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Introduction
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to the Site First
Quarto Second
Quarto Folio
Dramatis
Personae
The following
is an alphabetical list of named characters in various versions of the Hamlet
texts,
with information about the etymology of the character names.
Information on the etymology of names compiled from Ard. Q2, meaning-of-names.com and behindthename.com.
Bernardo/Barnardo
Combination of German elements meaning "bear" and "brave."
Claudius
The name of the King in Q2 and Folio. The name never appears in
the spoken lines of the play, only in stage directions and speech
prefixes. The name derives from Latin and in English means "lame,
crippled." A number of Roman emperors in the first century had the
name, including
the Nero's stepfather (Hamlet references Nero in 3.4/scene 9). Emperor
Claudius had married his niece Agrippina, Nero's mother. When Claudius
died, Nero came to power and later executed his mother. Some ancient
writers accused Agrippina of poisoning Claudius.
It is also the name of several early saints.
Corambis
The name is similar to the Latin words cor=heart, ambi=both. In
Fratricide Punished, a German
version of the Hamlet story, the King's counselor is also named
Corambus.
Cornelia/Cornelius
Latin. In the Bible, Cornelius is the name of a centurion
converted to Christianity. In Gaelic tradition it means "strong-willed"
or "wise."
"Cornelia" is technically the feminine form of the name, but the
character was probably still male.
Fortinbras/Fortenbrasse
French: "strong in arm."
Francisco
From the Latin "Franciscus" meaning "Frenchman."
Gertrude/Gertred/Gertrard
In German, Gertrude
means "adored warrior" or "spear of strength." It was also the name of
Saint Gertrude, a nun and mystic writer. The spelling "Gertrard"
may come from a German variant of the name, "Gertraud."
Guildenstern/Gilderstone
"Golden star." Both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are surnames of
noble Danish families.
Hamlet
The anglicized version of Amleth, the name of the Prince in
Shakespeare's source material: the third and fourth books of Saxo
Grammaticus'
Gesta Danorum
(written c. 1200). The name is of French and German origin, meaning
"home" or "village." A variation of the name is "Hamnet," the name of
Shakespeare's son, who died in 1596.
Horatio
Possibly from the Latin
hora,
"hour, time, season." The poet known as Horace was named Quintus
Horatius Flaccus.
Laertes/Leartes
The name of Odyssey's father in
The Odyssey. Although old in
The Odyssey, as a young warrior he
participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar.
Marcellus
Diminutive of Marcus, which probably derived in Roman culture
from Mars, the god of war.
Montano
Possibly from the Lain for "mountainous." Shakespeare also used
the name in
Othello.
Ophelia/Ofelia
From the Greek meaning "help, aid."
Osric
Old English: "Divine rule" or "God's rule."
Polonius
The name implies a connection to Poland. "Polonia" was
historically the Latin name for Poland. In the play, both Norway and
Denmark are hostile toward Poland.
Reynaldo
From the Spanish for "counselor, ruler."
Rosencraft/Rossencraft
"Wreath or crown of roses." Both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
are surnames of noble Danish families.
Voltemar/Voltemand
"Valdemar" is the name of four Danish kings. It is the German
form of the name "Vladimir," meaning "famous rule."