A Rank of the Characters

The rank of the characters in terms of loyalty:

1. Hamlet- He always remains loyal to his father by condemning his mother for marrying Claudius. Then, after the ghost appears, Hamlet’s entire life revolves around getting revenge for his father’s death.

2. Horatio- Horatio never deceives Hamlet and keeps his promises to Hamlet that he won’t talk about the ghost or that Hamlet is only pretending to be insane. Also, as Hamlet’s faithful servant, he is willing to die for Hamlet as he is dying.

3. Laertes- Although he expresses his grief through violence, he is hungry for revenge against Hamlet after the death of Polonius.

4. Polonius- Polonius remains loyal to the king at all times, and even dies while following the king’s orders.

5. Ophelia- Ophelia remains loyal to Polonius and follows his every wish. This includes returning Hamlet’s letters and trying to figure out why Hamlet is depressed.

6. Gertrude- Gertrude does not remain loyal to the late King Hamlet, shown by the fact that she marries Claudius. She is also not loyal to her son Hamlet because she constantly disregards his feelings.

7. Claudius- The least loyal of all the characters; he kills his own brother out of greed.