Hamlet (also known as Young Hamlet to differentiate him from his father) is the titular character of the play. He is the son of the murdered King of Denmark, and was the presumed heir to the throne before his uncle took it from him.

Hamlet is depicted as smart and skeptical of what he sees, and as the story progresses, he begins to trust fewer and fewer people. In the play, he acts insane, having frequent outbursts and often rambling to himself. However, he is perfectly sane and is secretly plotting to avenge his father by killing Claudius in the same was Claudius killed him.    

Hamlet as depicted in the 1996 film