In this chapter, we are introduced to a number of characters, including the Duke of Abergavenny and his wife, the Duchess of Beaufort; the Duke's father, the King of Denmark; the King's mother, the Queen of Scots; the Queen's uncle, the Earl of Northumberland; and the Duchess's grandmother, the Countess of Northumberland. The Duchess' mother, however, is the most important character in the story. She is the mother of both the Duke and Duchess, and she is the only one in the play who is not a member of the royal family.