The Players
The Players are the group of actors who come to Denmark to perform to the court. Though the relationships with the individual characters are somewhat insignificant, they still play a pivotal role in exposing Claudius’ murder of King Hamlet. Shakespeare has Hamlet use the players in their play, The Mousetrap, to echo the events of his overarching play, as their performance is rife with similarities, including the death of a monarch and a thick revenge plot.
Marcellus and Barnardo
These two guards are the first people to witness the ghost of King Hamlet. They alert Horatio, who then convinces Hamlet to stand guard and bear witness. The fact that they witness the ghost validates its appearance, and in turn, Hamlet’s state of mind.
Francisco and Reynaldo
Francisco is a soldier at Elsinore, Denmark. Reynaldo is Polonius’ servant, who is sent to France to spy on Polonius’ son, Laertes. It is actions like these that make Polonius seem deceitful and distrusting in his relationships.
Gravediggers
The gravediggers are present following the death of Ophelia. Hamlet finds them while they are digging her grave, and engages in a slightly irritating conversation filled with puns and attempted comedy. It is at this time that Hamlet has yet another existential crisis. He finds Yorick’s skull, which is a universally recognisable symbol of Hamlet. The sight of Yorick, the former court jester, and the tangible proof of his death, leads Hamlet to question his own mortality.
