# Hamlet — Hamlet character guide > Hamlet in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Prince Hamlet, Lord Hamlet, young Hamlet, the Dane, Hamlet the Dane, noble Hamlet, Cousin Hamlet **First appearance:** 0001-act-i ## Snapshot Denmark's grieving prince, back from university to a court already remade by his uncle's marriage, who finds the world itself has turned into a prison. ## Who they are Hamlet is the heir whose father is barely cold before his mother weds his uncle, and he wears his mourning like an accusation against everyone still feasting. He is brilliant, corrosive, and paralyzed by the gap between what he suspects and what he can prove, so he turns his grief into performance and his performance into a trap. His feigned madness and his hunger for certainty drive the play's central question: what does a thinking man do when action feels both necessary and impossible? ## Relationships ### [Horatio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/horatio) _friendship_ Horatio is Hamlet's most trusted and loyal friend, the only confidant to whom Hamlet reveals his true thoughts and plans. ### [Osric](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/osric) _social_ Osric is a foppish courtier whom Hamlet mocks and treats with condescending amusement during their brief interactions. ### [Polonius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/polonius) _rivalry_ Hamlet views Polonius as a meddlesome, foolish old man and treats him with contempt, eventually killing him by accident. ### [Rosencrantz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/rosencrantz) _friendship_ Rosencrantz is a former school friend of Hamlet, but their friendship is betrayed when Rosencrantz agrees to spy on Hamlet for Claudius. ### [First Clown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/first_clown) _social_ The First Clown (gravedigger) engages in a darkly humorous philosophical exchange with Hamlet while digging Ophelia's grave. ### [Player King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/player_king) _professional_ Hamlet hires the Player King and his troupe to perform a play that mirrors Claudius's murder, using them as tools for his revenge plot. ### [Horatio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/horatio) _friendship_ Horatio is Hamlet's most trusted and loyal friend, the only confidant to whom Hamlet reveals his true thoughts and plans. ### [Polonius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/polonius) _rivalry_ Hamlet views Polonius as a meddlesome, foolish old man and treats him with contempt, eventually killing him by accident. ### [Player King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/player_king) _professional_ Hamlet hires the Player King and his troupe to perform a play that mirrors Claudius's murder, using them as tools for his revenge plot. ### [Polonius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/polonius) _rivalry_ Hamlet views Polonius as a meddlesome, foolish old man and treats him with contempt, eventually killing him by accident. ### [Rosencrantz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/rosencrantz) _friendship_ Rosencrantz is a former school friend of Hamlet, but their friendship is betrayed when Rosencrantz agrees to spy on Hamlet for Claudius. ### [Osric](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/osric) _social_ Osric is a foppish courtier whom Hamlet mocks and treats with condescending amusement during their brief interactions. ## In the story ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-ii) Grieves deeply for his father and expresses disgust at his mother's remarriage; learns of the ghost and plans to watch for it. ### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iv) Determined to follow the Ghost despite warnings, reflecting on the king's revelry and the corruption of reputation. ### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-i-scene-v) Confronts the Ghost, learns of his father's murder, and swears revenge. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-i) Hamlet appears in Ophelia's closet in a disheveled state, acting strangely and silently, which Polonius attributes to lovesickness. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-ii) Interacts with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, reveals his melancholy and distrust, discusses the players, and plans to use the play to test Claudius's guilt. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i) Delivers the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy; confronts Ophelia with harsh, misogynistic language; feigns madness and rejects her. ### [Scene II: The Mousetrap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-ii) Directs the play, observes Claudius's reaction, and confirms the ghost's word. He then toys with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and resolves to confront his mother. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iii) Decides not to kill Claudius while he is praying, seeking a more vengeful opportunity. ### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-iv) Confronts his mother, kills Polonius, sees the Ghost, and reveals his feigned madness. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-ii) Taunts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with cryptic remarks about the body and the king. ### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii) Mocks Claudius with dark humor about Polonius's death and accepts his banishment to England. ### [Scene IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iv) Observes Fortinbras's army and delivers a soliloquy condemning his own delay in avenging his father. ### [Scene VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vi) Sends a letter describing his pirate encounter and his escape. ### [Scene VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-vii) Mentioned as having returned to Denmark and sent letters; the target of Claudius and Laertes's conspiracy. ### [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-v-scene-i) Reflects on mortality while holding Yorick's skull, then confronts Laertes at Ophelia's grave. ### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-v-scene-ii) Narrates his escape and alteration of the death warrant; apologizes to Laertes; participates in the fatal duel. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters/hamlet - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hamlet_se/characters