Hamlet Character Rankings

Preference
1. Ophelia - I would tentatively say that Ophelia is my favorite character of the play simply because despite the blatantly misogynistic vibe of Hamlet, particularly Hamlet himself, Ophelia rebelled as a female and was able to strike down the social order in part by allowing madness to speak her mind and commit suicide in a vastly Christian nation. My favorite rhetorical device of Shakespeare’s is the scene in which Ophelia gives out flowers in what appears to be a state of madness but actually has much more significant meaning. Ophelia feels limited in her speech in sanity so when she goes mad, her honesty unleashes through implications of the provided flowers.
2. Horatio - Horatio is a trustworthy character and a dutiful servant/friend to Hamlet. I chose him as second because he offended me the least and ended the play on an honorable note.
3. Gravedigger - The Gravedigger, despite his lack of sympathy, was wildly clever and managed to equalize all kinds of people in Hamlet’s eyes.
4. Laertes - Despite my distaste for Laertes when he admonished Ophelia for her potential sexual choices I liked that he was a fearless character and was forthright with his anger and revenge, unlike Hamlet. Also his guilt at the end of the play seemed sincere, and I appreciated that.
5. Hamlet - In class Hamlet has been described as whiny, indirect, and duplicitous. I agree that Hamlet is a less-than likable individual, but I’ve enjoyed his wit since the beginning of the play and can’t help but root for him at the finish when he finally slays Claudius.
6. Claudius - The King was not written as a wholly affable or sympathetic character but I’m someone that admires a good villain and saw him as both a good motive for Hamlet and possibly a person he identified with in an Oedipal sense.

Loyalty
1. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern- The pair may not be entirely helpful in Hamlet’s case but they are consistently valuable to Claudius and aid him whenever possible. Their job-well-done even leads to their unfortunate death.
2. Horatio - Horatio is endlessly dependent. Even in the final act when he wished for death from the traumatic events he stayed faithful to Hamlet’s orders that he “tell [his] story.”
3. Ophelia - Despite her father Polonius’s controlling and patronizing nature, Ophelia remains obedient to him.
4. Gertrude - The Queen is stuck between agreeing with her husband and protecting her son, although she manages to balance both. This is somewhat struck down by the last scene when Claudius instructs her not to drink and she sassily replies “I will, my lord. I pray you, pardon me.”