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BIOGRAPHIES OF SOME OF SHAKESPEARE'S GREATEST CHARACTERS
(Each picture is a link to a page featuring that character)
CALIBAN – Savage and misshapen, the son of a witch, Caliban lives on the island in The Tempest that Prospero makes his kingdom. Enslaved by Prospero for attacking his daughter, he is always on the edge of rebellion. He has his comic moments, but generally Shakespeare uses him to represent the dark, earthy side of Nature.
CLEOPATRA – The Queen of Egypt is arguably the most complex of Shakespeare's heroines: fiery and unpredictable, but also mysterious, sensual and exotic. Both a passionate woman and a proud monarch, after the death of her lover Antony and a devastating military defeat she famously decides to kill herself with the bite of a snake.
CORIOLANUS – A brilliant but arrogant Roman general who will not compromise his principles, Coriolanus eventually becomes deeply unpopular with nearly everyone in Rome despite his military victories. The play is a study in politics and power, with the inarticulate man-of-action soon falling victim to the scheming of his opponents.
FALSTAFF – A fat and decadent aristocrat with an appetite for the good things in life, he is also cowardly and devious, but always convinces himself that he is the perfect knight. In The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry IV, despite these shortcomings, his never-failing good humour makes him one of Shakespeare's most popular characters.
HAMLET – Convinced that he must avenge his father's murder, Hamlet struggles with emotional trials and torments throughout the play – at times teetering on the very edge of madness – before events lead to a series of deaths, including his own. Because of its great range and depth, it is one of the most prized (and challenging) of theatrical roles.
HENRY V – Wild and irresponsible in his youth, Henry puts all that behind him when he succeeds to the throne, becoming a great military leader and national hero. Usually portrayed as being firm, resolute and noble, Shakespeare allows us a glimpse of Henry's more romantic side, a side that is well hidden from the soldiers who adore him.
IAGO – Possibly Shakespeare's most chilling villain, Iago is both calculating and deceptive, exploiting others' weaknesses while at the same time convincing them that he is trustworthy and a friend. He drives Othello to his ultimate destruction by playing on his jealousy and growing insecurity – ironically because he is envious of Othello's success.
LEAR – Lear divides his kingdom between two of his daughters, with whom he plans to spend the rest of his days in retirement. Family relations soon deteriorate, and he is forced to wander the countryside, descending deep into despair and madness. Lear is the most physically and emotionally demanding of all the roles in Shakespeare's plays.
MACBETH – Compelled by a prophesy that he will be King of Scotland, and driven on relentlessly by his overbearing wife, Macbeth becomes entangled in a web of murder and brutality that turns him into a monster. He gains the throne as predicted, but his reign is short and ends – as so often in Shakespeare's tragedies – in bloody death.
MARK ANTONY – At first public-spirited and a loyal servant of the Roman state, Mark Antony seizes power after Julius Caesar's murder but soon becomes selfish and corrupt. Eventually he abandons his imperial duties in favour of a life of pleasure with his lover Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, to the despair of his friends and supporters.
OPHELIA – An innocent and sensitive girl who falls in love with Hamlet. When her affections are rejected by her increasingly erratic lover, and following the death of her father (killed by Hamlet), she soon becomes depressed and emotionally unstable, her grief expressed in several sad songs. Her tragic death by drowning is possibly suicide.
OTHELLO – A successful military commander with a loving wife, Othello's happiness is gradually undermined by jealousy and obsession, fuelled ruthlessly by Iago who plots his downfall. The play shows Othello's mind unravelling as a once honest and upright man becomes his own worst enemy, leading him to murder and suicide.
PROSPERO – In The Tempest, Prospero uses his powers as a magician to avenge himself on his enemies when they are shipwrecked off the coast of his island. As he is in complete control of the action and characters throughout, it is often thought that the play might reflect Shakespeare's musings on his own power over events as a playwright.
RICHARD III – One of Shakespeare's most evil creations, he manoeuvres his way to the throne by a series of murderous plots. He is ruthlessly violent when he needs to be, but it is his skill in twisting language to his own ends and an ability to hide his true intentions that allow him to control events in the play so completely.
ROMEO – An impetuous and deeply romantic young man whose head is ruled by his heart, he falls in love with Juliet, despite her being the daughter of his family's bitter enemies. They conduct a lightning romance which ends in tragedy as Romeo, thinking wrongly that his beloved is dead, kills himself (as does Juliet soon after).
SHYLOCK – Being a rich Jew, he is despised by the Christian citizens of Venice, who nevertheless still require his services as a moneylender; consequently the resentful Shylock is quick to seize any opportunity for revenge. Shown in The Merchant of Venice as a villain, he can also be seen as a victim of racial and religious intolerance.
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