Summaries for all major characters of Hamlet plus general themes and the play within the play
Super helpful for those taking the Pearson Edexcel A-Level English Literature exams - these notes helped me get an A* in mine!
Hamlet Analyses
Hamlet Hamlet is received as the hero of the play, yet all of his actions would suggest the opposite, perhaps an intentional decision by Shakespeare in order to
mock revenge tragedies that had come before his. Hamlet is demonstrated to be focused on only his goals, to the extent that he is shown to be largely
unaffected by the collateral damage of his attempts to seek these. Not only is he entirely self-absorbed, but he is also misogynistic and classist,
showing the greatest of disrespect for those he believes to be of lesser importance than him and failing to recognise the immorality of this. Furthering
this, he seems to have a complete inability to recognise his own faults and take responsibility for his actions, deflecting blame towards the madness
that consumes him that may or may not be genuine. Hamlet also seems to find great difficulty in accepting the truth that his mother is a sexual being
and continually comments on his disgust towards her relationship with his uncle, even if there are more serious circumstances to be dealt with.
Perhaps, this is linked to the idea that he is a misogynist and forces women under expectations that he himself does not abide to; he crudely discusses
Ophelia’s sexuality but expects the women around him to be chaste, demonstrating his possession of double standards and the belief that the
circumstances of his birth make him invincible. Ultimately, this proves to be untrue, as he falls to Laertes’ sword, perhaps a poignant retribution for all
the hurt and manipulation that Hamlet inflicted upon his assailant’s sister, which resulted in her decline into madness and eventual death. However,
the contrasting last actions of the two men makes for a great summary of their character throughout the play. Laertes dies at the hands of his own
sword and accepts his fate, feeling as sense of realisation as he dies that he has been taken advantage of by the royal court throughout his life and his
death will put an end to this. His last few words are spent warning Hamlet and agreeing forgiveness with him, demonstrating a true heroic nature in
that, despite the prince’s immorality, he was prepared to absolve him for all his crimes. Laertes died because he was used by Claudius and brought into
the situation by Hamlet, neither of whom truly cared for his life, yet, despite the abuse he and his family had endured, he was the most valiant and
compassionate in death. Hamlet, meanwhile, spent his dying moments killing Claudius, suggesting that only when he no longer had anything to lose
was he prepared to carry out the deed which had already harmed so many, and preserving his own reputation, conveying his self-centred nature that
paid little attention to the true victims of the situation he caused and exacerbated. If Hamlet had not been so protective of his own life chances, he
could have avenged his father from the beginning and prevented the deaths of many innocent souls, something which he tellingly fails to realise even
as he passes.
Gertrude Gertrude’s role in the play is largely minimised, perhaps a ploy by Shakespeare to convey her devotion to her husband and compliance with all that he
does. She attempts to act as the peacemaker between her husband and son, but is frequently rebuffed by the latter who is openly disgusted at her
actions, setting the tone that she is to be ignored throughout. Although positioned on the ‘wrong’ side of things, Gertrude does have a redeeming
quality in the fact that she is the only character who seems to be sympathetic to Ophelia whilst she is alive, perhaps due to their shared position as a
disregarded feminine presence within the court. However, Gertrude’s higher position within the institution affords her more respect than Ophelia and
she is spared the grotesque mistreatment of the latter, instead seeming to accept her circumstances as her constant closeness to her husband would
suggest. But it is this closeness that leads to her demise, as she is caught in the crossfire of Claudius’s plot to kill Hamlet. Her dying moments are spent
warning Hamlet about Claudius’s poisoned wine, perhaps signifying that she has finally realised the immoral nature of her husband and where her
loyalties should really lie. However, the fact that this is done after Hamlet has already been inflicted with his final wound demonstrates that it is too
late; Gertrude has been complicit in the abuses committed by the Royal Court throughout her tenure so any retribution she attempts to gain now will
not saving many from suffering as a result. Potentially, Shakespeare is insinuating, in an arguably misogynistic way, that Gertrude is at fault for this
, series of events, as it all began from her adulterous relationship with Claudius. Here, there is a parallel to be drawn between Shakespeare and Hamlet
as they seem to demonise the Queen’s adultery to the same extent that they do Claudius’s murder.
Claudius Claudius, the play’s antagonist, is driven to murderous action due to his pursuit for power and arguably his sexual appetite. He deploys calculated,
premeditated tactics to impose harm upon others, even those who is supposed to love, demonstrating a cold-hearted nature and lack of valuation of
familial relationships. However, he does occasionally exhibit traits that reveal his humanity, expressing guilt towards his brother’s murder, although
not enough to earn him retribution or, indeed, dissuade him from murdering his nephew. Claudius, as the head of the Royal Court, oversees its actions
and is therefore complicit in the harm inflicted upon others. In fact, he is more than complicit in the mistreatment and death of Laertes, whom he
manipulates into doing his bidding, with little care for the potential consequences. This is telling of Claudius’s character and the air of superiority he
carries about his person, although there is an argument that he is at least more self-aware than Hamlet due to his recognition of the immorality of his
actions, even if this is not enough to convince him not to enact them. Overall, Claudius is a selfish character who dies begging for others to save his life,
despite his constant disregard for those below him throughout the play and the fact that the two men in front of him are doomed to their own deaths
due to his intentional actions. In addition, he attempts to assert his own strength, stressing that he is “but hurt”, in a way that suggests that he feels his
life is salvageable and that others in the room should be bound to protect and save him. Even in death, Claudius expresses no sorrow for the nature of
his actions or real consideration for anyone but himself, presenting him as the symbol for the Royal Court: self-absorbed and obsessed with
preservation, willing to see others harm to further themselves.
Polonius Polonius is part of a family that is seen as expendable within ‘Hamlet’ as he and his two children find their deaths as a result of their intertwinement
with the Royal Court. His first involvement in the play conveys that he is a concerned father who is anxious about both Laertes’ imminent departure
and Ophelia’s tempestuous relationship with the powerful Prince Hamlet. Here provides a secure and close family unit that starkly contrasts the
dysfunction and tension between the trio of Claudius, Gertrude and Hamlet. Perhaps the inability of either unit to survive is Shakespeare conveying the
inability of familial relationships to outweigh the influence of the upper classes. However, despite Polonius’s outward appearance of a perfect father,
he is open to using his children to further the family’s status, believing that a sense of blind loyalty to Claudius his most important responsibility. Due
to this, he sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes and uses his daughter as bait to trick Hamlet, despite the emotional harm this causes her, indicating that
all the relationships in the play are ambiguous and contributing to the atmosphere of the play that constantly questions the characters’ motives.
Polonius is also used by Shakespeare as a form of comic relief, as his speech is often unwisely drawn out and his intellectual flaws pointed out to the
audience, sometimes by other characters like Hamlet. This contributes to the play’s theme of self-certainty, as many characters appeared assured in
their own righteousness despite what seems to the audience as obvious flaws in their disposition. Ultimately, Polonius’s death signifies both the
mistreatment towards his family by Hamlet’s and also his position as a foil to Hamlet’s existential struggle with self-knowledge; Polonius’s lack of self-
awareness is harmless because he does not have the harmful power of those who preside above him, whilst Hamlet’s lack of self-certainty causes the
tragic death of an innocent man because he is equally unaware of his surroundings and eager to assert dominance in order to crush these feelings.
Laertes Laertes is demonstrated to be passionate by nature and a caring character through his intentions to protect his family, but he is also shown to be blind
to his own hypocrisy and how this contributes to the mistreatment of women. At the beginning of the play, he lectures Ophelia on her relationship
with Hamlet, warning her of the immoralities of men, despite having intentions to head to France to engage with (and presumably subsequently
desert) young women. Here, he mirrors Hamlet in the way that he holds different standards to women than he does for himself, and also his outward
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