“Hamlet”: Review
http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/hamlet/ and http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/
List of Characters
Prince Hamlet: Son of King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude. He is the main protagonist, who must
decide whether to kill his uncle Claudius and revenge his father's death. Hamlet is an
introspective character who does not know whether to trust the ghost of his father or not. He
hates his mother for marrying Claudius so soon after his father's death, and he is in love with
Ophelia until she rejects him.
Ghost of Hamlet: The ghost of the late King of Denmark. The ghost appears several times, but
only speaks to his son Hamlet. He demands that Hamlet revenge his murder by killing Claudius.
King Claudius: The brother of the late King of Denmark and the uncle to Hamlet. He murdered
his brother in order to seize the throne, and subsequently married Gertrude, the Queen of
Denmark.
Queen Gertrude: The widow of the late King Hamlet, and the current wife of Claudius. She
seems unaware that Claudius killed her former husband until Hamlet confronts her directly.
However, she also believes that Hamlet is mad after he sees the ghost of his father in her
presence, a ghost she cannot see.
Polonius: A lord who is the father of Laertes and Ophelia. He is the first to believe that Hamlet's
madness is the result of Ophelia rejecting him. Polonius is accidentally killed by Hamlet while
eavesdropping on a conversation between Hamlet and Gertrude.
Laertes: The son of Polonius, he is first sent to France but returns when he learns that his father
has been killed. He fights Hamlet in a fencing match at the end, and kills Hamlet by slashing him
with a poisoned foil.
Ophelia: The daughter of Polonius, she is in love with Hamlet but rejects him after her father
orders her to do so. She later goes mad after Polonius is murdered, and soon thereafter commits
suicide by drowning herself.
Reynaldo: A servant to Polonius.
Horatio: A friend of Hamlet who is the first to inform him about the ghost of Old Hamlet. He is the
only friend Hamlet trusts by the end of the play, and he is ordered to reveal the true story of why
Hamlet killed Claudius.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Friends of Hamlet who are invited to the court by Claudius.
They both watch Hamlet closely at Claudius' request, and they later serve as escorts for Hamlet
to England. Hamlet discovers that he should be killed in England, and instead has Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern put to death by substituting another letter.
Francisco: A soldier.
Barnardo and Marcellus: Soldiers who is among the first to see the ghost of Old Hamlet.
Valtemand and Cornelius: Courtiers.
Osric: A courtier who invites Hamlet to fence with Laertes.
Two Clowns: A gravedigger and his companion, they are digging the grave for Ophelia. Hamlet
sees them and speaks with them for while, wondering at the casual way they go about their work.
Fortinbras: The Prince of Norway. In order to revenge his father's death at the hands of Old
Hamlet, he is marching an army through Denmark pretending to go to Poland. Instead, he attacks
the Danish palace and conquers Denmark.
A Captain: A captain in Fortinbras' army.
Players: A group of actors who arrive in Denmark. Hamlet uses them to stage a production he
calls The Mousetrap in order to see how Claudius will react.
Short Summary
Hamlet starts with soldiers changing the guard outside of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. The new
guards have brought along a scholar named Horatio because they claim to have seen a ghost. Horatio is
skeptical of their story until the ghost actually appears. He then tries to speak to it, but the ghost remains
silent until it stalks away.
Horatio tells the guards that the ghost was dressed the same way Old Hamlet (the former King of
Denmark and Hamlet's father) was dressed when he defeated King Fortinbras of Norway. He further tells
them that young Fortinbras, the son, has gathered together an army to attack Denmark. At this point the
ghost reappears and Horatio again begs it to speak to him. The ghost seems about to say something but at
that moment a cock crows and the ghost vanishes. The guards and Horatio decide to tell Hamlet what they
have seen.
King Claudius, who is Hamlet's uncle and who assumed the throne after Hamlet's father died, is in
the castle. He has recently married Queen Gertrude, who is Hamlet's mother and the widow to Old Hamlet.
Claudius is worried about the fact that young Fortinbras has raised an army against Denmark, and so he
sends out messengers to the uncle of young Fortinbras asking him to stop his nephew. Claudius then turns
to Laertes, the son of Polonius, and asks him why he requested an audience. Laertes asks the king for
permission to return to France, which he is granted.
Claudius finally turns his attention to Hamlet, who is standing in black robes of mourning for his
father. He tells Hamlet that it is unnatural for a man to mourn for such a long period of time. Queen
Gertrude agrees, and asks Hamlet to wear normal clothes again. Both the king and queen then beg Hamlet
to stay with them at the castle rather than return to his studies in Wittenberg. Hamlet agrees to stay, and
both his mother and uncle rush out of the palace to celebrate their new wedding.
Horatio arrives with the guards and tells Hamlet that they have seen his father's ghost. Hamlet is
extremely interested in this, and informs them that he will join them for the watch that night.
Laertes is finishing his packing and is also giving his sister Ophelia some brotherly advice before
he leaves. He warns her to watch out for Hamlet whom he has seen wooing her. Laertes tells Ophelia to
ignore Hamlet's overtures towards her until he is made king, at which point if he still wants to marry her
then she should consent. Polonius arrives and orders his son to hurry up and get to the ship. Polonius then
gives Laertes some fatherly advice, telling him to behave himself in France. Laertes departs, leaving
Ophelia with Polonius. Polonius then turns to her and asks what has been going on between her and
Hamlet. She tells him that Hamlet has professed his love to her, but Polonius only laughs and calls her
ignorant. He then orders her to avoid Hamlet and to not believe his protestations of love. Ophelia promises
to obey her father.
Hamlet, Horatio and a guard meet outside to see whether the ghost will appear. It soon arrives and
silently beckons Hamlet to follow it. Hamlet pushes away Horatio, who is trying to hold him back, and runs
after the ghost. The guard tells Horatio that they had better follow Hamlet and make sure he is alright.
The ghost finally stops and turns to Hamlet. He tells Hamlet that he is the ghost of Old Hamlet,
who has come to tell his son the truth about how he died. He tells Hamlet that he was sitting in the garden
one day, asleep in his chair, when Claudius came up to him and poured poison into his ear. He was killed
immediately, and because he was not allowed to confess his sins, he is now suffering in Purgatory. The
ghost of Old Hamlet then orders his son to seek revenge for this foul crime before departing.
Hamlet is confused about whether to believe the ghost or not, but he makes Horatio and the guard
swear to never reveal what they have seen. He decides that he will pretend to be mad in order to fool
Claudius and Gertrude until he is able to know whether Claudius really killed his father or not.
Polonius sends his servant Reynaldo to France in order to spy on Laertes. He order Reynaldo to
ask the other Danes what sort of reputation Laertes has in order to make sure his son is behaving. Reynaldo
promises to do this and leaves for France. Ophelia enters looking extremely frightened and informs her
father that Hamlet has gone mad. She tells him that Hamlet entered the room where she was sewing and
took her wrist. After staring into her eyes for a long while he walked out of the room without ever taking
his eyes off of her. Polonius concludes that Hamlet must have gone mad because he ordered Ophelia to
reject Hamlet's affections.
Claudius and Gertrude have invited two friends of Hamlet to come and spy on Hamlet. They are
aware that Hamlet is acting strangely and want the friends to figure out what the problem is. Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern, eager to please King Claudius, agree to try and find out what is wrong with Hamlet. They
leave, and Polonius enters with news that the messengers are back from Norway. Claudius tells him to
bring the messengers in.
The messengers inform Claudius that after they arrived, the uncle of Fortinbras sent his nephew a
summons. Young Fortinbras obeyed, and the uncle chastised him for attempting to attack Denmark.
Fortinbras apologized for his behavior and received an annual allowance from his uncle as a token of
goodwill. Further, the uncle gave Fortinbras permission to attack Poland. Since Fortinbras would have to
march through Denmark in order to reach Poland, the uncle sent Claudius a letter asking for safe passage.
Claudius, overjoyed by this news, assents to give permission.
Polonius then tells him that he knows the reason for Hamlet's madness. He reads Claudius and
Gertrude one of the letters Hamlet sent to Ophelia in which Hamlet professes his love for her. Claudius is
not entirely convinced, and so he and Polonius agree to set up a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia that
they will be able to spy on.
Hamlet enters the room and cuts their plotting short. Polonius asks the king and queen to leave
him alone with their son, to which they assent. Polonius then tries to talk to Hamlet, who, feigning
madness, calls him a fishmonger and asks him if he has a daughter. Hamlet continues to insult Polonius
until Polonius finally gives up in frustration.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive and Hamlet recognizes them. He greets them warmly and
asks what brings them to Denmark. They only give an ambiguous answer, from which Hamlet infers that
Claudius asked them to come. Hamlet then reveals to them that he has been very melancholic lately, and
gives that as the reason he has been acting mad. They try to cheer him up by telling him some actors
arrived with them on their ship. Hamlet is overjoyed to hear this news, and he immediately goes to find the
actors.
He succeeds in finding the players and asks them to perform a speech from Dido and Aeneas for
him. One of them agrees and performs the part where Priam, the father of Aeneas, is killed. He then
continues with the part where Hecuba, Priam's wife, sees her husband being murdered and lets out a cry
that rouses even the gods. Hamlet tells him it is enough when Polonius begs the actor to stop. He then asks
the actors if they can perform the murder of Gonzago as well some extra lines that he will write for them.
They agree and leave to rehearse their parts. Hamlet meanwhile has compared the murder of Priam to his
own father's murder and has become outraged with Claudius, whom he hopes to reveal as the murderer
through the play that he asked the actors to perform that night.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Claudius and Gertrude that they really do not know what the
matter with Hamlet is. They can only say that he seems distracted, but that the arrival of the actors made
him happier. Polonius then tells Claudius that Hamlet is putting on a play that night and requested that they
attend. Claudius agrees to go.
Polonius hears Hamlet coming and he and Claudius quickly made Ophelia stand in clear view
while they hide themselves. Hamlet enters and gives his "To be or not to be; that is the question" (3.1.58)
speech. He stops when he sees Ophelia and goes over to speak with her. Hamlet rudely tells her that he
never loved her and orders her to go to a nunnery. After he leaves, Claudius tells Polonius that Hamlet does
not seem to be mad because of Ophelia, but Polonius still believes that she is the real reason for his
melancholic madness.
Hamlet puts on a play called The Mousetrap for Claudius and Gertrude, as well as other attendants
in the castle. The play involves a king who is murdered by his nephew while sleeping in the garden. As the
nephew pours poison into the king's ears, King Claudius becomes so outraged that he stands up, thereby
forcing the play to end. He orders light to be shone on him and stalks angrily out of the room.
Hamlet is delighted by this and is convinced that the ghost was telling the truth. Horatio agrees
with him. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern then arrive and tell Hamlet that his mother wants to see him in her
private chambers immediately. Polonius soon arrives with the same news. Hamlet sends them all away and
plans to reveal what he knows to his mother in order to see if she was part of the plot to kill his father.
Claudius, overcome with emotion, prays to heaven to forgive him his sin. He admits to
committing the murder of his brother. Hamlet enters silently with his sword and is about to kill Claudius
when he realizes that Claudius is praying. Since that would mean that Claudius would be absolved of his
sins if he died right then, Hamlet stops and decides to wait until he can kill Claudius when his "soul may be
as damned and black as hell" (3.3.94-95).
Hamlet then goes to see his mother. He immediately insults her for having married Claudius so
soon after his father's death. She gets scared and calls for help, causing Polonius (who is hidden behind a
curtain spying on them) to make a sound. Hamlet pulls out his dagger and kills Polonius through the
curtain, but he is disappointed when her realizes it is not the king. Hamlet then shows his mother two
pictures of both Claudius and Old Hamlet, comparing them for her. She is almost at the point where she
believes him when the ghost appears and Hamlet starts to speak to it. Gertrude, unable to see the ghost,
concludes that Hamlet must be truly mad and starts to agree with everything he says in order to get him out
of her room.
Claudius, once Gertrude tells him what has happened, orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to
prepare to take Hamlet with them to England. He then orders the body of Polonius to be found since
Hamlet has hidden it. Hamlet eventually reveals the location of the body and then leaves the castle that
night.
While traveling away from Elsinore, Hamlet encounters Fortinbras' army. Fortinbras has just send
Claudius a message telling him that the Norwegian army is there and requesting safe passage. Hamlet asks
one of the captains what part of Poland they are attacking. The captain refuses to reveal the exact location,
and there remains the possibility that Denmark is the true target, although this is not revealed in the play.
Ophelia has meanwhile gone mad at the death of her father. Horatio tries to take care of her, but
finally asks Gertrude to help him. Claudius and Gertrude order Horatio to keep an eye on her. Soon
thereafter Laertes arrives with a mob. He has returned from France once he learned of Polonius' death and
is intent on killing the murderer of his father. Claudius calms him down and tells him that Hamlet is the
murderer, and since Hamlet has been sent to England there is no one there to kill. Laertes then sees
Ophelia, who fails to recognize him and instead gives him a flower.
Hamlet sends letters back to Denmark. He tells Horatio that the ship was attacked by pirates and
that he managed to escape in the process by joining the pirates for a short while as their prisoner. He also
tells Horatio that he sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on to England, but that he will be returning shortly.
Claudius also receives a letter from Hamlet informing him that Hamlet will soon return home.
Claudius immediately plots a way to kill Hamlet by having Laertes fight him in a fencing match. Laertes
decides to put poison on the tip of his rapier so that any small scratch will kill Hamlet, and Claudius tells
him he will also poison a cup of wine and give it to Hamlet as a backup measure. At that moment Gertrude
enters and tells the men that Ophelia has drowned herself in a brook. She and Claudius follow Laertes, who
is once more grief-stricken.
Hamlet and Horatio come across two gravediggers who are digging a fresh grave. They are
engaged in wordplay until one of the men sends the other away to fetch him some liquor. Hamlet watches
as the remaining man tosses up skulls and sings while he works. He finally approaches the man and asks
who the one skull belonged to. The gravedigger tells him it was Yorick's, a court fool whom Hamlet knew
from his youth. Hamlet is shaken by the skull and ponders the fact that all of them return to the earth. He
and Horatio are forced to run and hide when Laertes, Claudius and Gertrude arrive with the coffin.
They place the coffin into the ground, but the priest refuses to say any prayers for the dead
because Ophelia committed suicide rather then die a natural death. Laertes argues with him, but finally
gives up and jumps into the grave in grief. Hamlet, when he realizes who is dead, comes out of hiding and
also jumps into the grave. Laertes grabs him by the throat and Claudius is forced to order the other men to
intervene and separate them.
Back in the castle Hamlet tells Horatio that before he got off the ship he stole the letters Claudius
had given to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The letters asked the English king to kill Hamlet. Hamlet,
furious at this betrayal, wrote new letters in which he asked the king to kill the messengers, namely
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
A lord named Osric enters the room and informs Hamlet that Laertes has challenged him to a
fencing match. Claudius has bet Laertes that he cannot defeat Hamlet by more than three hits during twelve
engagements. Hamlet agrees to the dual even though Horatio tells him he cannot win. They enter the match
room, and Claudius announces that if Hamlet scores a hit during the first, second, or third bout, then he will
drop a valuable pearl into a cup of wine and give it to Hamlet.
Laertes and Hamlet choose their foils and proceed to fight. Hamlet scores a hit which Osric
upholds, and Claudius drops his pearl into some wine which he offers to Hamlet. Hamlet, excited by the
match, refuses to drink it and asks for the next round. They fight again, and Hamlet wins the next hit as
well. Gertrude, thrilled at how well her son is fighting, takes the cup of wine from Claudius and drinks it to
celebrate Hamlet's hit. Claudius turns pale when he realizes that she has drunk the poisoned wine, but he
says nothing.
They fight again, and Laertes slashes Hamlet out of turn with his poisoned foil, causing Hamlet to
bleed. Hamlet is infuriated and attacks him viciously, causing him to drop the foil. Hamlet gets both rapiers
and accidentally tosses his rapier over to Laertes. He then slashes Laertes with the poisoned foil, drawing
blood as well. They stop fighting when they realize that Queen Gertrude is lying on the ground.
Gertrude realizes that she has been poisoned and tells Hamlet that it was the drink. She dies, and
Laertes tells Hamlet that he too is going to die from the poisoned tip. Hamlet, even more furious than
before, slashes Claudius with the poisoned tip. He then takes the wine chalice and forces the poison into
Claudius' mouth until Claudius falls dead onto the ground. Laertes is also on the ground at this point and he
forgives Hamlet for killing Polonius before he too dies.
Hamlet sees Horatio about to drink the remaining poisoned wine and orders him to stop. He tells
Horatio that only he can tell the people what really happened and thus reveal the truth. Osric comes in at
that moment and informs them that Fortinbras and some ambassadors from England have arrived. Hamlet's
final words are to give Fortinbras his vote to become the next King of Denmark.
Fortinbras arrives and looks over the scene of dead bodies. The ambassadors also enter the room
and inform Horatio that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been put to death. Horatio asks Fortinbras to
order the bodies placed in the public view so that he can tell the people what happened. Fortinbras' final act
is to order his soldiers to give Hamlet a military salute by firing their guns.