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