| Relationship | Description | Evidence |
| Claudius and Gertrude | Gertrude is trusting of Claudius | When Hamlet kills Polonius, Gertrude confides in Claudius. |
| Claudius loves Gertrude to an extent | Claudius stops Gertrude from drinking the poisoned wine that was meant for Hamlet. | |
| Gertrude protects Claudius | Gertrude is always defending Claudius. For example, when Claudius is disturbed by Hamlet’s play, she promises to put an end to Hamlet’s behavior. | |
| Claudius and Hamlet | Hamlet despises Claudius | Hamlet is bitter toward Claudius because he killed late King Hamlet and took Gertrude from him as well. |
| Claudius fears Hamlet | Claudius sees Hamlet as a threat because Hamlet knows about Claudius’ crime and Claudius knows what Hamlet is capable of in defending his father. | |
| Claudius and Hamlet compete for Gertrude’s love/attention | In Gertrude’s chamber (before Hamlet kills Polonius), Hamlet pleads for Gertrude to stay away from Claudius. When Claudius suggests that Hamlet should see him as a father, part of his intent is to boast the fact that Claudius has Gertrude’s love. | |
| Hamlet and Laertes | Laertes doesn’t respect Hamlet | Laertes tells Ophelia that Hamlet’s love is untrue, that he isn’t trustworthy, and she should stay away from him. |
| Hamlet feels superior to Laertes | Hamlet thinks he is a better swordsman and loves Ophelia more than Laertes. | |
| Hamlet and Laertes are in competition | Laertes tries to convince Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet. Hamlet wants to duel with Laertes when he discovers Laertes’ skill. | |
| Polonius and Laertes | Polonius does not trust Laertes | Polonius sends Reynaldo to France to check up on Laertes. |
| Polonius cares for Laertes | Polonius gives Laertes a long advising lecture about how he can succeed in France. | |
| Laertes truly loves Polonius | Laertes tries to avenge Polonius’ death and give him a proper and honorable funeral. | |
| Hamlet and the Ghost | The Ghost grounds Hamlet | When Hamlet verbally abuses Gertrude, the Ghost comes and tells him to calm down and remember his purpose. |
| Hamlet is skeptical of the Ghost’s intentions | Hamlet puts on a play to check if the Ghost was telling the truth. | |
| . The Ghost influences Hamlet’s actions | After hearing the Ghost’s story, Hamlet decides to take revenge. | |
| Gertrude and Hamlet | Gertrude is loyal to Hamlet | When Gertrude discovers the wine is poisoned, she immediately tells Hamlet he shouldn’t drink it. |
| Gertrude is scared of Hamlet | Gertrude asks Hamlet if he is going to kill her almost immediately after he enters her chambers. | |
| Hamlet is obsessed with Gertrude | Hamlet is more upset with Gertrude’s remarrying than with his father’s murder. | |
| Hamlet and Ophelia | Hamlet is emotionally abusive to Ophelia | Hamlet sends mixed sexual messages to Ophelia. |
| Ophelia loves Hamlet | Ophelia is reluctant to believe Polonius when he says that Hamlet does not love her. | |
| Ophelia deceives Hamlet | Ophelia allows Claudius and Polonius to spy on her. | |
| Rozencrantz and Guildenstern and Claudius | R&G are loyal to Claudius | R&G go to try and find out what is wrong with Hamlet at Claudius’ bidding. |
| Claudius controls R&G | R&G obeys Claudius’ every command without question. | |
| R&G respect the hierarchy | R&G are loyal to Claudius because he is the most powerful. | |
| Hamlet and Horatio | Trusting | Hamlet sends Horatio a letter telling him of his plan to come back. |
| Supportive | He helped Hamlet with his plans and gave Claudius the letter as he was instructed. | |
| Loyalty | He offered to die with Hamlet even though Hamlet told him not to. | |
| Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern | Distrusting | He suspects them of being in cahoots with the king and queen. |
| Caring | In the beginning, R&G did have his best interests in mind and came from England to help. | |
| Disloyal | R&G take the side of the king and queen instead of helping Hamlet. They’re supposed to be Hamlet’s friends but they have ulterior motives. | |
| Polonius and Ophelia | Submissive | Ophelia drops all feelings for Hamlet and starts ignoring him because her father tells her to. |
| Controlling | Polonius disregards her emotions for his personal agenda. | |
| Caring | Polonius is looking out for Ophelia’s best interest when he tells her not to see Hamlet anymore. | |
| Laertes and Ophelia | Loving | Laertes was loving in a parental way toward Ophelia. |
| Respect | She idolizes and listens to what he has to say. | |
| Protective | Laertes thinks he needs to watch over her and protects her. |
Cite this article as: William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team), "Hamlet Character Relationships," in SchoolWorkHelper, 2019, https://schoolworkhelper.net/hamlet-character-relationships/.
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