In today’s society, the play Hamlet is recognized for the numerous and captivating twists and turns it includes. The story’s primary plot line follows Prince Hamlet and his journey to seek revenge for his deceased father. Many of the characters in Hamlet affect the course Hamlet takes on his journey for revenge. Without the guide of these minor characters in Hamlet, the principal plot line would not have been able to unravel. The evolution and maturing of Hamlet and his scheme can be attributed to secondary characters like King Hamlet’s ghost, Guildenstern, and Rosencrantz, which shows that they are essential people to Hamlet’s growth.

The first minor character that has a large contribution to Hamlet’s character is the ghost of King Hamlet. The ghost is brought in in Act 1 and demands Hamlet seek revenge for its murder. Hamlet immediately believes the ghost is his late father and begins to act accordingly. Hamlet begins to only live to avenge his father’s murder. The ghost’s appearance is vital to the play Hamlet because it sets off a series of deaths and misfortunes. Hamlet may have never known the true cause of his father’s death of not for the ghost, therefore he may have never needed revenge. At most he could have rid the kingdom of poisonous snakes. As a result of this sudden need for revenge, Hamlet begins to lose his mind. Hamlet's madness is seen throughout the play often, but especially when it says, “Revenge his foul and maximum unnatural homicide.” (Act 1. Scene five. Line 31). If the ghost had never appeared to Hamlet, Hamlet would have never needed revenge, therefore sparing many lives and his own sanity.

The development of Hamlet and the play is also helped by the dynamic duo Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are recruited by King Claudius to spy on Hamlet throughout the play. Hamlet takes advantage of them, acting crazy in hopes to confuse the king. While doing this, Hamlet is also looking to make sure Guildenstern and Rosencrantz accept this as his true identity which is seen when he says, “but my uncle-father and my aunt-mom are deceived. In what, my dear lord? I am but mad north-north-west. when the wind is southerly, I understand a hawk from a handsaw.”(Act 2. Scene 2. lines 399-403). Next, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are also used as pawns to help Claudius get rid of Hamlet after Hamlet kills Polonius. They are sent to England to continue spying on Hamlet, which eventually leads to their death. Even though Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are often seen as unimportant characters in the play, they are vital because they keep Claudius informed and help get Hamlet to England.

All in all, the ghost of King Hamlet, Guildenstern, and Rosencrantz are important to the development of Hamlet and his actions through their interactions with him. The ghost of King Hamlet, even though he is introduced as a minor character in the play, has perhaps one of the largest roles in the play. Without him appearing to Hamlet and demanding revenge, there would be no play. Guildenstern and Rosencrantz show their importance to the growth of Hamlet through their alliance with Claudius. Throughout the play, Claudius uses them as a way to gain information on Hamlet. He also uses them to taunt Hamlet, driving Hamlet to madness.  Though these secondary characters are often seen as fillers to many plots, their actions greatly affect those of the main character, changing the entire plot of the play.