Author
Shakespeare
Setting Elsinore,
the kingdom in Denmark.
Characters
-Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, son of the late king and of
Gertrude. Thinks and ponders a lot. Considers committing suicide.
-Claudius: King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle. Married to
Gertrude. Murdered brother who was the late king of Denmark (old Hamlet).
-Ghost: old Hamlet. Not sure whether he is Hell- or
Heaven-sent.
-Gertrude: Originally married to old Hamlet. Re-married to
Claudius a couple months after old Hamlet’s death. Mother to Hamlet.
-Polonius: Basically the right-hand-man/spy of Claudius.
Worries and cares for children. Hopes to have more power one day.
-Laertes: Son of Polonius. Rash in action. Hamlet’s foil.
Truly loves sister—possibly in a romantic way.
-Ophelia: Polonius’s daughter. Dispute over how innocent she
really is. More loyal to Polonius than she is to Hamlet.
-Horatio: Hamlet’s close friend. Possibly has a bromance
with Hamlet.
-Fortinbras: Rash and hot-headed. Hamlet’s foil. Prince of
Norway.
Plot
The play opens with two guards, Marcellus and Barnardo, and
Horatio talking. They mention how old Hamlet killed old Fortinbras, and took
some of his lands. This introduces young Fortinbras, who apparently wants to
start a rebellion against Denmark. The ghost of old Hamlet then enters, but
leaves without saying anything. Horatio decides to tell Hamlet of the Ghost.
The scene switches to the court. Claudius tries to justify his quick marriage
to Gertrude, and tells Laertes he can leave for France. Hamlet enters, and it’s
clear he disapproves of the Queen’s marriage. Later, Horatio tells Hamlet of
the Ghost. That night, Horatio takes Hamlet to see it, and the Ghost tells
Hamlet that Claudius murdered him. Hamlet decides to avenge his father, and to
act crazy so no one suspects his true intentions. The scene switches to Ophelia
telling Polonius about Hamlet. She is worried because Hamlet came to her acting
crazy. Polonius decides that it’s because Hamlet’s is mad with love for her,
and goes to tell the King. They make a plan to figure out if he really is mad
with love. Later, as Hamlet is walking through the castle, Opehlia enters. She
tries to return the letters he sent her. Hamlet is aware Polonius and Claudius
are spying, and says he never loved her. He also breaks off their secret
engagement. That evening, Hamlet puts on a play that mirrors Claudius’s murder
and Gertrude’s marriage. He watches Claudius’s reaction to confirm that he’s
guilty. The Queen later summons Hamlet to her chamber to scold him. Hamlet ends
up scolding her for re-marrying to Claudius, and kills Polonius (who was spying
behind a curtain). Gertrude seems genuinely regretful for her actions. The King
finds out that Hamlet murdered Polonius, and sends Hamlet to England.
Meanwhile, Ophelia has gone insane. There is evidence that she might have slept
with Hamlet, and that she might be pregnant. Meanwhile, Horatio receives a
letter from Hamlet that he’s returning to Denmark. By this point Laertes has
returned, and wants vengeance. Claudius and Laertes plot to kill Hamlet with a
poisoned sword—and if that doesn’t work, poisoned wine. The Queen comes in and
interrupts to say that Ophelia has drowned herself. They go to bury her. Hamlet
and Horatio see the procession and reveal themselves. Laertes and Hamlet begin
fighting, but are broken apart. Back at Elsinore, Laertes challenges Hamlet to
a duel, and Hamlet accepts. During the duel, the Queen drinks some of the
poisoned wine and dies. Hamlet finds out it was Claudius who poisoned it, and
promptly kills him. Both Laertes and Hamlet had been knicked by the poisoned
sword while fighting. Laertes dies first, Hamlet second. Horatio wants to
commit suicide, but Hamlet stops him. Young Fortinbras enters with an army, and
instructs captains to bear Hamlet, not Claudius, like a soldier on stage.
Style
-no narrative voice because it is a play
-Shakespeare doesn’t really have a point of view in Hamlet. He doesn’t really try to push
people in one direction with his writing. He leaves many things open for
interpretation instead.
-writes in blank verse iambic pentameter
Quotes
-“To be, or not to be:
that is the question:/ Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings
and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/
And by opposing end them.” –Hamlet
This quote pretty much exemplifies Hamlet’s relationship
with and curiosity about death. He contemplates death and suicide a lot in the
play.
-“Bear Hamlet like a
soldier to the stage,/ For he was likely, had he been put on,/ To have proved
most loyal…” –Fortinbras
This quote was interesting because Fortinbras, with no
knowledge of what had gone down at Elsinore, immediately picked out Hamlet as
the kingly figure. The line helped characterize Hamlet, and it showed the huge
tragedy this play was. Hamlet could have made a great king, but he never got
the chance.
Theme
One theme in Hamlet
is the internal conflict of “who am I?”. Many characters have this internal
struggle, Hamlet in particular. He constantly battles with himself over what course
of action he should take. For example, he struggles to decide whether to live
or to kill himself, and whether it’s okay for him to kill Claudius or not. This
struggle reaches a climax when Horatio reprimands him for not even caring that
he sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths. That’s when Hamlet
figures out who he is and moves forward more sure of himself.
