A Norwegian crown prince with a few brief scenes in the play, he delivers the final lines that represent a hopeful future for the monarchy of Denmark and its subjects.

At the very end—after all the major characters except Horatio are dead—Fortinbras and his army enter, accompanied by ambassadors from England who have come to announce that Claudius' supposed orders to execute Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been carried out.

This may be an allusion to the political situation of the day: at the time the play was written, Denmark and Norway were united under a single crown; also, England itself was to be ruled by King James I of England and James VI of Scotland, who claimed the throne by virtue of his blood relation to Elizabeth I (the play was written before Elizabeth I's death).

In other respects, Fortinbras serves as a foil for Hamlet: while the Danish prince is deliberate and given to long-winded soliloquies, the Norwegian is impulsive and hot-headed, determined to avenge his slain father at any cost.

Fortinbras also appears in the 1964 BBC television Hamlet, starring Christopher Plummer, and here he was played by Donald Sutherland, in what was his first important role.