Gertrude and Claudius | Teaching Key Figures

Character Descriptions

This section provides a short description of all the major characters in the book. This can be printed out as a study guide for students, used as a "key" for leading a class discussion, or you can jump to the quiz/homework section to find worksheets that incorporate these descriptions into a variety of question formats.

Characters

Gerutha/Geruthe/Gertrude - Young when the story begins, this character lost a mother long ago but grew to be warm, serene, and sensible despite being raised indulgently at Elsinore.

Feng/Fengon/Claudius - This character is the youngest of the family, a little shorter, darker, and wirier than a sibling. This character is also well-traveled, witty, and flirtatious.

Horwendil/Horvendile/Hamlet - This character is a co-governor of Jutland who rises to take the throne.

Corambus/Corambis/Polonius - This character is the Lord Chamberlain, a trusted councilor.

Amleth/Hamblet/Hamlet - As an infant, this character is fussy and colicky. As...
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