Hamlet – Prince of Denmark; too young to have inherited the throne when his father died Claudius – King of Denmark; brother of King Hamlet; the uncle/stepfather of young Hamlet; took over the throne from his brother King Hamlet, Sr. who died Gertrude – Queen of Denmark; mother of Hamlet; former wife of King Hamlet, now married to Claudius Polonius – chief advisor to Claudius; father of Laertes and Ophelia Ophelia – quasi-love interest of Hamlet Laertes – same age as Hamlet; home from school because of King Hamlet’s death

Setting  Denmark, within Christian times  Story was from sources placing the tale of Hamlet in pre-Christian times  From information of the play, we can assume it is set in the early Medieval period of Europe when the Danish held sway in England

Themes Power and position – shifts, FTAs Hamlet himself – one of the most multi-faceted characters of any Shakespearean play – no clear-cut picture of the man Madness – Is Hamlet crazy? Is he sane? Who is sane? Incest and intrigue – NOT necessarily an idea of Hamlet having an Oedipal complex (Freudian reading); between Claudius and Gertrude Indecision and revenge Mortality and beyond