet's envy.
LORD
In Q2 only, after Osric has approached Hamlet about the duel with Laertes, and left to return his answer, a Lord enters to ask if Hamlet will have the duel now or later. After Hamlet agrees to play the bout immediately, the Lord further reports that Gertrude has requested that Hamlet speak gently to Laertes and ask his forgiveness before the bout.
LORDS
In Q2 only, when Hamlet and Laertes struggle in Ophelia's grave, the Lords remonstrate with them.
LUCIANUS
Lucianus is the murderer in the play within the play. Hamlet, whether subconsciously or to threaten Claudius, states that Lucianus is the nephew, rather than the brother of the king/duke of the play.
MARCELLUS
Marcellus is one of the guards to see the Ghost. He is terrified, but not quite as much as is Barnardo. He and Barnardo have seen the apparition twice before and have invited Horatio to come see it. When the Ghost appears the first time in the play, Marcellus urges Horatio to speak to it, and after it leaves, turns the conversation to the current war preparations. When the Ghost appears again, he is willing to strike at it, although he is ashamed of his violent impulses afterwards. He goes with Horatio and Barnardo to find Hamlet and tell him what they have seen, and, unlike Barnardo, watches for the Ghost with Hamlet and Horatio the next night. He attempts to hold Hamlet back when the Ghost asks him to follow, and then urges Horatio to follow Hamlet rather than obey his order to stay behind. With Horatio, he swears on Hamlet's sword not to reveal what he has seen.
MESSENGER
The Messenger appears urging Claudius to run from Laertes and his followers, who have overrun the guard and are rapidly approaching. He later brings Claudius the letters from Hamlet, and tells Claudius that they were given to him by Claudio (a mistake for Horatio?)
MONTANO
In Q1, Reynaldo is named Montano. See REYNALDO.
NORWAY
A "ghost character." Norway is the uncle of Fortinbras and, although king, is evidentially old and bedridden. He does not realize that his nephew is planning to invade Denmark until Cornelius and Voltemand are sent by Claudius. When he does find out, he immediately demands that Fortinbras apologize for his actions. When Fortinbras does so, Norway is quickly appeased and suggests that he take the army already raised and fight in Poland.
OPHELIA
Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and in love with Hamlet. Both her brother (before he leaves for France) and her father forbid her to have any contact with Hamlet for fear that she will be used and discarded by the prince. When Hamlet bursts in on her, disheveled, she runs to her father, who assumes that his erratic behavior is due to rejected love. He tells her to come with him to see the king, but apparently changes his mind since she is not in the next scene (except in Q1, where the nunnery scene is shifted forward to precede the fishmonger scene). Polonius and Claudius arrange for Hamlet to meet Ophelia while the two of them observe the interview in secret. She attempts to return his gifts, and he becomes enraged, accusing her of lechery and face painting. After he leaves, she mourns the apparent overthrow of a noble mind. At the play within the play, Hamlet continues to taunt her with sexual talk. After Polonius is killed and Hamlet sent to England, Ophelia goes mad, singing songs and distributing flowers filled with symbolic significance. She falls (offstage) into a brook while trying to place a garland in a willow. Gertrude reports her death by drowning. She is buried with abbreviated rites, but on sanctified soil (though the doctor says she should be placed "in ground unsanctified"), and her corpse must suffer the indignity of being fought over by Hamlet and Laertes.
OSRIC
Osric appears only after Polonius' death. He may represent the man that Claudius has appointed to replace Polonius. Osric's job is to issue an invitation to Hamlet to take part in a friendly duel with Laertes, but he determined to do so in the most aristocratic and courtly fashion possible. Hamlet cannot resist making fun of him for his affectation, calling him a "waterfly" and requiring him to put on and take off his hat repeatedly, and speaking so elaborately that he quite confuses Osric. Osric finally withdraws after receiving a plain answer from Hamlet that he will accept the challenge. He passes out the weapons to Laertes and Hamlet and, although there is no clear textual evidence, is often assumed to be part of the plot, the one who makes sure Laertes receives the poisoned weapon. He judges the fencing match and is also the one who announces that Fortinbras is approaching at play's end.
PIRATES
"Ghost characters." After Hamlet is placed aboard ship for England, and after he has altered his death warrant to condemn Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instead, the ship is attacked by pirates. Hamlet is able to board the pirate vessel before it disengages. He bribes the pirates to return him to Denmark, where he arrives in time to witness Ophelia's funeral.
PLAYER
Before the play within the play, when Hamlet gives advice on how to act, an unspecified player (who may or may not be the First Player) responds to his instructions.
PLAYER KING
In the play within the play, the Player King describes the love he and his wife have, but warns that he is getting old and will soon die. He assures her that when he is dead, she will take a new husband, despite her protestations to the contrary. He lies down for a nap and Lucianus, with "help" from Hamlet, pours poison in his ear. At this point, the play is broken up by Claudius' rising. In Q1, the speech headings are "Duke" instead of "Player King" marking a more direct link The Mousetrap or The Murder of Gonzago, but a less direct link to the audience of Claudius and Gertrude.
PLAYER QUEEN
In the play within the play, the Player Queen describes and celebrates her love for her husband, and vehemently assures him that she will never marry again, to which Gertrude famously replies that "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." The Player Queen then leaves him when he wishes to rest. In Q1, the speech headings are "Duchess" instead of "Player Queen" marking a more direct link to The Mousetrap or The Murder of Gonzago, but a less direct link to the audience of Claudius and Gertrude.
PRIAM
Only mentioned. Priam was the King of Troy when it was conquered by the Greeks. The First Player, at Hamlet's request, describes the fall of Troy and the death of Priam at the hands of Pyrrhus.
PRIEST
The Priest, referred to as Doctor in the speech headings, oversees the burial of the drowned Ophelia, and refuses to allow her the full funeral rites because her death was doubtful, possibly a suicide.
PYRRHUS
Only mentioned. In the First Player's speech about the fall of Troy, he describes Pyrrhus hunting down Priam as Troy burns. He further describes how Pyrrhus finds Priam, but pauses before killing him, a symbolic reference to Hamlet's own delay and indecision.
PROLOGUE
In the play within the play, the Prologue follows the dumb show with a two-line speech asking for a patient hearing of the play. Hamlet refers to his speech the poesy of a ring.
POLONIUS
Polonius is the counselor to the King and father to Laertes and Ophelia. Old and overly talkative, he is constantly trying to take control of events. He gives his famous advice to Laertes ("neither a borrower nor a lender be") before the latter leaves for France, and then orders Ophelia to have nothing to do with Hamlet. He sets Reynaldo to spy on his son. When he hears that Hamlet has burst in on Ophelia in a wild state, he leaps to the conclusion that Hamlet's erratic behavior is caused by disappointed love, and immediately tells Claudius and Gertrude so. When Hamlet enters, Polonius has them withdraw and tries to test Hamlet himself, but ends up insulted and bewildered. He returns to announce the arrival of the players, and to listen to the First Player's speech, but finds it tedious and tries to interrupt, much to Hamlet's disgust. After the play is broken up, he hides behind an arras in Gertrude's closet in order to overhear their conversation. When, thinking the Queen in peril, he cries for help, Hamlet stabs him through the arras and kills him. Hamlet then drags his body away and hides it in the stairway. In Q1 he is called Corambis.
REYNALDO
Reynaldo is a servant of Polonius and is sent by him to France to spy on Laertes. Polonius instructs Reynaldo to claim that he himself has seen Laertes gaming, drinking or even visiting prostitutes, and then see if Laertes' friends avouch such behavior. Although Reynaldo does protest that these claims will dishonor Laertes, it is a feeble protest and quickly overruled by Polonius. In Q1 he is called Montano, F1 spells his name Reynoldo.
ROSENCRANTZ
Rosencrantz, with Guildenstern, are the pair of school friends that Claudius sends to spy on Hamlet, a duty they accept with obsequious haste. They first suggest to Hamlet that he is melancholy because of thwarted ambition, but Hamlet reveals nothing, although he is pleased when they tell him about the coming of the players. It is Rosencrantz who adds the detail that the adult players travel because child players have taken over the profession in the city. He and Guildenstern are present at the play within the play. After the play is broken up, they again appeal to Hamlet, asking him to tell them what is upsetting him. He is more openly scornful of them and again refuses to tell them anything. In Q2 only, they enter with Claudius immediately after Polonius' murder, only to be asked to withdraw by Gertrude. They return a moment later and are told to find and arrest Hamlet, which they do. They are given the task of escorting Hamlet to England (although this has been decided earlier since both Hamlet and Gertrude mention it in the closet scene). They continue on to England after Hamlet is taken aboard the pirate ship, unaware that he has changed their commission to ensure their deaths. The Ambassador arrives in the closing moments to announce that they have been put to death as the letter instructed. His name is spelled Rossencraft in Q1 and variously spelled Rosencraus (Q2–4; except II.ii.34 where it is Rosencrans), Rosincrane (F1 primary spelling), and Rosencrance or Rosincran (F1 secondary spellings).
ROSSENCRAFT
Spelling of Rosencrantz in Q1. See ROSENCRANTZ.
SAILOR
The Sailor gives Horatio a letter from Hamlet. He also states that he has letters for Claudius and Horatio promises to bring him to Claudius, but the letters are instead given to Claudius by the Messenger. The Messenger reports he received the letters from one Claudio, which may be a mistake for Horatio.
SECOND CLOWN
The Second Clown talks with the First Clown/gravedigger about whether or not Ophelia should have a Christian burial; he is of the opinion that if she were not a gentlewoman, she would not be so buried. He and the First Clown banter and then the First Clown sends him off to fetch some drink from Johan.
SERVANT
The Servant brings Horatio to the Sailors who have brought letters from Hamlet.
VOLTEMAND
Voltemand is one of the ambassadors dispatched to Norway to deal with the threat of Fortinbras. He and Cornelius return with news that Norway has put a stop to Fortinbras' planned invasion and instead has sent him and his army to fight in Poland. They also report that Norway has asked for passage through Denmark for Fortinbras.
YORICK
A "ghost character." Yorick was the court jester who died twenty-three years ago, and his skull is unearthed by the First Clown/gravedigger and shown to Hamlet, who recalls playing with the jester and kissing him. Hamlet, faced with the bare and stinking skull, is now appalled by these recollections and contemplates human mortality.
YOUNG FORTINBRAS
An alternate name for Fortinbras, used to distinguish him from his father.
YOUNG HAMLET
An alternate name for Hamlet, used to distinguish him from his father.