Characters of Hamlet and Madame Bovary
Characters of Hamlet
Polonius
Lord Chamberlain, father of Ophelia and Laertes. A court counselor belonging to the noble class, he uses a lexicon of worship and care. Polonius is a busybody, always seeking Claudius’s favor, and proposes to spy on Hamlet to determine the cause of his “alleged” insanity. He is mistakenly assassinated by Hamlet and belongs to the real plane of the work. His function is to create drama in the wake of his death, leading to Ophelia’s madness and Laertes’s revenge.
Laertes
Son of Polonius and Ophelia’s brother. Laertes is a young man loyal to his family. He does not act with malice but is capable of anything to avenge the deaths of his father and sister. He attempts to ally with the king and confront Hamlet. His development aids the play’s action.
Ophelia
Daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes. Ophelia is Hamlet’s love interest. She is around twelve or thirteen years old. Ophelia goes mad and dies after being rejected by Hamlet and losing her father. She belongs to the real plane of the work and expresses her feelings and emotions using religious vocabulary. Ophelia provides a secondary theme of love and contributes to the drama surrounding revenge for her death.
Hamlet
Prince of Denmark, son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, nephew and stepson of Claudius. Hamlet is the main protagonist. He feigns madness to achieve his goals and uncover the truth about his father’s death. He is clever, noble, passionate, and critical. Hamlet feels impulses toward revenge but simultaneously overthinks, leading to indecision. He is self-centered, seeking individuality and authenticity, thus resisting action until fully convinced. His quest for revenge forms the basis of the work. Hamlet represents a prototype of doubt, embodying opposing forces such as sanity and insanity, love and hate for Ophelia, and being versus non-being. The play’s situation triggers a deep crisis within him; he loses faith in everything—man, life, love—finding no meaning. He uses a cultured lexicon befitting the nobility. While belonging to the real plane, his pretense and monologues shift him into a plane of madness.
Gertrude
The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, marries her brother-in-law, Claudius, after her husband’s death. She is concerned about Hamlet and his feigned madness. Gertrude is a weak character, manipulated by Claudius. Her unconsciousness, selfishness, and actions bring dishonor to Hamlet’s family. Gertrude and Claudius trigger the tragedy, initially through Hamlet’s madness and later through the play’s tragic end. Gertrude represents infidelity.
The Ghost
A solemn character, the spirit of the old King, Hamlet’s father. The Ghost appears only in the introduction, but its presence is crucial, initiating the play’s plot. It uses refined language and belongs to the plane of shadows, representing the supernatural. Its secondary theme is filial love.
Horatio
Horatio is Hamlet’s loyal friend, willing to die for him. He warns Hamlet about the Ghost’s appearance. Belonging to the real plane, Horatio interacts with the shadows. He is an important character because Hamlet entrusts him to tell his story.
Characters of Madame Bovary
Emma Bovary
The main character and protagonist, alongside Charles. Emma is an aesthetic character, consistently maintaining the same mentality. She represents a romantic ideal and a symbolic role of women. Emma can be considered a flat character, as she does not change her behavior throughout the novel. She is also an indirect character, as the reader gradually discovers her mentality. Emma lives in her own world, never reflecting on her actions. Her feelings are merely human representations of the characters in the novels that influence her. Emma leads an empty, miserable life, encouraging the reader to judge and condemn her.
Rodolphe Boulanger
A secondary character and Emma’s lover. Rodolphe has a significant influence on her. He is a flat, static character. While seemingly in love with Emma, he eventually abandons her to escape his problems. Rodolphe is characterized as Charles’s opposite, playing with Emma’s feelings.
Charles
A main character who marries Emma after his first wife’s death. Charles is an aesthetic, flat character, maintaining a consistent attitude throughout the work. He lives in his own world, oblivious to his wife’s emotional distance. Charles is honest and pure.
Justin
A secondary, static, indirect, and flat character. Justin is the pharmacist’s assistant. He has a big heart but lacks freedom.