The characterization of Hamlet in the play of the same name by William Shakespeare delves into the personality and aspirations of the character. This gloomy man, weighed down by many internal and external factors, is not unambiguously good or evil hero. The author managed to create interesting personality, which is tormented by doubts and own ambitions.

Description of the image

The characterization of Hamlet should begin with how exactly the character appears at first. This pundit is the heir to the throne of Denmark, not devoid of military training. The training he completed in the best European institutions, where Giordano Bruno himself taught the ideas of the Renaissance, left an obvious mark on him. From an ordinary avenger who rushes in a fit of emotions and feelings to execute traitors, Hamlet is tormented by unusual doubts that should be considered under the prism of his human motives. The hero loves to think, and even more than to act, which is typical of Shakespeare's images, but here the problem is different. He can quickly end problems, but he is looking for the most correct way for this.

Plot twists and turns

The characterization of Hamlet should be carried out from the point of view of a mature person who has already formed views on the world. Studying at the best universities in Europe was not in vain and gave the character a good desire to change the world in better side. Only now, over time, he is faced with how deeply vicious people have become. Evil has taken root in each of them in one way or another, and it is from this that his torment begins. In addition to everything, his uncle Claudius kills Hamlet's father for the sake of profit and the desired power, which once again proves the correctness of the views of the protagonist.

Internal torment about why the world has become so vicious was reinforced by external factors. The pressure of the need for revenge, the loss of loved ones, family betrayal - all this only drove the man more into the abyss of dark thoughts. It was in them that the hero Hamlet was lost throughout the author's story. The characterization at this point may be incorrect from the position of his weakness, but this is not at all the case.

Issues, part 1

Ophelia described the Danish prince as a strong and intelligent warrior, able to deal with all problems. And this is indeed an accurate statement. It would seem that then he should not be tormented by doubts, but simply to carry out revenge. This is where the characterization of Hamlet reveals him from the side of an extraordinary personality for his time. Killing for revenge is not an option for him at all, because it will only give rise to even more evil in the world. He does not want to follow the same path and become part of all the intrigues and conspiracies at court. From local problems about betrayal and murder, his thoughts flow into a more global direction - changing the world. The active mind of a sane person tries to find a solution to this problem, but it fails to do so.

Hamlet argues that good and evil do not exist, and such concepts arise only from human judgments. The inconsistency only puts even more pressure on him, which the reader feels throughout the reading of William Shakespeare's play.

Issues, part 2

All of Hamlet's reasoning comes to a legendary contradictory phrase that has passed through the ages. She simply and clearly describes his torment. To be and do what he must as the son of his father in order to overthrow the deceitful uncle or even kill him. At the same time, not to be, because revenge will not bring anything good, but will only violate his inner desire to make the world at least a little better. It is in the context of this statement that the main problem- the inability to realize their own ambitions.

In characterizing the hero of Hamlet, it is worth mentioning that he is a man of modern times with reasoning characteristic of great philosophers. The man was ahead of the era and sincerely wants to improve the world of people, but he simply cannot do this. His reflections often show how weak one person is in front of huge amount vices. You can see them every day, because even family bonds do not become an obstacle to betrayal and murder. This topic is so global that other character traits of the character are lost against its background, except for the ability to think.

The other side of the hero

In the work of Shakespeare, among all the main characters, the characteristic of Hamlet is the most multifaceted. On the one hand, he seems to be a thinker with a philosophical disposition towards theory rather than practice. At the same time, his speech is not devoid of aspirations, he wants to act, but does not know exactly how and where to direct this desire. His desire to fight evil intentions even at the cost of his life, despite the fact that the character is aware of the lack of results, extols him from the other side.

If we put in a row the characteristics of Hamlet and Shakespeare's heroes from the same play of the same name, the difference is immediately visible. He has a formed worldview, pure thoughts and a willingness to defend them to the bitter end. The understanding that in the current conditions he cannot do anything, but still continues to look for ways to solve it, only causes more respect. It is the versatility of the hero that attracts readers to this day. Shakespeare managed to create a person who is ready to solve problems, but showed his small role against the general background of people's actions.

conclusions

Conclusions according to Shakespeare from the characterization of Hamlet must be made on the basis of comparison. The hero clearly stepped ahead of all the people around him, as can be seen from his communication with them. Even the philosopher Horatio, with his detachment, looks pale in comparison with the furious aspirations of the Prince of Denmark. The character is capable of thinking, but his reasoning is at odds with his actions. He can't seem to find the most correct option, and at the same time does not try any other, as he doubts his decisions. He does not have support and understanding, the pressure of external factors also greatly affects the man. In the end, he wins and loses at the same time. Along with the death of the character, all traitors of the family also die.

In their last words Hamlet calls on humanity to change and take the side of good. He urges Horatio to tell the world how vicious the Danish royal court is. Last phrases demonstrate that even at death he did not abandon his aspirations, and in last time urged people to strive to eradicate evil.

Tormented by the problem of choosing between honor and duty, for 500 years now, Hamlet has made readers and theater lovers think about the meaning of life, human destiny and the imperfection of society. Immortal work " tragic story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" is considered one of the most famous tragedies in the world. This story is not just a murder on highest level that happened in the Kingdom of Denmark. The value of the image of the young prince lies in the feelings that force the reader to experience.

History of creation

During the tenure of William Shakespeare, works for theater productions were created on the basis of existing plays. "Hamlet" was no exception - back in the 7th century, the Danish chronicler Saxon Grammaticus wrote down the legend of Prince Hamlet, which is part of the collection of Scandinavian sagas. Based on her motives, a contemporary and compatriot of the English playwright (it is assumed that it was Thomas Kidd) composed a play that was staged in theaters, but has not survived to this day. In those days, there was a joke about "a bunch of Hamlets scattering handfuls of tragic monologues."

In the period 1600-1601, Shakespeare simply remade literary work. The work of the great poet differs from the Scandinavian primary source in the refinement of the artistic canvas and meaning: the author shifted the focus from external struggle to the spiritual suffering of the main character. Although the audience still saw, first of all, a bloody story.

The tragedy went through three editions during Shakespeare's lifetime. However, researchers believe that all of them were created without the permission of the author and are considered “pirated”, because only some monologues are fully recorded in each, while the speeches of other characters are either poorly presented or completely absent. The fact is that the publishers paid the actors for "draining" the plays, but the actors could literally reproduce only their own words in the production.

Scene V from Hamlet: Act IV (Ophelia before the King and Queen)

Later, literary scholars managed to compose full text plays. The only thing left "behind the scenes" is the final form of the work, which was presented to the public. Modern division plays on acts and actions does not belong to the author.

In Russia, dozens of writers tried to translate Hamlet. most famous tragedy Shakespeare is read "from the words" of the poet and translator Mikhail Lozinsky and the writer. The latter endowed the work with a more vivid artistic language.

Plot and characters

Shakespeare included many characters in the list of the main characters of the tragedy:

Claudius - King of Denmark;
Hamlet is the son of the deceased and the king's nephew;
Polonius is an approximate nobleman of the reigning king;
Horatio is a learned friend of Hamlet;
Laertes is the son of Polonius;
Ophelia - daughter of Polonius, beloved of Hamlet;
Gertrude - mother of Hamlet, widow of the previous king, wife of Claudius;
Rosencrantz and Guildestern are friends of Hamlet;
The ghost of Hamlet's father.

The plot of the play is based on the thirst for vengeance of the Danish prince on the current king for the murder of his father. A ghost appears every night in front of the castle in Elsinore. Once Horatio is convinced that these are not rumors, but reality, and tells about what he saw to Hamlet, who came from school to attend his father's funeral. The grief of the young man is aggravated by the betrayal of his mother - immediately after the death of her husband, Gertrude married his brother.

The young man manages to talk to night shadow the deceased autocrat, who told the truth: the king was poisoned by Claudius when he was resting peacefully in the garden. The ghost begs his son to avenge him. Hamlet decides to pretend to be crazy in order to bring his uncle to clean water.

The first to suspect about the madness of Hamlet was his beloved girl Ophelia. Soon the news that the prince had gone mad reached the king. But the monarch is not so easy to deceive, and he sends the young man's friends - Rosencrantz and Guildestern - to find out the truth. Hamlet immediately reveals the purpose of the sent comrades, therefore he continues to play insane.

The prince comes up with another plan related to the arrival of artists in the city. Hamlet asks the troupe to insert a couple of poems into the play own composition about the murder of the protagonist Priam. The king, present at the performance, cannot stand such a direct indication of guilt and leaves the theater, thereby betraying his crime.

Prince Hamlet is invited into the chambers by the Queen, outraged by her son's behavior. During the conversation, he mistakenly takes Polonius hiding behind the carpet for the king and pierces him with a sword.

Shocked by the murder of his father, Laertes arrives from Paris, but another surprise awaits at home - sister Ophelia has gone crazy. And King Claudius decides to destroy Hamlet with the hands of an angry Laertes, having come up with a cunning idea: the offspring of Polonius will meet the prince in a duel in which he will hit him with a poisoned sword.

Before the duel, for fidelity, the ruler puts a goblet of wine and poison on the table to give Hamlet a drink. In this performance, everyone was destined to die: Laertes wounded the enemy, when changing rapiers, the Danish prince dealt a mortal blow with a poisonous sword to Laertes and the king, while the queen accidentally drank poisoned wine.

When analyzing a work, literary critics give a very specific description of the hero. Main character tragedy becomes a misanthrope, because it is impossible to remain a philanthropist, while maintaining honor, in such a society. According to socionics, Hamlet's personality type is an ethical-intuitive extrovert: a romantic intolerant of evil is prone to endless reasoning, doubts and hesitations, focused on global problems humanity. He asks questions whether people are worthy of happiness, what is the meaning of life, is it possible to eradicate evil.

A humanist, a man of modern times, he is tormented by the need to take revenge. But decisions are given to Hamlet with difficulty, because he is not sure that the world will change for the better with the departure of Claudius. Yes, and the murder will compare him with those who are on " dark side". The hero is waiting for continuous disappointments, even in love. He comes to the conclusion that man is a creature weak before evil. He cannot come to terms with injustice, but it is also not easy to find the strength to take decisive steps.

The philosophical essence of "Hamlet" is the tragedy of the conflict of a high personality with a society where lies, betrayal and hypocrisy flourish. The prince's reasoning speaks of an internal struggle, the hero is torn between a sense of duty and his worldview. And the famous monologue “To be or not to be” does not just reflect the question of all time: what is easier - to come to terms with misfortunes and continue to live, or to end mental suffering by death. The question of choice is brought to the fore: to fight injustice or to humbly reconcile.

Productions and film adaptations

Number of theater and film performances immortal work is uncountable. The first image of Shakespeare's Hamlet was embodied by Richard Burbage at the London Globe Theater in early XVII century. In the future, the story of the Prince of Denmark was transferred to the stage of the temples of Melpomene in almost every corner the globe. Hamlet appeared in the cinema in 1907 - the Frenchman Georges Méliès presented the audience with a silent short film. Who took the lead role is still unclear.

Let's take a look at the most interesting performances English tragedy in cinema and theater:

"Hamlet" (1964)

A two-part drama dedicated to the 400th birthday of William Shakespeare was directed by Grigory Kozintsev, choosing the inimitable for the key role. 10 years before the film adaptation, Kozintsev staged the play at the Drama Theater. , and she passed with resounding success. The film adaptation was waiting for the same degree of popularity, and not only in the Soviet Union.

While nurturing the idea of the film, the director immediately decided on Hamlet. However, the actors for the rest of the main roles were not inferior in talent to Smoktunovsky. Ofelia was played by the fragile, already familiar to the audience as Assol from " scarlet sails and Gutierre from Amphibian Man. The film stars Mikhail Nazvanov (King Claudius), Elsa Radzin (Queen Gertrude), Yuri Tolubeev (Polonius).

"Hamlet I Collage" (2013)

The play by Canadian director Robert Lepage captivated the audience with its originality, becoming the highlight of the season at the Theater of Nations. The unusualness of the work is that he embodied all the images, and high 3D technologies were used in the production itself.

Mironov shows the world the wonders of reincarnation, instantly changing images. The authors of the production managed to harmoniously combine circus tricks and animation, enhanced by brilliant acting. The biography of Hamlet has undergone significant changes.

"Hamlet" (2015)

The delight of the English theatergoers was caused by a performance with the participation. The production glorified the name of the actor, but in general it received not flattering reviews.

Tickets began to be sold in the summer a year before the premiere, and by mid-autumn the box office was empty. Benedict was called the incomparable Hamlet.

"Hamlet" (2016)

In the spring of 2016 in St. Petersburg Maly drama theater presented the new Hamlet. The modernity of the Danish prince is betrayed by clothes - in leading role wears jeans on stage.

But innovations are not at all in clothes, but in the sense: Dodin reoriented Hamlet's thoughts from a thirst for justice to revenge in its purest manifestation. The young man appears possessed by the killer. Ophelia is playing.

The role of Hamlet is the longest in Shakespeare's plays. The volume of the text, sounding from his mouth, is 1506 lines. And in general, the tragedy is larger than the other works of the author - it stretched for 4 thousand lines.
For the author's contemporaries, the tragedy was a tale of bloody revenge. And only in late XVIII century, he turned the perception of the work upside down - he saw in the main character not an avenger, but a thinking representative of the Renaissance.
In 2012, the character took second place in the Guinness Book of Records for the frequency of appearance. book characters from among the people in the cinema and on television (turned out to be the leader).

Crimea has often become a filming location Soviet films. The scene of the monologue "To be or not to be ..." performed by Innokenty Smoktunovsky was filmed at the "Children's Beach" in Alupka.
According to socionics, such types as Hamlet (ethical-intuitive extravert) and (logical-intuitive extravert) will make up a harmonious business or family union. In a pair of "Hamlet and Jack" relationships can remain in balance for a long time: the first partner is responsible for communication skills, the emotional component, the second - for the reasonable use and distribution of resources.

Quotes

"There are many things in nature, friend Horatio, that our wise men never dreamed of."

"And then silence."

"How often blindness has saved us,
Where foresight only failed!”

"Closer to a son, but farther away than a friend."

"You turned your eyes pupils into the soul."

"Don't drink wine, Gertrude!"

"Great in desires are not powerful."

"The madness of the strong requires supervision."

"Call me any instrument, you can upset me, but you can't play me."

Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet"

Characteristics of the main character

Hamlet Prince of Denmark is the main character of the tragedy by W. Shakespeare. His image is central to the tragedy. The bearer of the main thought, philosophical conclusions of the whole work is Hamlet. The hero's speeches are full of aphorisms, well-aimed observations, wit and sarcasm. Shakespeare accomplished the most difficult of artistic tasks - he created the image of a great thinker.

Plunging into the events of Shakespeare's tragedy, we observe all the versatility of the protagonist's character. Hamlet is not only a man strong passions, but also of high intellect, a person who reflects on the meaning of life, on ways to fight evil. He is a man of his era, who carries within himself its duality. On the one hand, Hamlet understands that “man is the beauty of the universe! The crown of all living! ”; on the other hand, “the quintessence of dust. None of the people make me happy."

the main objective this hero from the beginning of the play, revenge for the murder of his father is contrary to his nature, because. Hamlet is a man of the new time, an adherent of humanistic views, and he is incapable of causing pain and suffering to other people. But, knowing the bitterness of disappointment, the torment through which he goes, Hamlet comes to the realization that fighting for justice, he will have to resort to force.

Around him, he sees only betrayal, deceit, betrayal, “that you can live with a smile and be a scoundrel with a smile; at least in Denmark." He is disappointed in his “contemptible love”, in his mother, uncle - “Oh, pernicious woman! Scoundrel, smiling scoundrel, damned scoundrel! His reflections on the purpose of man, on the meaning of life acquire a tragic coloring. Before our eyes, the hero is going through a difficult struggle between a sense of duty and his own convictions.

Hamlet is capable of great and faithful friendship. In his relationships, he is alien to feudal prejudices: he appreciates people according to their personal qualities, and not according to the position they occupy.

Hamlet's monologues reveal the internal struggle that he leads with himself. He constantly reproaches himself for inactivity, tries to understand whether he is capable of any action at all. He even thinks about suicide:

“To be or not to be is the question;

What is nobler in spirit - to submit

Slings and arrows of a furious fate

Or, taking up arms against the sea of troubles, slay them

Confrontation? Die, sleep

But only; and say that you are ending with a dream

Longing and a thousand natural torments,

Legacy of the flesh - how such a denouement

Don't crave? Die, sleep. - Fall asleep!

And dream, maybe? That is the difficulty” (5, p. 44)

Shakespeare shows the consistent development of Hamlet's character. The strength of this image is not in what actions it does, but in what it feels and forces readers to experience.

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Plan to characterize the image of Hamlet:

1. Introduction.

2) The protagonist of the tragedy.

3) Hamlet's aspiration.

4) Hamlet's attitude towards Ophelia.

5) Hamlet's attitude towards other people.

6) Hamlet's views on life.

7) Hamlet's conclusions on the fight against evil.

Famous English poet W. Shakespeare wrote his outstanding tragedy Hamlet in 1601. In this poetic work, the author reworked the plot of the famous ancient legend and connected it with the plot of a medieval play about a fictional prince named Hamlet. W. Shakespeare managed with extraordinary depth to reflect the tragedy of humanism, but rather its absence in the then society.

Prince Danish Hamlet became a bright and unsurpassed image of a humanist who found himself in the world around him, hostile to humanistic ideas. The insidious murder of his father opens the eyes of the prince to the evil that has taken possession of the country. He considers his main duty, not ordinary, but blood feud, the search for those responsible for the death of his father. This desire eventually grows into his public duty and raises him to the struggle for justice and humanism, for a just cause, which at that time was the most important historical task.

But with this struggle, Hamlet hesitates and constantly reproaches himself for his inaction. Sometimes the author expresses the opinion that Hamlet is not capable of decisive action and is only an observer and thinker, a naturally weak-nerved person. But that's not the case at all. The protagonist of the tragedy has a powerful force of feelings that was inherent in the people of the Renaissance. He takes the death of his father very hard and does not accept the shameful marriage of his mother.

At the same time, Hamlet loves Ophelia with all his heart, but she is unhappy with him. His cruelty to the girl and insults to her do not indicate that he is really a cruel and rude person, but only that he loved Ophelia very much and was also very disappointed in his love.

Hamlet is distinguished by nobility and most of his actions come from his high humanistic ideas about what should be honest man. He is capable of not only big love but also for a great true friendship. He values people not by their material or social status but for their personal qualities. But his only true friend is the student Horatio. This is another proof that Hamlet is hostile towards officials, and meets people of art and science with all his love.

Hamlet is a man of a philosophical mindset. He can comprehend individual facts as an expression of important general civil phenomena. But it is not at all a penchant for reflection that delays him on the path to a real struggle, but the conclusions to which he eventually comes, and sad reflections about the world around him. The events that take place at the court allow the main character of the tragedy to come to conclusions regarding individual people and the whole world.

If the world allows the existence of such evil that occurs around Hamlet, if such eternal human values as love, friendship, honesty and dignity perish in it, then he really went crazy. The world it seems to the hero either a city overgrown with weeds, or a well-ordered prison with cells, casemates and dungeons, or a lush garden that breeds only evil and a wild family.

And the “To be or not to be” familiar to all of us is nothing but doubts about the value human life. And enumerating the various misfortunes of man, Hamlet describes the customs of the then society. For example, the hero perceives poverty as a great grief for a person, because he has to endure:

But Hamlet is struck not only by the criminality of Claudius, but also by the whole system of principles of life and life incomprehensible to him. moral values. He understands that limiting himself to only revenge, he will not change anything in the world around him, because another official will come to the place of the murdered Claudius, perhaps even worse. Hamlet still does not refuse revenge, but at the same time he realizes that his task is much broader and consists in counteracting the common evil.

The magnitude of this task and the objective unreality of fulfilling Hamlet's aspirations predetermine the extreme complexity inner life and actions of the protagonist of the tragedy. Surrounded by a dishonest game, in a life that is entangled in the networks of meanness, it is extremely difficult for him to define his own society and find effective means of struggle. The scale of evil oppresses Hamlet, makes him disappointed in life and realizes the insignificance of his forces. Man and the world are not what they seemed to Hamlet before.

Revenge Theme

The theme of revenge in Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet" is embodied in the images of Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras. Compositionally, Hamlet stands in the center, and not only because of his personal significance. Hamlet's father is killed, but Hamlet's father killed Fortinbras's father, and Hamlet himself kills Laertes' father.

The theme of morality

In Shakespeare's tragedy, two principles, two systems of public morality clashed: humanism, which asserts the right of every person to his share of earthly goods, and predatory individualism, which allows one to trample others and even all.

For Prince Hamlet, the basis of order and justice is morality. He refuses revenge as an outdated form of punishment. He dreams of justice and tries to assert it with his actions. However, the prince, like his ancestors, usurps the right to decide the fate of a person. The purpose of his life is to establish moral laws in the country of his father through the shaming or destruction of those responsible, in his opinion, that "something has rotted in our Danish state."

Shakespeare shows that not only reality is tragic, in which evil is so powerful, but it is also tragic that this reality can lead to beautiful person, which is Hamlet, into an almost hopeless state.

Theme of life and death

The theme of death constantly arises in Hamlet's reasoning: it is in direct relationship with the awareness of the frailty of being.

Life is so hard that to get rid of its horrors it is not difficult to commit suicide. Death is like sleep. But Hamlet is not sure whether a person's mental anguish ends with death. Dead flesh cannot suffer. But the soul is immortal. What future is prepared for her "in her death dream"? A person cannot know this, because on the other side of life is “an unknown land, from where there is no return to earthly wanderers.”

Characteristics of the main character

Plunging into the events of Shakespeare's tragedy, we observe all the versatility of the protagonist's character. Hamlet is not only a man of strong passions, but also of high intellect, a man who reflects on the meaning of life, on ways to fight evil. He is a man of his era, who carries within himself its duality. On the one hand, Hamlet understands that “man is the beauty of the universe! The crown of all living! ”; on the other hand, “the quintessence of dust. None of the people make me happy."

The main goal of this hero from the beginning of the play is revenge for the murder of his father, contrary to his nature, because. Hamlet is a man of the new time, an adherent of humanistic views, and he is incapable of causing pain and suffering to other people. But, knowing the bitterness of disappointment, the torment through which he goes, Hamlet comes to the realization that fighting for justice, he will have to resort to force.

Shakespeare shows the consistent development of Hamlet's character. The strength of this image is not in what actions it does, but in what it feels and forces readers to experience.

Minor characters

Image Hamlet is revealed in its entirety in relationships with all the characters. The space of a tragedy is a multi-vector structure, almost every vector of which makes the existing confrontation between the protagonist and certain characters of the play visual. All the characters in "Hamlet" are direct participants in the dramatic action and can be combined according to their own characteristics.

Conventionally, Claudius and Gertrude represent the first vector in the field of dramatic conflict. The mother and uncle of the protagonist of the tragedy are a ruler who usurps power.

The second is Polonius and Osric. The chancellor of the Danish kingdom, who is at the top of feudal society, is a poor copy of a talented intriguer, united in their readiness to carry out any order of power, not forgetting about their own benefit.

The third is Ophelia and Laertes, the daughter and son of Polonius, whose fate is directly connected with the actions of Hamlet.

The fourth is Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's fellow students at the University of Wittenberg.

The fifth is Prince Fortinbras. Hamlet will not meet him on stage, but the feeling that Fortinbras is a kind of double of the protagonist does not disappear. Some events in the life of the Norwegian prince coincide with the story of Prince Hamlet (as, by the way, with the story of Laertes), nevertheless, life priorities everyone defines it differently. In the real space of the tragedy, Fortinbras can be a couple to his father, who was killed by King Hamlet, Hamlet himself and Laertes.

Outside the system is real acting heroes remains the character who creates the plot of the main storyline is the Ghost, the shadow of Hamlet's father.

Claudius

The image of Claudius captures the type of a bloody usurper monarch.

“The killer and the serf;

Smerd, smaller than twenty times one tenth

The one who was your husband; jester on the throne;

The thief who stole power and the state,

Pulling off the precious crown

And put it in his pocket

Keeping the mask of a respectable person, a caring ruler, a gentle spouse, this "smiling scoundrel" does not bind himself to any moral standards: violates an oath, seduces the queen, kills a brother, carries out insidious plans against the rightful heir. At court, he revives the old feudal customs, indulges in espionage and denunciations. "The wild and evil reigns here."

Endowed with "the magic of the mind, deceit with a black gift", Claudius is perceptive and cautious: he deftly prevents Fortinbras from marching on Denmark, quickly extinguishes Laertes' anger, turning him into an instrument of reprisal against Hamlet, and creates the appearance of collegiality in governing the state. Fearing that the people will stand up for the prince, the king conducts intrigues against him very carefully: he does not believe the rumor about the madness of Hamlet.

The conflict between the humanist Hamlet and the tyrant Claudius is the conflict of the old and the new time.

Gertrude

The queen evokes a difficult feeling. Gertrude is “my seemingly pure wife”, a weak-willed, albeit not stupid woman, “the sky and thorns that live in her chest, stinging and stinging, are enough from her.”

Behind the majesty and outward charm, you can’t immediately determine that the queen has neither marital fidelity nor maternal sensitivity. The people of Denmark are distant and alien to the queen. When, together with Laertes, people who are dissatisfied with the king burst into the palace, she shouts to them:

The biting, frank reproaches of Hamlet addressed to the Queen Mother are justified. And although at the end of the tragedy her attitude towards Hamlet warms up, the accidental death of the queen does not cause sympathy, since she is an indirect accomplice of Claudius, who herself turned out to be an unwitting victim of his vile atrocity. Submitting to Claudius, he dutifully helps to carry out an “experiment” on an allegedly insane prince, which deeply hurts his feelings and causes disrespect for himself.

Polonium

Polonius is a dodgy courtier in the guise of a sage. Intrigue, hypocrisy, cunning became the norm of his behavior in the palace and own house. Everything is subject to calculation.

His distrust of people extends even to his own children. He sends a servant to spy on his son, makes his daughter Ophelia an accomplice in spying on Hamlet, not worrying about how this hurts her soul and how it humiliates her dignity. He will never understand Hamlet's sincere feelings for Ophelia, and he destroys him with his vulgar interference. He dies at the hands of Hamlet, as a spy, eavesdropping on the conversation between the queen and her son.

Ophelia

The image of Ophelia is one of brightest examples dramatic skill Shakespeare. Hamlet loves Ophelia, the meek daughter of the courtier Polonius. This girl is different from other heroines of Shakespeare, who are characterized by determination, willingness to fight for their happiness: obedience to the father remains main feature her character.

Hamlet loves Ophelia, but does not find happiness with her. Fate is unfavorable to Ophelia: her father Polonius is on the side of Claudius, who is guilty of the death of Hamlet's father and is his desperate enemy. After the murder of her father by Hamlet, a tragic breakdown occurs in the girl's soul and she goes crazy.

“Sorrow and sorrow, suffering, hell itself

She turns into beauty and charm "(5, p. 62)

The madness and death of this fragile unprotected creature is sympathetic. We hear a poetic account of how she died; that before her death she continued to sing and died unusually beautifully, “weaving nettles, buttercups, iris, orchids into garlands”, breaks into a “sobbing stream”. This last poetic touch is extremely important to complete poetic image Ophelia.

Finally, at her grave, we hear Hamlet's confession that he loved her, "as forty thousand brothers cannot love!" That is why the cruel words that he says to her are difficult for him, he utters them with despair, because, loving her, he realizes that she has become an instrument of his enemy against him, and in order to carry out revenge, love must also be abandoned. Hamlet suffers from the fact that he is forced to hurt Ophelia and, suppressing pity, is merciless in his condemnation of women.

Laertes

Laertes is the son of Polonius. He is straightforward, energetic, courageous, in his own way dearly loves his sister, wishes her well and happiness. But judging by the way, burdened by domestic care, Laertes seeks to leave Elsinore, it is hard to believe that he is very attached to his father. However, having heard about his death, Laertes is ready to execute the culprit, be it the king himself, to whom he swore an oath of allegiance.

“I am not afraid of death. I declare

That both worlds are contemptible to me,

And come what may; just for the father

Revenge as it should "(5, p. 51)

He is not interested in the circumstances under which his father died, and whether he was right or wrong. The main thing for him is "to take revenge as it should." The strength of his intentions to take revenge at any cost is so strong that he raises a rebellion against the king:

Laertes, having entered into an agreement with the king, and entering the competition with the prince, having a poisoned weapon, neglects knightly honor, dignity and generosity, because before the competition Hamlet explained to him and Laertes held out his hand to him. Only the proximity of his own death, the realization that he himself was a victim of Claudius's deceit, makes him tell the truth and forgive Hamlet.

Horatio

Horatio is a friend of Hamlet. The hero considers Horatio himself best friend precisely because he sees in him a real person, untouched by universal moral corruption, who has not become a “slave of passions”, in whom “blood and mind” are organically merged. This is a balanced, moderate and calm young man, for which Hamlet praises him:

Hamlet and Horatio are opposed by the deceitful and duplicitous Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “his peers, school years", who agreed to spy on Hamlet in favor of the king and find out "what secret torments him and whether we have a cure for it."

Horatio fully justifies Hamlet's trust, seeing that Hamlet is dying, he is ready to die with him, but he is stopped by the request of the hero, who assigns an important role to his friend - to tell people the truth about him after death. And, perhaps, this truth will teach people to appreciate life, to better understand the shades of good and evil.