Shakespearean Characters - H

H

  • A Haberdasher is verbally abused by Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Hal, later King Henry V (sometimes called The Prince of Wales, Prince Henry or just Harry) (hist) is a central character in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 and is the title character of Henry V. He has a closer relationship with Falstaff than with his father (Henry IV), but he eventually ascends the throne, rejects Falstaff, and leads the English to victory at Agincourt.
  • Hamlet:
    • Prince Hamlet (myth) is the central character of Hamlet. He is a prince of Denmark, called on to avenge his father's (Old Hamlet's) murder by Claudius.
    • Old Hamlet (myth) is the father of the protagonist in Hamlet. His ghost appears to exhort Hamlet to revenge Old Hamlet's murder by Claudius.
  • Harcourt is a messenger to the king in Henry IV, Part 2.
  • The Governor of Harfleur (hist) surrenders to Henry in Henry V.
  • Harry:
    • Hotspur or Harry Percy (hist), brave and chivalrous but hot-headed and sometimes comical, is an important foil to Hal, and leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1.
    • See also Hal, Bolingbroke.
    • See also "Henry".
  • Hastings:
    • Hastings Pursuivant is a minor character who meets his namesake, Lord Hastings, in Richard III.
    • Lord Hastings (hist) is the prime minister, beheaded on Richard's orders in Richard III.
  • For Hecat see Hecate.
  • Hecate is a leader of the witches in Macbeth.
  • Hector (myth), son of Priam, is the Trojans' champion in Troilus and Cressida.
  • Helen:
    • Helen (myth), the mythological Helen of Troy, is the wife of Menelaus who has been stolen away by Paris, and is thefore the cause of the wars fought in Troilus and Cressida.
    • Helen is a lady attending on Imogen in Cymbeline.
    • See also Nell.
    • See also Helena.
  • Helena:
    • Helena, the ward of the Countess of Rousillon, is the central character of All's Well That Ends Well. She is married to Bertram against his will, but she eventually wins his love.
    • Helena, formerly loved by Demetrius, has been rejected by him at the start of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
  • Helenus (myth) is a priest, and brother of Hector and Troilus. He is a minor character in Troilus and Cressida.
  • Helicanus is a lord in Pericles, trusted with the government of Tyre during Pericles' absences.
  • Henry:
    • Bolingbroke, later King Henry IV (hist) leads a revolt against King Richard in Richard II. He is the title character of Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2, which chart the rebellions against him by the Percy faction, and his difficult relationship with his eldest son, Hal.
    • Hal, later King Henry V (sometimes called The Prince of Wales, Prince Henry or just Harry) (hist) is a central character in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 and is the title character of Henry V.
    • King Henry VI (hist), the title character of Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, and Henry VI, Part 3, is a weak and ineffectual king, and the plays chart the rebellions against him, leading to his overthrow and murder.
    • The Earl of Richmond, later King Henry VII (hist) leads the rebellion against the cruel rule of Richard III, and eventually succeeds him as king.
    • King Henry VIII (hist) is the central character of the play Henry VIII, portrayed as a wise and strong ruler.
    • The Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, (hist) is an important character in Richard II, where he is Bolingbroke's chief ally, and in Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2, in which he leads the rebellion against his former ally, who is now king.
    • Prince Henry (hist) appears towards the end of King John, as successor to the title character.
    • Sir Henry Guildford (hist) welcomes guests to Cardinal Wolsey's party, in Henry VIII.
    • See also Hotspur (whose real name is Henry Percy).
    • See also "Harry"
  • Herald:
    • A Herald calls for a champion to face Edmund in King Lear.
    • A Herald brings news to Theseus of noble prisoners taken in battle, including the title characters of The Two Noble Kinsmen.
    • A Herald announces victory celebrations in Othello.
    • A Herald announces Coriolanus' return to Rome in Coriolanus.
    • Two Heralds one French, one English, claim victory before the walls of Angers in King John. Neither of them persuades Hubert.
  • Sir Walter Herbert is a follower of Richmond in Richard III.
  • Hermia loves Lysander, and is loved by Demetrius, at the start of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
  • Hermione is the wife of Leontes in The Winter's Tale. She suffers as a result of his mistaken belief in her infidelity. At the end of the play she appears to return from the dead, having appeared as a statue.
  • Hero falls in love with Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing. She is wronged by Don John and Borachio, and is abandoned at the altar, and left for dead, by Claudio.
  • Hippolyta (myth) is a leader of the Amazons, who is the bride of Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Two Noble Kinsmen.
  • Holofernes is a pedantic schoolmaster in Love's Labour's Lost. He plays Judas Maccabeus in the Pageant of the Nine Worthies.
  • Horatio is a student, and a friend and confidante of the protagonist in Hamlet.
  • Thomas Horner (fict) fights a duel with his apprentice Peter Thump in Henry VI, Part 2.
  • Hortensio is a friend to Petruchio and suitor to Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew. He disguises himself as a music teacher in order to pursue Bianca, but ultimately loses her and marries a rich widow.
  • Hortensius is a servant, sent to extract payment of a debt from Timon in Timon of Athens.
  • Host:
    • The Host of the Garter is the practical-joking innkeeper in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
    • The Host of Julia's lodgings brings the disguised Julia into Proteus' company, in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
  • Hostess:
    • The Hostess of an alehouse throws out the unruly Sly, amidst an argument about broken glasses in the induction to The Taming of the Shrew.
    • See also Mistress Quickly, who is often referred to as "hostess".
  • For Hostilius in Timon of Athens, see Strangers.
  • Hotspur or Harry Percy (hist), brave and chivalrous but hot-headed and sometimes comical, is an important foil to Hal, and leader of the rebel forces, in Henry IV, Part 1.
  • Hubert (hist) is a henchman of the king in King John. He resolves to put out Arthur's eyes, on John's orders, but eventually relents.
  • Hugh:
    • Hugh Oatcake is a member of the Watch in Much Ado About Nothing.
    • Hugh Rebeck, Simon Catling and James Soundpost are minor characters, musicians, in Romeo and Juliet.
    • Sir Hugh Evans is a Welsh priest in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He is challenged to a duel by Caius. He plays a fairy in the final act.
    • Sir Hugh Mortimer (hist) is an uncle of Richard Duke of York (1) in Henry VI, Part 3.
  • Hume, with Southwell, Jourdain and Bolingbroke, are the supernatural conspirators with Eleanor Duchess of Gloucester in Henry VI, Part 2.
  • Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (hist) appears as a brother of Hal in Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V. He is a much more important character as the protector in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2, in which he is murdered by his rivals.
  • The Earl of Huntingdon (hist) is a non-speaking follower of the king in Henry V.
  • Several Huntsmen, two of whom are speaking roles, accompany the Lord in the induction to The Taming of the Shrew.
  • Hymen (myth), the Greek god of marriage, is a character in As You Like It, and is a non-speaking role in the opening scene of The Two Noble Kinsmen.

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