Sentries Francisco and Bernardo change shift in their guard duty at midnight on a platform outside the royal castle in Elsinore. Horatio and Marcellus arrive to join Bernardo. The three men discuss the strange apparition that has appeared twice on the ramparts. Horatio doubts the others’ report, but as Bernardo begins to describe it, the Ghost appears. Dressed in battle armor, the Ghost resembles the late King of Denmark. When Horatio demands the Ghost speak, it stalks away.
*Horatio suspects that the appearance of the Ghost in military dress marks some impending danger for Denmark. The men discuss the strict watch and how serious it has been lately as if something is anticipated to happen. They discuss how rumors are going around that young prince Fortinbras of Norway is setting troops to reclaim the lands of his father, who lost his life in a battle with late king Hamlet.
* The Ghost reappears and still doesn’t speak to them. The three men agree that they should impart what they have seen to Hamlet perhaps the Ghost would speak to him.
Claudius and Queen Gertrude enter a state room in the castle, along with Polonius, the Lord
Chamberlain, his son Laertes, Hamlet and various members of the royal council.
*Claudius points out that he married his sister in law after he obtained the approval of the court.
*Turning to state affairs, Claudius speaks of state affairs. He speaks of young Fortinbras who demands the return of lands lost by his father to late King Hamlet. Claudius sends Cornelius and Voltemand with a letter to the King of Norway to restrain his nephew.
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*Then Claudius addresses Laertes who requested going back to France where he lived, which
Claudius agrees on.
*Claudius last addresses Hamlet, asking Hamlet to stop grieving over his dead father claiming that such grief was impious and unmanly. Both Gertrude and Claudius request Hamlet to stay at Elsinore which he agrees on doing.
* In his first soliloquy, Hamlet expresses that his despair is not only because of his father’s death, but also due to his mother’s hasty marriage to a man that doesn’t even compare to his father. He then condemns his mother and all women for moral weakness and inconstancy.
* Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo inform Hamlet of the apparition that they have seen on the ramparts, Hamlet says that it can be his father or an evil spirit and says that he will join their watch that night and swears the three to secrecy. Hamlet says his famous “All is not well” expressing that his father’s Ghost might be back to reveal a crime.
In a room of Polonius’s house, Laertes bids his sister Ophelia farewell. He advises her to be wary of Hamlet’s recent attention, telling Ophelia that Hamlet is not serious about her. He warns her that, even if Hamlet’s intentions were honorable, his position as a prince places him far above her station socially and makes it impossible for him to choose a wife freely for himself. After being warned to protect her virtue, Ophelia playfully exhorts her brother to practice what he preaches.
Polonius enters and admonishes Laertes to hurry because the ship is waiting for him. After Laertes receives his father’s advice and blessing, he departs. Then Polonius turns to Ophelia and interrogates her about her relationship with Hamlet. He ridicules her calling her naïve for believing that Hamlet is seriously interested in her, and warns Ophelia not to make a fool of herself and him. Polonius commands Ophelia to have no further contact with the prince and she humbly agrees to obey her father’s wishes.
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At midnight, Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus await the appearance of the ghost on the guard platform out- side the castle. When they hear the sound of trumpets and cannons, Hamlet explains that Claudius is holding a late- night celebration, with drinking, carousing and dancing. He complains about the Danish custom of revelry, saying that it has given the Danes a contemptible reputation as swinish drunkards. At the moment, the ghost enters. Though unsure of whether it is truly his father’s spirit or an evil demon, Hamlet begs the apparition to speak to him and explain why it has returned to earth. The ghost beckons Hamlet to follow it, as if it has something to tell him in private. Marcellus and Horatio warn Hamlet not to follow, and they try to hold him back. But Hamlet says he has nothing to fear. Threatening to “make a ghost” of anyone who hinders him, Hamlet exits with the Ghost.
Fearing that Hamlet is in a desperate state, Horatio and Marcellus follow him.
The Ghost addresses Hamlet, identifying itself as Hamlet’s father’s spirit, and bids Hamlet to listen attentively. The Ghost confides that King Hamlet died not from a serpent’s sting as people thought but rather at the hand of king’s brother, Claudius, who poured poison in the king’s ear while he slept in the orchard. Because Old
Hamlet died without a chance to confess his sins or to receive the last rites, Claudius has doomed his victim’s soul to walk the earth that night for a certain period of
Claudius, but he warns Hamlet not to taint his soul with the unnaturally cruel act of punishing his mother as well. As day breaks, the Ghost departs with the words, “Remember me,” and
Hamlet fervently vows to live only for revenge. With the help of the Ghost, he swears Horatio and Marcellus to secrecy. time and to suffer the torments of purgatory. The Ghost calls on Hamlet to avenge this horrible murder by killing
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In a room at his house, Polonius instructs his servant Reynaldo on how to gather gossip about Laertes’ conduct in Paris. First, he is to locate Danes who are living there, and then, through indirection and trick, he is to bait them into acknowledging Laertes’ wanton habits. As Reynaldo sets off on his mission, Ophelia enters in a state of intense agitation. She tells
Polonius that Hamlet came to her, wild and distraught, looking as if “he had been loosed out of hell/to speak of horrors.” When Ophelia describes Hamlet’s bizarre actions and appearance, Polonius is immediately convinced that Hamlet has gone mad because Ophelia has obeyed her father’s bidding and spurned the young Prince’s attentions.
Polonius decides that he should inform the king of Hamlet’s dangerously desperate, lovesick condition.
In a state room of the castle, Claudius and Gertrude welcome Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, boyhood friends of Hamlet, and ask their help in learning what caused such a change in Hamlet. The two young men agree and go off in search of
Hamlet. Polonius enters announcing that he knows the reason behind
Hamlet’s madness. He says that Hamlet is driven to madness due to
Ophelia’s rejection of him. To prove that, he reveals a love letter sent previously by Hamlet to Ophelia. Then he suggests a scheme in which he and Claudius will spy on an arranged meeting between Ophelia and Hamlet.
Hamlet enters and greets Rosencrantz and Guildenstern warmly asking about the reason behind their visit to Denmark and is really disappointed to discover later that they were sent for by the King and Queen themselves. Despite his disappointment, Hamlet is really interested in the news they bring of an acting company that has just arrived in Elsinore.
Hamlet asks the players to act the next day a play called “The murder of Gonzago” to which
Hamlet will add a few lines and scenes.
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In a soliloquy, Hamlet reveals that the lines he plans to write will contain details of a murder similar to that mentioned by the Ghost. By Claudius’s reaction to this part of the play, Hamlet will know whether the king is guilty of murder or not.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern inform Claudius that they didn’t learn the reason behind
Hamlet’s madness but have seen him so excited for the arrival of the traveling actors and that he asked them to perform a play. Claudius agrees to attend the play.
A short time later, Polonius and Claudius prepare to spy on the chance meeting that they have prepared between Ophelia and
Hamlet. Hamlet enters and before he notices Ophelia he deliver his famous “To be or not to be..” soliloquy. Catching site of Ophelia, he goes back to pretending to be mad.
After denying his love to Ophelia, Hamlet curses women’s lust and duplicity. After Hamlet exits, Ophelia laments Hamlet’s insanity and his bitter rejection of her. When Claudius and Polonius reenter, Claudius reveals that he is not entirely convinced that
Hamlet is mad, and suggests that Hamlet be sent to England.
Insisting that Hamlet is lovesick, Polonius suggests spying on Hamlet as he meets with his mother after the play.
Hamlet is informed that the king and queen will attend the play.
Horatio enters and is praised by Hamlet for being a true friend. He then asks Horatio to look at the King closely as the play is taking place to spot any guilt that he might reveal.
Upon the arrival of everyone, the players start acting the play within a play
“The mouse trap”. A player king and a player queen are lovingly embracing, then she leaves him to sleep in an orchid. Then while sleeping a man comes in pours poison into the player king’s ear and takes off his crown and wears it. The murderer then offers the player queen lots of lavishing gifts upon which she agrees to marry him. At this moment, Claudius gets so irritated, stands up, and asks for lights as he leaves angrily. All but Hamlet and Horatio leave.
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Hamlet, in fever of excitement, tells Horatio that Claudius has plainly revealed his guilt. R&G come to inform Hamlet that Claudius is so upset and that his mother called for him to join her in her chamber. Hamlet then expresses his anger at his mother and how he is planning to approach her sharply yet do her no violence.
Shaken by the play-within-a-play, Claudius tells Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern that he cannot afford to delay Hamlet’s departure for England.
The courtiers comment on the importance of the king’s safety. Polonius enters and tells the king that he will hide behind the curtain in Gertrude’s chamber to spy on Hamlet. After Polonius exits, Claudius soliloquizes on his guilt. He knows he cannot truly pray for the forgiveness because he is unwilling to relinquish the fruits of his crime: his murdered brother’s throne and wife. Even so, he forces himself to kneel to beg heaven’s forgiveness. Hamlet enters and sees Claudius at his prayers. At first he resolves to kill the king. Then he realizes by killing the king while he is at prayer, Claudius’s soul will go to heaven and Hamlet and the Ghost will be cheated of true revenge. As Hamlet leaves, Claudius rises, sadly remarking that he has been unable to repent his sins.
In Gertrude’s private chamber, Polonius urges the queen to scold Hamlet for his pranks. He hides behind a curtain. Hamlet enters furiously reproaching his mother for her remarriage.
Gertrude fears violence, so she cries for help. Polonius echoes her cry from behind the curtain.
Believing that it was Claudius hiding behind the curtains, Hamlet stabs the old man to death.
When Hamlet lifts the curtain, he discovers that it was Polonius whom he killed. He calls the old man a meddlesome fool.
Hamlet then turns to his mother and with raging anger blames her for her hasty remarriage.
Gertrude, struck with guilt, admits that she was driven by her lust and that she shouldn’t have remarried. At that moment the Ghost appears again to command Hamlet to carry out vengeance on Claudius and not his mother. The queen, who cannot see the Ghost now believes that Hamlet is truly mad. Hamlet assures her that he is sane and informs her that he
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will be departing to England with R & G and he will repay their disloyalty. The scene ends with
Hamlet dragging Polonius’s body out of the room.
Claudius questions Gertrude on the whereabouts and condition of her son. Faithful to the promise she gave to her son, Gertrude assures Claudius that Hamlet is crazy and that he killed
Polonius by accident. Claudius insists that Hamlet should leave to England instantly and asks
R&G to find the corpse of Polonius.
R&G attempt to find out where Hamlet hid the corpse of Polonius yet Hamlet mocks them with insults and black humor. Continuing to play mad, he runs off stage as if he is playing hide and seek.
Claudius enters alone, remarking he must treat the prince very cautiously due to his great popularity with the people. Hamlet enters along with R & G. Claudius orders hamlet to tell where he hid Polonius’s corpse. After some mocking and banter, Hamlet reveals that it is in the lobby. Claudius then tells Hamlet to prepare for an immediate departure. After everyone exits, Claudius reveals that the journey to England is a death trap and that he sent with Hamlet a sealed letter that commands the king Of England to kill him upon his arrival.
On an open plain in Denmark, Prince Fortinbras is leading an army toward a battle against
Poland. The captain explains to Hamlet that many people will die over an insignificant piece of land. In a soliloquy, Hamlet compares himself to Fortinbras and reproaches himself for delaying his vengeances and makes a definite decision to carry it out.
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At the royal palace, Gertrude and Horatio are confronted by Ophelia’s insanity caused evidently by the shocks of Hamlet’s rejection and her father’s murder. Claudius enters and feels sorry for Ophelia’s pathetic condition. He then informs Gertrude that Laertes has arrived from France and is bent on revenge for his father’s death. He also informs her that the people are planning to overthrow Claudius and make Laertes the King of Denmark.
Claudius calmly informs Laertes that he will reveal the true identity of the murder, but before he says a word, Ophelia enters singing an incoherent lament for the dead and scattering flowers as if on a coffin.
Laertes is shocked by his sister’s madness and Claudius informs him that he will tell him all about his father’s murder.
A sailor delivers a letter from Hamlet to Horatio, in which he informs him that their ship was attacked by pirates who brought him back to the shores of Denmark and that the ship docked safely. Horatio asks the sailor to take him to Hamlet.
Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet slew Polonius and is plotting against Claudius’ life. When
Laertes asks why Claudius has not punished Hamlet more severely, the king rationalizes his inaction by referring to Gertrude’s love for her son and to Hamlet’s great popularity with the people. Incited by Claudius, Laertes broods on revenge.
A messenger enters to deliver letters from Hamlet to Claudius and Gertrude. In his letters,
Hamlet announces mysteriously that he has returned to Denmark and will appear in person on the following day at court.
Claudius reveals to Laertes a plot through which they can both be rid of Hamlet: The king will arrange a fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes, and Laertes will use a foil with a poisoned tip. As a backup, Claudius will prepare a poisoned drink to offer Hamlet if he fails to
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be wounded in the match. Queen Gertrude enters, announcing that Ophelia has drowned news that adds to Laertes’ fury.
In a graveyard near a church, two gravediggers discuss the imminent funeral of Ophelia and debate the theological issue of her burial after a presumed suicide, in consecrated ground.
Shakespeare’s audience would be familiar with the church’s denial of Christian burial rights to suicides on the grounds that they were guilty of a mortal sin. Hamlet and Horatio enter, and
Hamlet muses on human morality. When a gravedigger identifies a skull as belonging to Yorick, old Hamlet’s court jester whom Hamlet knew when the prince was a child, Hamlet philosophizes on the inevitability of death as the common fate of humankind, rich and poor alike.
The court party enters, accompanying Ophelia’s funeral procession. Laertes argues with one of the clergy about the proper extent of the funeral rites and then, crazed with grief, leaps into his sister’s grave. Hamlet, too, leaps into the grave and grapples with Laertes, defiantly declaring that he had loved Ophelia. Claudius and Gertrude call him mad, and the king reminds
Laertes in an aside to remember their plot.
Hamlet relates to Horatio what occurred aboard the ship: He discovered the commission from
Claudius commanding his execution in England and substituted a new commission ordering that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be executed.
Osric, a foppish young courtier, enters to tell Hamlet that Claudius has made a wager on the outcome of a fencing bout between Hamlet and Laertes. Horatio urges Hamlet not to fight saying he believes the prince will lose. However, Hamlet calmly reassures his friend, saying that he must accept his fate.
Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, and the court party enter in preparation for the fencing bout.
Hamlet reassures Laertes of his sincere friendship. Claudius places the cup of poisoned wine on the banquet table and, when Hamlet scores the first hit, offers the cup to Hamlet, who
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declines. When Hamlet scores a second hit, Gertrude picks up the poisoned wine and, ignoring
Claudius’ protests, drinks to Hamlet’s health. On the third pass, Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned foil. In a scuffle that follows, the foils are exchanged, and Hamlet wounds Laertes with the same poisoned foil. Gertrude falls, crying out that she has been poisoned. About to die, Laertes confesses to Hamlet the trick of the poisoned foil. In a fury, Hamlet strikes
Claudius with a poisoned weapon and kills him, and pours the poisoned wine into his mouth.
After Laertes and Hamlet exchange forgiveness, Fortinbras enters, and Hamlet predicts the young Norwegian will be elected King of Denmark. Horatio sadly blesses Hamlet as the prince dies. Fortinbras assumes command and orders a military funeral with honors for Hamlet.
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