As I am currently writing this article, it will mark 19 minutes from when I finished reading the last page in Andy Evans’ favorite play from Shakespeare: Hamlet. Overall, I would rate the play a 10/10; but, I would take my opinion with a grain of salt because I am extremely biased. I am a Shakespearean enthusiast and enjoy reading Shakespeare works during my free time. Impatiently, I looked forward to reading Hamlet this year because I knew it was supposed to be fantastic. However, I was unaware that the reason Hamlet was so fantastic was because of the memorable characters. Thus, I have compiled a rating of all of the characters from the chaotic and intricate play.
- Hamlet (9/10)
Hamlet is by far one of the best characters ever written in Shakespeare’s plays. He is extremely witty and clever. It is also very easy to understand why Hamlet feels the way he does because if everyone around me also moved on from my fathers death so quickly I would also “go insane.” The only reason he did not receive a perfect score is because I wish he treated Ophelia a little nicer at some points during the play.
- Ophelia (8.5/10)
Her singing is a little odd but other than that she is a great character. At times, I often felt really bad for her. I am still very sad about her death.
- Gertrude (7/10)
I still have so many unanswered questions about Gertrude. Why did she marry Claudius? Was she forced to like him? Did she truly love Claudius? Did she think Hamlet was crazy? Did she purposefully drink the wine?
- Claudius (-10/10)
Claudius is TERRIBLE. He is so bad he does not even deserve a 0/10.
- Hamlet Sr./Ghost (8/10)
Surprisingly, he actually gives extremely good advice to Hamlet and is a very good mentor to him. I enjoyed the few times Hamlet Sr. appeared in the play because he managed to always say the right things to Hamlet to keep him steady and stable.
- Polonius (-5/10)
Polonius is a bad father. Polonius is a witty fool. Polonius is an annoying character. Every single time he talked, I wished he wouldn’t because no matter what he said, it never made sense. There is never any benefit of him speaking and his words held zero meaning.
- Laertes (7.5/10)
Although Laertes is in France for the beginning of the play, he did play a vital role in the ending. Laertes is a very good brother to Ophelia and only ever wanted the best for her which I greatly admired about him. Although he conspired with Claudius to kill Hamlet, he did forgive Hamlet in the end and apologized for what he did. Talk about character growth!
- Horatio (9/10)
I felt bad for Horatio because if I had to see my best friend die, I would also want to drink poisonous wine. Horatio is an extremely good friend to Hamlet and never caused any trouble.
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (6/10)
I understand that they had to listen to Claudius but honestly, they were not that great of friends to Hamley anyways (especially in comparison to Horatio). Also, they might as well have just been one character because they are almost identical.
- Gravedigger (10/10)
I liked how he outwitted Hamlet and played him at his own games. Definitely the funniest character by far. I wish we got to read more about him.
- Osric (0/10)
There is only one word to describe him: annoying. Thankfully, he is a little more tolerable than Polonius.
- Fortinbras (5/10)
Honestly, half the time I forgot about him since he is not actually present during most of the play. He is a good character that is obviously needed for the plot but other than that, he is unforgettable.