Hamlet Plot Summary Number the boxes below to place the events of Hamlet in chronological order. Use the sentence openers to help you. After we are introduced to Ophelia, Polonius and Laertes, Hamlet hears from the soldiers about the ghostly visions. He agrees to go with them. Hamlet learns the shocking truth from the ghost of his father that he was in fact murdered by Claudius using poison. Hamlet declares that he will seek revenge. He decides the way forward is to act as if he is crazy. Instead of murdering Claudius, Hamlet goes to see his mother and confront her. However he does not know that Polonius is hiding behind a tapestry and when Hamlet hears noise from behind it, assuming it is Claudius, he stabs through the tapestry with his sword, killing Polonius. Hamlet continues to become angry with his mother until the ghost of his father arrives and scolds him for not acting more quickly. Gertrude however cannot see the ghost and is now convinced that Hamlet is insane. We quickly learn that the queen, Gertrude, remarried only two months after her husband’s death. She married the king’s brother, Claudius, who tells Hamlet that he must stop grieving his father. Hamlet agrees, but is disgusted that his mother is now married to his uncle. However, their terrible plan backfires when Gertrude drinks from the cup and later dies. And while Hamlet did receive the first hit from Laertes’ sword, Laertes meets his own ending as the swords are accidentally switched during the fight. Laertes reveals the plan to Hamlet which sees Hamlet turn to Claudius and injure him with the poisoned sword while forcing him to drink from the poisoned cup. Hamlet then dies too. After Hamlet concocts his cunning plan, Claudius, Gertrude and Polonius spy on a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia to see if he is really love sick. However, Hamlet is unkind to Ophelia and tells her to become a nun instead of seeking love. They are convinced that Hamlet is not love sick but still don’t have the answer. Polonius is concerned that Hamlet is a threat and decides to send him to England. Claudius receives a letter from Hamlet to say he returned to England after the ship was attacked by pirates. He tells Claudius that he will visit him the next day. Claudius and Laertes hatch a new plan to murder Hamlet and make it look like an accident. While they are hatching their new plan, Gertrude brings them the terrible news that Ophelia has committed suicide by drowning herself in a stream. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern decide to cheer Hamlet up by telling him that some travelling actors have arrived at the castle to entertain him. Hamlet secretly concocts a cunning plan for the actors to perform a play that recreates his father’s murder. He hopes that it will reveal Polonius’ guilt. 1 of 2 Hamlet Plot Summary After their graveyard fight, Hamlet is invited to a fencing match with Laertes. Little does he know that this is the new plan to have him murdered with poison. They have placed poison on Laertes’ sword and poisoned a cup that they hope Hamlet will drink from when he becomes exhausted and thirsty. While Hamlet is travelling to England, we learn that Ophelia is overcome with grief about her father’s murder. Laertes, who had travelled to France, returns to Denmark and threatens to overthrow Claudius as he believes that he is responsible for his father’s death. Claudius is able to convince Laertes that Hamlet is to blame. Hamlet meets two gravediggers digging Ophelia’s grave, yet does not realise that the grave is for her. When Laertes and others arrive to bury her, Hamlet realises and declares that no one loved her more than he. Laertes and Hamlet struggle with each other in the open grave until they are separated. Ophelia tells her father that she is concerned about Hamlet as he has begun to act strangely after she returned his love letters. Polonius becomes convinced that maybe Hamlet really did love Ophelia and he is now love sick. The king and queen are also concerned about Hamlet’s bizarre behaviour and ask two friends of his, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to speak to him. Hamlet’s punishment for murdering Polonius is to be sent to England with his friends Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. His friends are to murder Hamlet as he arrives in England by the order of the king. In the second scene, we are introduced to Hamlet’s love interest, Ophelia. Her father and brother, Polonius and Laertes, convince her to stop seeing Hamlet as they believe his intentions are not to marry her but to ruin her honour by seducing her instead. Before Hamlet discovers that he is to be sent to England, the actors take centre stage and the play begins. However, Claudius is furious at the unfolding storyline and stops the play altogether. Hamlet sees this as proof of his guilt. Claudius later admits his guilt when he is alone and tries to pray and seek forgiveness from God. Hamlet spies on him doing this but decides not to kill him as he might go to heaven if he dies while praying. In the opening scene, a ghost appears to two soldiers on guard. They note that the ghost looks just like the dead King of Denmark and they decide to tell the king’s son, Hamlet. While the rest of the events in the play have taken place, there has been an invasion brewing in the background. Before the events of the play, Hamlet’s real father murdered the King of Norway; his son, Fortinbras, arrives in Denmark to confront Claudius. On discovering the death of the royal family, he claims the throne for himself. 2 of 2 Hamlet Plot Summary Answers Number the boxes below to place the events of Hamlet in chronological order. Use the sentence openers to help you. 4 After we are introduced to Ophelia, Polonius and Laertes, Hamlet hears from the soldiers about the ghostly visions. He agrees to go with them. Hamlet learns the shocking truth from the ghost of his father that he was in fact murdered by Claudius using poison. Hamlet declares that he will seek revenge. He decides the way forward is to act as if he is crazy. 9 Instead of murdering Claudius, Hamlet goes to see his mother and confront her. However he does not know that Polonius is hiding behind a tapestry and when Hamlet hears noise from behind it, assuming it is Claudius, he stabs through the tapestry with his sword, killing Polonius. Hamlet continues to become angry with his mother until the ghost of his father arrives and scolds him for not acting more quickly. Gertrude however cannot see the ghost and is now convinced that Hamlet is insane. 2 We quickly learn that the queen, Gertrude, remarried only two months after her husband’s death. She married the king’s brother, Claudius, who tells Hamlet that he must stop grieving his father. Hamlet agrees, but is disgusted that his mother is now married to his uncle. 15 However, their terrible plan backfires when Gertrude drinks from the cup and later dies. And while Hamlet did receive the first hit from Laertes’ sword, Laertes meets his own ending as the swords are accidentally switched during the fight. Laertes reveals the plan to Hamlet which sees Hamlet turn to Claudius and injure him with the poisoned sword while forcing him to drink from the poisoned cup. Hamlet then dies too. 7 After Hamlet concocts his cunning plan, Claudius, Gertrude and Polonius spy on a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia to see if he is really love sick. However, Hamlet is unkind to Ophelia and tells her to become a nun instead of seeking love. They are convinced that Hamlet is not love sick but still don’t have the answer. Polonius is concerned that Hamlet is a threat and decides to send him to England. 12 Claudius receives a letter from Hamlet to say he returned to England after the ship was attacked by pirates. He tells Claudius that he will visit him the next day. Claudius and Laertes hatch a new plan to murder Hamlet and make it look like an accident. While they are hatching their new plan, Gertrude brings them the terrible news that Ophelia has committed suicide by drowning herself in a stream. 6 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern decide to cheer Hamlet up by telling him that some travelling actors have arrived at the castle to entertain him. Hamlet secretly concocts a cunning plan for the actors to perform a play that recreates his father’s murder. He hopes that it will reveal Polonius’ guilt. 1 of 2 Hamlet Plot Summary Answers 14 After their graveyard fight, Hamlet is invited to a fencing match with Laertes. Little does he know that this is the new plan to have him murdered with poison. They have placed poison on Laertes’ sword and poisoned a cup that they hope Hamlet will drink from when he becomes exhausted and thirsty. 11 While Hamlet is travelling to England, we learn that Ophelia is overcome with grief about her father’s murder. Laertes, who had travelled to France, returns to Denmark and threatens to overthrow Claudius as he believes that he is responsible for his father’s death. Claudius is able to convince Laertes that Hamlet is to blame. 13 Hamlet meets two gravediggers digging Ophelia’s grave, yet does not realise that the grave is for her. When Laertes and others arrive to bury her, Hamlet realises and declares that no one loved her more than he. Laertes and Hamlet struggle with each other in the open grave until they are separated. 5 Ophelia tells her father that she is concerned about Hamlet as he has begun to act strangely after she returned his love letters. Polonius becomes convinced that maybe Hamlet really did love Ophelia and he is now love sick. The king and queen are also concerned about Hamlet’s bizarre behaviour and ask two friends of his, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to speak to him. 10 Hamlet’s punishment for murdering Polonius is to be sent to England with his friends Rozencrantz and Guildenstern. His friends are to murder Hamlet as he arrives in England by the order of the king. 3 In the second scene, we are introduced to Hamlet’s love interest, Ophelia. Her father and brother, Polonius and Laertes, convince her to stop seeing Hamlet as they believe his intentions are not to marry her but to ruin her honour by seducing her instead. 8 Before Hamlet discovers that he is to be sent to England, the actors take centre stage and the play begins. However, Claudius is furious at the unfolding storyline and stops the play altogether. Hamlet sees this as proof of his guilt. Claudius later admits his guilt when he is alone and tries to pray and seek forgiveness from God. Hamlet spies on him doing this but decides not to kill him as he might go to heaven if he dies while praying. 1 In the opening scene, a ghost appears to two soldiers on guard. They note that the ghost looks just like the dead King of Denmark and they decide to tell the king’s son, Hamlet. 16 While the rest of the events in the play have taken place, there has been an invasion brewing in the background. Before the events of the play, Hamlet’s real father murdered the King of Norway; his son, Fortinbras, arrives in Denmark to confront Claudius. On discovering the death of the royal family, he claims the throne for himself. 2 of 2