Hamlet - Comprehensive Play Summary

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Hamlet is a tragedy written by Shakespeare at the turn of the 16th century. The play’s story, which can be traced back to a 12th-century Latin text, is about a Danish prince named Hamlet who seeks to avenge his father’s murder at the hands of his uncle, Claudius. The play is not only Shakespeare’s longest, but also one of his most iconic.

At the start of the play, the king of Denmark has died, and his brother Claudius has assumed the throne and married his late brother’s wife, Queen Gertrude. Consumed with grief over his father’s sudden death, Prince Hamlet is appalled by his mother’s marriage to Claudius, whose character is, he believes, inferior to that of his deceased father.

Little does Hamlet know, the ghost of his dead father appeared to his skeptical friend Horatio and two castle sentries the previous night. When Horatio tells Hamlet of this sighting, Hamlet decides to watch for the ghost himself that evening. Soon, the ghost appears. Addressing only Hamlet, the ghost says he’s come from purgatory to demand vengeance against his brother Claudius, who murdered him by pouring poison into his ear. Hamlet is shocked and vows to avenge his father’s murder by killing Claudius.

Meanwhile, Claudius’ chief advisor Polonius is concerned about his daughter Ophelia, who loves Hamlet but is confused by his gloomy mood lately. At first, Polonius orders his daughter to stay away from Hamlet, but he later becomes convinced that Ophelia’s lack of affection is the reason for Hamlet’s melancholy. Polonius decides to observe the couple together in secret, hiding behind a tapestry with Claudius. But when Ophelia tries to flirt with Hamlet, his mind is on his father’s murder, and he rebukes her advances, proving Polonius wrong.

Next, Claudius recruits Hamlet’s school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to discover the reason for Hamlet’s foul mood, but Hamlet quickly realizes that his friends are working against him as spies. Dodging his questions, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Hamlet that they ran into a troupe of actors on their way to the castle and invited them along to perform for the court. Hamlet decides to have these actors perform a play based on the murder of his father, to see how Claudius reacts. If he seems rattled by the performance, it will prove his guilt.

Meanwhile, Claudius learns that Fortinbras, the prince of enemy Norway, has expressed interest in waging war on Denmark, owing to the recent change in the country’s leadership. Claudius is reassured, however, when he learns that Norway’s king has forbade Fortinbras from invading Denmark, and that the Norwegian army intends to invade a small area in Poland instead. To do so, they need Claudius’ permission to march through Denmark, which he grants.

That evening, Claudius indeed seems disturbed by the performance of Hamlet’s play, and even storms out, convincing Hamlet of his guilt. Hamlet decides to tell his mother, but on his way to her chamber, Hamlet overhears Claudius confessing his sins, including the murder, to God. Hamlet nearly kills Claudius, but stops short, realizing that if he killed his uncle while he was praying, Claudius would go straight to heaven.

Hamlet goes to Gertrude’s chamber and tries to convince his mother of Claudius’ evil character. Meanwhile, Polonius is once again spying on their conversation from behind a curtain. At one point, Gertrude misinterprets Hamlet’s words, thinking he intends to kill her. She screams out for help, causing Polonius to scream as well. Assuming it is Claudius behind the curtain, Hamlet stabs at the fabric, killing Polonius.

Following Polonius’ death, Hamlet’s friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern escort Hamlet on a diplomatic mission to England at the request of Claudius. However, Hamlet is unaware that Claudius gave them a letter for the English king, instructing him to have Hamlet killed upon his arrival. Soon, Hamlet discovers this letter in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s possession and secretly replaces it with one asking that his friends be killed instead of him.

Meanwhile, Polonius’ son Laertes, upset over his father’s murder, confronts Claudius and threatens to seize the throne from him with the help of an angry mob. Claudius assures him that Hamlet is responsible, and together, they decide to arrange for a casual duel between Hamlet and Laertes, who is a skilled swordsman. Secretly, they plan to line Laertes’ sword with poison, ensuring that even a small wound will kill Hamlet. As an added precaution, Claudius will prepare a cup of poison to give to Hamlet during the fight.

Returning home from his journey, Hamlet passes through a cemetery, encountering a gravedigger in the midst of preparing a new grave.