How Old are Shakespeare's Famous Characters?

In honor of Shakespeare's 457th Birthday, we're going to take a look at the ages of five of Shakespeare's most famous characters: Lear, Hamlet, Juliet, Viola, and Macbeth. 

THE OLDEST

King Lear from King Lear (80+ years old)

Lear is over 80 years old. Though he has trouble accepting his age for most of the play, he expresses his own age as "[f]ourscore and upward." (Act IV, Scene 7) A score is a twenty-year period, so "fourscore" is 80 years.

IN THE MIDDLE

Macbeth from Macbeth (20 - 35 years old)

Though Macbeth's age is never explicitly mentioned, to most readers he seems like a young man. Historically, Macbeth was crowned King of Scotland when he was 35 years old. Macbeth is probably around the same age as Hamlet, though both characters seem younger to readers' first impressions.

Hamlet from Hamlet (30 years old)

Hamlet's age is the subject of some debate, but the Gravedigger indicates that he is 30 years old. The Gravedigger asserts that he has been a gravedigger since "the very day that young Hamlet was born." (Act V, Scene 1) Shortly afterwards, he adds that he "ha[s] been sexton [= a synonym for gravedigger] here, man and boy, thirty years." (Act V, Scene 1). Since the Gravedigger has been a gravedigger since the day Hamlet was born and for thirty years, Hamlet must be 30 years old.

Viola from Twelfth Night (20 - 30 years old)

Viola's age is never mentioned outright in Twelfth Night. However, we do know that she is young enough to pass for a pre-pubescent boy because she successfully disguises herself as Cesario. Most film depictions cast actors around 30 years old as Viola, which suggests that most readers believe that Viola is around 20 - 30 years old.

THE YOUNGEST

Juliet from Romeo and Juliet (13 years old)

Juliet is only 13 years old! We discover her age when Juliet's father, Capulet, tells Paris that "[s]he hath not seen the  change of fourteen years." (Act I, Scene 2)