Humanities Literature The Top 5 Shakespeare Characters These Are the Best Known and Most Loved Shakespearean Characters Share Flipboard Email Print Literature Shakespeare Studying & Teaching Shakespeare's Life Tragedies Comedies Sonnets Best Sellers Classic Literature Contemporary Literature Plays & Drama Poetry Quotations Short Stories Children's & Young Adult Books View More by Lee Jamieson Updated March 19, 2018 From Hamlet to Romeo and his love Juliet, there are several characters crafted by the Bard who have withstood the test of time and have become synonymous with classic literature. You probably know most if not all of them already -- see which Shakespeare characters are considered the best of the best with this essential guide. 01 of 05 Hamlet from 'Hamlet' Paul Rhys holds up a skull to his face during his performance in Hamlet at the Young Vic Theatre in London. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Hamlet is arguably Shakespeare's most complex character, as the melancholy Prince of Denmark and grieving son to the recently deceased King. Thanks to Shakespeare’s skillful and psychologically-astute characterization, Hamlet is now considered to be the greatest dramatic character ever created. More » 02 of 05 Macbeth from 'Macbeth' Hilary Lyon and Paul Higgins perform in MacBeth at the Lyric in London. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most intense and attractive villains. However, as this Macbeth character analysis reveals, he is a complex and multi-faceted character. More » 03 of 05 Romeo from 'Romeo and Juliet' Actor Simon Ward and actress Sinead Cusack in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Shaw Theatre, 1976. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Romeo from "Romeo and Juliet" is literature's most famous lover. He’s a handsome man of about sixteen who falls easily in and out of love demonstrating his immaturity. More » 04 of 05 Lady Macbeth from 'Macbeth' Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins as Macbeth and English actress Diana Rigg as Lady Macbeth. Steve Wood / Getty Images Lady Macbeth from "Macbeth" is one of Shakespeare’s most infamous female characters because she exerts a great deal of influence over the events of the play and is the main instigator in the plot to kill the king. More » 05 of 05 Benedick from 'Much Ado About Nothing' Eve Best as Beatrice and Charles Edwards as Benedick at the Globe Theater. Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images Young, funny and locked into a love-hate relationship with Beatrice, "Much Ado About Nothing's" Benedick is one of Shakespeare's most hilarious characters. More » citecite this article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Jamieson, Lee. "The Top 5 Shakespeare Characters." ThoughtCo, Mar. 19, 2018, thoughtco.com/top-shakespeare-characters-2985311. Jamieson, Lee. (2018, March 19). The Top 5 Shakespeare Characters. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-shakespeare-characters-2985311 Jamieson, Lee. "The Top 5 Shakespeare Characters." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-shakespeare-characters-2985311 (accessed April 24, 2018). copy citation Continue Reading