Hamlet, by William Shakespeare
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet (/ˈhæmlɪt/), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play with 30,557 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother.
Hamlet is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others". It was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime and still ranks among his most performed, topping the performance list of the Royal Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879. It has inspired many other writers—from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charles Dickens to James Joyce and Iris Murdoch—and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella".
The story of Shakespeare's Hamlet was derived from the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum, as subsequently retold by the 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. Shakespeare may also have drawn on an earlier Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet, though some scholars believe Shakespeare wrote the Ur-Hamlet, later revising it to create the version of Hamlet we now have. He almost certainly wrote his version of the title role for his fellow actor, Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time. In the 400 years since its inception, the role has been performed by numerous highly acclaimed actors in each successive century.
Three different early versions of the play are extant: the First Quarto (Q1, 1603); the Second Quarto (Q2, 1604); and the First Folio (F1, 1623). Each version includes lines and entire scenes missing from the others. The play's structure and depth of characterization have inspired much critical scrutiny. One such example is the centuries-old debate about Hamlet's hesitation to kill his uncle, which some see as merely a plot device to prolong the action but which others argue is a dramatization of the complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder, calculated revenge, and thwarted desire. More recently, psychoanalytic critics have examined Hamlet's unconscious desires, while feminist critics have re-evaluated and attempted to rehabilitate the often-maligned characters of Ophelia and Gertrude.
Hamlet is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others". It was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime and still ranks among his most performed, topping the performance list of the Royal Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879. It has inspired many other writers—from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charles Dickens to James Joyce and Iris Murdoch—and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella".
The story of Shakespeare's Hamlet was derived from the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum, as subsequently retold by the 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. Shakespeare may also have drawn on an earlier Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet, though some scholars believe Shakespeare wrote the Ur-Hamlet, later revising it to create the version of Hamlet we now have. He almost certainly wrote his version of the title role for his fellow actor, Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time. In the 400 years since its inception, the role has been performed by numerous highly acclaimed actors in each successive century.
Three different early versions of the play are extant: the First Quarto (Q1, 1603); the Second Quarto (Q2, 1604); and the First Folio (F1, 1623). Each version includes lines and entire scenes missing from the others. The play's structure and depth of characterization have inspired much critical scrutiny. One such example is the centuries-old debate about Hamlet's hesitation to kill his uncle, which some see as merely a plot device to prolong the action but which others argue is a dramatization of the complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder, calculated revenge, and thwarted desire. More recently, psychoanalytic critics have examined Hamlet's unconscious desires, while feminist critics have re-evaluated and attempted to rehabilitate the often-maligned characters of Ophelia and Gertrude.
Setting, Elsinore Castle
Dramatic and imposing, on its cliff-top perch, near Stonehaven in the Grampian region, Dunnottar Castle is a breath-taking spectacle; the ancient walls seem to breathe history from every corner. Between the 9th and 17th centuries the various fortifications were fought over many times.
Cast of Characters (from wikipedia.com and Shakespeare A to Z by Charles Boyce)
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s sexuality. A reflective and thoughtful young man who has studied at the University of Wittenberg, Hamlet is often indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to rash and impulsive acts.
Hamlet has fascinated audiences and readers for centuries, and the first thing to point out about him is that he is enigmatic. There is always more to him than the other characters in the play can figure out; even the most careful and clever readers come away with the sense that they don’t know everything there is to know about this character. Hamlet actually tells other characters that there is more to him than meets the eye—notably, his mother, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—but his fascination involves much more than this. When he speaks, he sounds as if there’s something important he’s not saying, maybe something even he is not aware of. The ability to write soliloquies and dialogues that create this effect is one of Shakespeare’s most impressive achievements.
A university student whose studies are interrupted by his father’s death, Hamlet is extremely philosophical and contemplative. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty. Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, evidence that any other character in a play would believe, Hamlet becomes obsessed with proving his uncle’s guilt before trying to act. The standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt” is simply unacceptable to him. He is equally plagued with questions about the afterlife, about the wisdom of suicide, about what happens to bodies after they die—the list is extensive. But even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet also behaves rashly and impulsively. When he does act, it is with surprising swiftness and little or no premeditation, as when he stabs Polonius through a curtain without even checking to see who he is. He seems to step very easily into the role of a madman, behaving erratically and upsetting the other characters with his wild speech and pointed innuendos. It is also important to note that Hamlet is extremely melancholy and discontented with the state of affairs in Denmark and in his own family—indeed, in the world at large. He is extremely disappointed with his mother for marrying his uncle so quickly, and he repudiates Ophelia, a woman he once claimed to love, in the harshest terms. His words often indicate his disgust with and distrust of women in general. At a number of points in the play, he contemplates his own death and even the option of suicide. But, despite all of the things with which Hamlet professes dissatisfaction, it is remarkable that the prince and heir apparent of Denmark should think about these problems only in personal and philosophical terms. He spends relatively little time thinking about the threats to Denmark’s national security from without or the threats to its stability from within (some of which he helps to create through his own carelessness).
Hamlet has fascinated audiences and readers for centuries, and the first thing to point out about him is that he is enigmatic. There is always more to him than the other characters in the play can figure out; even the most careful and clever readers come away with the sense that they don’t know everything there is to know about this character. Hamlet actually tells other characters that there is more to him than meets the eye—notably, his mother, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—but his fascination involves much more than this. When he speaks, he sounds as if there’s something important he’s not saying, maybe something even he is not aware of. The ability to write soliloquies and dialogues that create this effect is one of Shakespeare’s most impressive achievements.
A university student whose studies are interrupted by his father’s death, Hamlet is extremely philosophical and contemplative. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty. Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, evidence that any other character in a play would believe, Hamlet becomes obsessed with proving his uncle’s guilt before trying to act. The standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt” is simply unacceptable to him. He is equally plagued with questions about the afterlife, about the wisdom of suicide, about what happens to bodies after they die—the list is extensive. But even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet also behaves rashly and impulsively. When he does act, it is with surprising swiftness and little or no premeditation, as when he stabs Polonius through a curtain without even checking to see who he is. He seems to step very easily into the role of a madman, behaving erratically and upsetting the other characters with his wild speech and pointed innuendos. It is also important to note that Hamlet is extremely melancholy and discontented with the state of affairs in Denmark and in his own family—indeed, in the world at large. He is extremely disappointed with his mother for marrying his uncle so quickly, and he repudiates Ophelia, a woman he once claimed to love, in the harshest terms. His words often indicate his disgust with and distrust of women in general. At a number of points in the play, he contemplates his own death and even the option of suicide. But, despite all of the things with which Hamlet professes dissatisfaction, it is remarkable that the prince and heir apparent of Denmark should think about these problems only in personal and philosophical terms. He spends relatively little time thinking about the threats to Denmark’s national security from without or the threats to its stability from within (some of which he helps to create through his own carelessness).
King Claudius
(Right, with Queen Gertrude)
The King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle, and the play’s antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere.
Hamlet’s major antagonist is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. The old King Hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but Claudius is a corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Claudius’s speech is compared to poison being poured in the ear—the method he used to murder Hamlet’s father. Claudius’s love for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, to help him win the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the king. As the play progresses, Claudius’s mounting fear of Hamlet’s insanity leads him to ever greater self-preoccupation; when Gertrude tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark that Gertrude might have been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in the room. He tells Laertes the same thing as he attempts to soothe the young man’s anger after his father’s death. Claudius is ultimately too crafty for his own good. In Act V, scene ii, rather than allowing Laertes only two methods of killing Hamlet, the sharpened sword and the poison on the blade, Claudius insists on a third, the poisoned goblet. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison and dies, Hamlet is at last able to bring himself to kill Claudius, and the king is felled by his own cowardly machination.
The King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle, and the play’s antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere.
Hamlet’s major antagonist is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. The old King Hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but Claudius is a corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Claudius’s speech is compared to poison being poured in the ear—the method he used to murder Hamlet’s father. Claudius’s love for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, to help him win the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the king. As the play progresses, Claudius’s mounting fear of Hamlet’s insanity leads him to ever greater self-preoccupation; when Gertrude tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark that Gertrude might have been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in the room. He tells Laertes the same thing as he attempts to soothe the young man’s anger after his father’s death. Claudius is ultimately too crafty for his own good. In Act V, scene ii, rather than allowing Laertes only two methods of killing Hamlet, the sharpened sword and the poison on the blade, Claudius insists on a third, the poisoned goblet. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison and dies, Hamlet is at last able to bring himself to kill Claudius, and the king is felled by his own cowardly machination.
Gertrude, the queen
The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, recently married to Claudius. Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth.
Few Shakespearean characters have caused as much uncertainty as Gertrude, the beautiful Queen of Denmark. The play seems to raise more questions about Gertrude than it answers, including: Was she involved with Claudius before the death of her husband? Did she love her husband? Did she know about Claudius’s plan to commit the murder? Did she love Claudius, or did she marry him simply to keep her high station in Denmark? Does she believe Hamlet when he insists that he is not mad, or does she pretend to believe him simply to protect herself? Does she intentionally betray Hamlet to Claudius, or does she believe that she is protecting her son’s secret? These questions can be answered in numerous ways, depending upon one’s reading of the play. The Gertrude who does emerge clearly in Hamlet is a woman defined by her desire for station and affection, as well as by her tendency to use men to fulfill her instinct for self-preservation—which, of course, makes her extremely dependent upon the men in her life. Hamlet’s most famous comment about Gertrude is his furious condemnation of women in general: “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (I.ii.146). This comment is as much indicative of Hamlet’s agonized state of mind as of anything else, but to a great extent Gertrude does seem morally frail. She never exhibits the ability to think critically about her situation, but seems merely to move instinctively toward seemingly safe choices, as when she immediately runs to Claudius after her confrontation with Hamlet. She is at her best in social situations (I.ii and V.ii), when her natural grace and charm seem to indicate a rich, rounded personality. At times it seems that her grace and charm are her only characteristics, and her reliance on men appears to be her sole way of capitalizing on her abilities.
Few Shakespearean characters have caused as much uncertainty as Gertrude, the beautiful Queen of Denmark. The play seems to raise more questions about Gertrude than it answers, including: Was she involved with Claudius before the death of her husband? Did she love her husband? Did she know about Claudius’s plan to commit the murder? Did she love Claudius, or did she marry him simply to keep her high station in Denmark? Does she believe Hamlet when he insists that he is not mad, or does she pretend to believe him simply to protect herself? Does she intentionally betray Hamlet to Claudius, or does she believe that she is protecting her son’s secret? These questions can be answered in numerous ways, depending upon one’s reading of the play. The Gertrude who does emerge clearly in Hamlet is a woman defined by her desire for station and affection, as well as by her tendency to use men to fulfill her instinct for self-preservation—which, of course, makes her extremely dependent upon the men in her life. Hamlet’s most famous comment about Gertrude is his furious condemnation of women in general: “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (I.ii.146). This comment is as much indicative of Hamlet’s agonized state of mind as of anything else, but to a great extent Gertrude does seem morally frail. She never exhibits the ability to think critically about her situation, but seems merely to move instinctively toward seemingly safe choices, as when she immediately runs to Claudius after her confrontation with Hamlet. She is at her best in social situations (I.ii and V.ii), when her natural grace and charm seem to indicate a rich, rounded personality. At times it seems that her grace and charm are her only characteristics, and her reliance on men appears to be her sole way of capitalizing on her abilities.
Ghost of Hamlet's father
The spirit of the murdered King of Denmark, Hamlet's late father. The ghost is a common feature in a revenge play, such as it was apparent in Julius Caesar, Macbeth and Richard III.
The ghost, which has been silent in its appearances before the play opens and at the opening, speaks to Hamlet and reveals the secret of his death at the hands of his brother, Claudius, the present King--and insisting Hamlet exact revenge. This demand establishes the stress that disturbs Hamlet throughout the play. The ghost reappears in the climax of the play to remind Hamlet that he has not yet accomplished his revenge, thereby increasing the pressure on the prince.
The ghost is clearly an awesome presence, and we are plainly meant to be impressed by Hamlet's bravery in speaking to it. Only Claudius' reaction to the playlet re-enacting the murder makes clear that the ghost is to be trusted.
The ghost pushes Hamlet to face the trauma of his father's murder and his mother's acceptance of the murderer. It keeps his anguish sharp. However, the ghost is absent at the end of the drama. It has represented the emotional demands of Hamlet's grief and despair.
The ghost, which has been silent in its appearances before the play opens and at the opening, speaks to Hamlet and reveals the secret of his death at the hands of his brother, Claudius, the present King--and insisting Hamlet exact revenge. This demand establishes the stress that disturbs Hamlet throughout the play. The ghost reappears in the climax of the play to remind Hamlet that he has not yet accomplished his revenge, thereby increasing the pressure on the prince.
The ghost is clearly an awesome presence, and we are plainly meant to be impressed by Hamlet's bravery in speaking to it. Only Claudius' reaction to the playlet re-enacting the murder makes clear that the ghost is to be trusted.
The ghost pushes Hamlet to face the trauma of his father's murder and his mother's acceptance of the murderer. It keeps his anguish sharp. However, the ghost is absent at the end of the drama. It has represented the emotional demands of Hamlet's grief and despair.
Polonius
A minister of the King of Denmark. The father of Ophelia and Laertes.
He loves intrigue and resorts to espionage whenever possible. He volunteers to spy for the King on the conversation between Hamlet and his mother, the Queen. Hamlet discovers an intruder behind a curtain and stabs through the curtain, killing the victim. This killing is the central event of the play, hastening Hamlet's exile to England, and triggering Laertes' vengeance on the prince.
Polonius' deviousness and dishonesty exemplify the state of moral decay in Denmark. After he offers Laertes his famous advice, 'to thine own self be true...Thou canst not then be false to any man' (1.3.78-80), his hypocrisy reveals itself, for he sets to spy on Laertes in 2.1, offering detailed instructions in espionage and duplicity to Reynaldo. He bars Ophelia from any contact with Hamlet, presuming the prince's professions of love cannot be truthful, perhaps arguing from self-knowledge, and when it appears that he was wrong and that the prince has gone mad from frustrated love, he spies on the lovers himself.
However, Polonius' murder is not to be taken as justifiable; much of its point depends on our recognition of it as an evil act, leading us to the further awareness that Hamlet is capable of evil. Polonius is not completely without good points, making his killing more reprehensible than it would appear if he were an absolute villain. For example, while his means are deplorable, Polonius clearly cares about his son, and his involvement in his welfare serves to cause Laertes to remain memorable through his long absence in the play; similarly, Polonius is a fool in his handling of Ophelia, but there is no doubt of his paternal concern, even if it can be overlaid with ulterior interests at the same time.
He is also a comic character at times, when speaking to the King and Queen about Hamlet's alleged madness. The passage is a contiunous stream of broken thoughts, with Polonius interrupting himself and losing his train of thought, thereby paroding a common, popular tendency of the day to overelaborate rhetoric.
He loves intrigue and resorts to espionage whenever possible. He volunteers to spy for the King on the conversation between Hamlet and his mother, the Queen. Hamlet discovers an intruder behind a curtain and stabs through the curtain, killing the victim. This killing is the central event of the play, hastening Hamlet's exile to England, and triggering Laertes' vengeance on the prince.
Polonius' deviousness and dishonesty exemplify the state of moral decay in Denmark. After he offers Laertes his famous advice, 'to thine own self be true...Thou canst not then be false to any man' (1.3.78-80), his hypocrisy reveals itself, for he sets to spy on Laertes in 2.1, offering detailed instructions in espionage and duplicity to Reynaldo. He bars Ophelia from any contact with Hamlet, presuming the prince's professions of love cannot be truthful, perhaps arguing from self-knowledge, and when it appears that he was wrong and that the prince has gone mad from frustrated love, he spies on the lovers himself.
However, Polonius' murder is not to be taken as justifiable; much of its point depends on our recognition of it as an evil act, leading us to the further awareness that Hamlet is capable of evil. Polonius is not completely without good points, making his killing more reprehensible than it would appear if he were an absolute villain. For example, while his means are deplorable, Polonius clearly cares about his son, and his involvement in his welfare serves to cause Laertes to remain memorable through his long absence in the play; similarly, Polonius is a fool in his handling of Ophelia, but there is no doubt of his paternal concern, even if it can be overlaid with ulterior interests at the same time.
He is also a comic character at times, when speaking to the King and Queen about Hamlet's alleged madness. The passage is a contiunous stream of broken thoughts, with Polonius interrupting himself and losing his train of thought, thereby paroding a common, popular tendency of the day to overelaborate rhetoric.
Ophelia, daughter of Polonius
Polonius’s daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl, who obeys her father and her brother, Laertes. Dependent on men to tell her how to behave, she gives in to Polonius’s schemes to spy on Hamlet. Even in her lapse into madness and death, she remains maidenly, singing songs about flowers and finally drowning in the river amid the flower garlands she had gathered.
Her nature is abundantly affectionate; her wounded but faithful love--both for her father and for Hamlet--makes her one of the most touching of Shakespeare's characters. However, the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is not a love story, for Hamlet has rejected love. She remains for Hamlet simply a stimulus for his disgust for women, and he no longer really sees her as an actual person. Ophelia's fate is an outgrowth of Hamlet's emotional collapse; not only is her life diminished--and ultimately destroyed--by his actions, but she is a measure of what he has lost through his mistaken vision of the world.
Ophelia's insanity is triggered by the crushing of her love for Hamlet and then intensified by the loss of her father to Hamlet's madness. Her pathetic ravings are concerned with lost loves and death, the grim realities that have broken her mind. She cannot absorb the conflict implicit in loving both her father and his murderer.
Her nature is abundantly affectionate; her wounded but faithful love--both for her father and for Hamlet--makes her one of the most touching of Shakespeare's characters. However, the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is not a love story, for Hamlet has rejected love. She remains for Hamlet simply a stimulus for his disgust for women, and he no longer really sees her as an actual person. Ophelia's fate is an outgrowth of Hamlet's emotional collapse; not only is her life diminished--and ultimately destroyed--by his actions, but she is a measure of what he has lost through his mistaken vision of the world.
Ophelia's insanity is triggered by the crushing of her love for Hamlet and then intensified by the loss of her father to Hamlet's madness. Her pathetic ravings are concerned with lost loves and death, the grim realities that have broken her mind. She cannot absorb the conflict implicit in loving both her father and his murderer.
Laertes, son of Polonius
Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet by the fact that each seeks and finally achieves revenge for his father's murder, although they do so in very different ways. Laertes is distinctly unheroic. He stoops to fraud and poison with no thought of the consequences or morality. Yet, at the close of the play he regrets his underhandedness, offers forgiveness in place of vengeance, and is himself forgiven.
Laertes is shallow and immature, as shown by the trite moralizing that inspires his insistence that Ophelia distrust Hamlet's love and by his rhetorical and exaggerated responses to his sister's insanity and death. As an avenger, he is easily manipulated by the King, who dissuades him from his rebellion with smooth talk about the divine right of kings. He gives no thought to honor as he accepts with grim glee the King's suggestion of a rigged fencing match, adding the idea of poisoning his sword. Moreover, he is thoughtlessly bold, prepared to sacrifice the peace of the country and his own salvation to satisfy his rage.
He shifts the moral balance of the play at the end, making the King the sole focus of evil. This conjunction of good and evil shown between Hamlet and Laertes, displays that acceptance of humanity is a great focus in the play.
Laertes is shallow and immature, as shown by the trite moralizing that inspires his insistence that Ophelia distrust Hamlet's love and by his rhetorical and exaggerated responses to his sister's insanity and death. As an avenger, he is easily manipulated by the King, who dissuades him from his rebellion with smooth talk about the divine right of kings. He gives no thought to honor as he accepts with grim glee the King's suggestion of a rigged fencing match, adding the idea of poisoning his sword. Moreover, he is thoughtlessly bold, prepared to sacrifice the peace of the country and his own salvation to satisfy his rage.
He shifts the moral balance of the play at the end, making the King the sole focus of evil. This conjunction of good and evil shown between Hamlet and Laertes, displays that acceptance of humanity is a great focus in the play.
Osric
A foppish nobleman in the court of King Claudius. (Played by John McEnery, Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet)
The foolish courtier who summons Hamlet to his duel with Laertes in a fencing match, adding that the King has made a wager on Hamlet. His highly mannered language and behavior inspire Hamlet's amused derision, and the prince mocks the messenger, demonstrating the ease with which the courtier can be made to agree to contradictory assertions and making fun of his high-flown language. Osric later umpires the fencing match, though no further attention is paid to him.
Osric functions as comic relief in the face of the King's rapidly unfolding plot against Hamlet, which hinges on the fencing match. Further, the distraction offered by Osric subtly suggests Hamlet's own detachment.
The foolish courtier who summons Hamlet to his duel with Laertes in a fencing match, adding that the King has made a wager on Hamlet. His highly mannered language and behavior inspire Hamlet's amused derision, and the prince mocks the messenger, demonstrating the ease with which the courtier can be made to agree to contradictory assertions and making fun of his high-flown language. Osric later umpires the fencing match, though no further attention is paid to him.
Osric functions as comic relief in the face of the King's rapidly unfolding plot against Hamlet, which hinges on the fencing match. Further, the distraction offered by Osric subtly suggests Hamlet's own detachment.
Gravedigger
The digger of Ophelia's grave.
At the opening of 5.1, speaks to Hamlet, giving flip and enigmatic answers to his questions. In the course of describing the decomposition of corpses, he presents the prince with the skull of the late court jester, Yorick.
This involvement slows the plot, delaying development and providing some much needed comic relief in the face of a rapidly approaching climax. The grave digger serves as a subtle commentator on the main action, rather like a chorus. He frankly suggests the possibility of Ophelia's suicide, and his equally honest and humorous attitude to the world of the aristocrats reminds us of the extent to which intrigue infects Hamlet's world.
Most important, the grave digger's remarks and behavior reflect the play's attitude toward death: it is the normal human fate to die. The grave digger's job makes this an everyday fact rather than a philosophical observation. At a crucial point in the play, his demeanor, both prosaic and comical, helps to make clear to the audience that Hamlet's meditations on death no longer reflect the depression and grief that characterized him in Acts 1-4 but are rather the healthy recognition that death and decay are parts of life that must be accepted.
At the opening of 5.1, speaks to Hamlet, giving flip and enigmatic answers to his questions. In the course of describing the decomposition of corpses, he presents the prince with the skull of the late court jester, Yorick.
This involvement slows the plot, delaying development and providing some much needed comic relief in the face of a rapidly approaching climax. The grave digger serves as a subtle commentator on the main action, rather like a chorus. He frankly suggests the possibility of Ophelia's suicide, and his equally honest and humorous attitude to the world of the aristocrats reminds us of the extent to which intrigue infects Hamlet's world.
Most important, the grave digger's remarks and behavior reflect the play's attitude toward death: it is the normal human fate to die. The grave digger's job makes this an everyday fact rather than a philosophical observation. At a crucial point in the play, his demeanor, both prosaic and comical, helps to make clear to the audience that Hamlet's meditations on death no longer reflect the depression and grief that characterized him in Acts 1-4 but are rather the healthy recognition that death and decay are parts of life that must be accepted.
Marcellus and Bernardo
The officers who first see the ghost walking the ramparts of Elsinore and who summon Horatio to witness it. Marcellus is present when Hamlet first encounters the ghost. Known for the famous line: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" (1.4.90).
Reynaldo
(second from right) Polonius’s servant, who is sent to France by Polonius to check up on and spy on Laertes.
His brief episode humorously illustrates the corrupt moral tone of Hamlet's Denmark, paralleling the later, more sinister use of spies by the King. It also displays the intrusiveness and love of spying that eventually brings Polonius to his death. Reynaldo is clearly more sensible than his master, hesitating at times over his orders, but he has little real personality.
His brief episode humorously illustrates the corrupt moral tone of Hamlet's Denmark, paralleling the later, more sinister use of spies by the King. It also displays the intrusiveness and love of spying that eventually brings Polonius to his death. Reynaldo is clearly more sensible than his master, hesitating at times over his orders, but he has little real personality.
Horatio
Hamlet’s close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. He is the one person in the prince's world whom he values and trusts. With Horatio he can speak freely, and in doing so he demonstrates the evolution of his emotions.
Hortensio is a calm and stoical figure. He thus represents a Renaissance ideal--a person with the mental discipline to resist highly emotional responses, which were seen as humnaity's fall from grace. Horatio is an admirable figure, but he does not spark our imagination or sympathies.
He seems to be an intimate of the Danish court, but at several points he is unfamiliar with the local ways, so his past is unclear.
After Hamlet’s death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story.
Hortensio is a calm and stoical figure. He thus represents a Renaissance ideal--a person with the mental discipline to resist highly emotional responses, which were seen as humnaity's fall from grace. Horatio is an admirable figure, but he does not spark our imagination or sympathies.
He seems to be an intimate of the Danish court, but at several points he is unfamiliar with the local ways, so his past is unclear.
After Hamlet’s death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story.
Rozencrantz and Guildenstern
Two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior.
They are first encountered when the King recruits them to spy on Hamlet, where he refers to them as the Prince's childhood friends. As foils to Horatio, the courtiers point up the alienation of Hamlet's friends. As agents of the rottenness the infects the Danish court, they help establish a polarity between the prince and the King.
Hamlet quickly ends friendly relations with the two, to their eventual doom. His distrust of them leads to his discovery of the documents ordering his execution in England and his plot to send the courtiers to this fate in his stead. Their fates are bluntly reported in 5.2.376.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern almost certainly did not know of the King's deadly plot and may thus have been seen as innocent victims of Hamlet's counterstroke. However, the two have unquestionably been the willing allies of the King; Hamlet has long recognized them as such. The playwright plainly expects us to see the poetic justice in the end; the fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern reflects their involvement in the evil environment of the Danish court.
They are first encountered when the King recruits them to spy on Hamlet, where he refers to them as the Prince's childhood friends. As foils to Horatio, the courtiers point up the alienation of Hamlet's friends. As agents of the rottenness the infects the Danish court, they help establish a polarity between the prince and the King.
Hamlet quickly ends friendly relations with the two, to their eventual doom. His distrust of them leads to his discovery of the documents ordering his execution in England and his plot to send the courtiers to this fate in his stead. Their fates are bluntly reported in 5.2.376.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern almost certainly did not know of the King's deadly plot and may thus have been seen as innocent victims of Hamlet's counterstroke. However, the two have unquestionably been the willing allies of the King; Hamlet has long recognized them as such. The playwright plainly expects us to see the poetic justice in the end; the fate of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern reflects their involvement in the evil environment of the Danish court.
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols
The Impossibility of Certainty
What separates Hamlet from other revenge plays (and maybe from every play written before it) is that the action we expect to see, particularly from Hamlet himself, is continually postponed while Hamlet tries to obtain more certain knowledge about what he is doing. This play poses many questions that other plays would simply take for granted. Can we have certain knowledge about ghosts? Is the ghost what it appears to be, or is it really a misleading fiend? Does the ghost have reliable knowledge about its own death, or is the ghost itself deluded? Moving to more earthly matters: How can we know for certain the facts about a crime that has no witnesses? Can Hamlet know the state of Claudius’s soul by watching his behavior? If so, can he know the facts of what Claudius did by observing the state of his soul? Can Claudius (or the audience) know the state of Hamlet’s mind by observing his behavior and listening to his speech? Can we know whether our actions will have the consequences we want them to have? Can we know anything about the afterlife?
Many people have seen Hamlet as a play about indecisiveness, and thus about Hamlet’s failure to act appropriately. It might be more interesting to consider that the play shows us how many uncertainties our lives are built upon, how many unknown quantities are taken for granted when people act or when they evaluate one another’s actions.
The Complexity of Action
Directly related to the theme of certainty is the theme of action. How is it possible to take reasonable, effective, purposeful action? In Hamlet, the question of how to act is affected not only by rational considerations, such as the need for certainty, but also by emotional, ethical, and psychological factors. Hamlet himself appears to distrust the idea that it’s even possible to act in a controlled, purposeful way. When he does act, he prefers to do it blindly, recklessly, and violently. The other characters obviously think much less about “action” in the abstract than Hamlet does, and are therefore less troubled about the possibility of acting effectively. They simply act as they feel is appropriate. But in some sense they prove that Hamlet is right, because all of their actions miscarry. Claudius possesses himself of queen and crown through bold action, but his conscience torments him, and he is beset by threats to his authority (and, of course, he dies). Laertes resolves that nothing will distract him from acting out his revenge, but he is easily influenced and manipulated into serving Claudius’s ends, and his poisoned rapier is turned back upon himself.
The Mystery of Death
In the aftermath of his father’s murder, Hamlet is obsessed with the idea of death, and over the course of the play he considers death from a great many perspectives. He ponders both the spiritual aftermath of death, embodied in the ghost, and the physical remainders of the dead, such as by Yorick’s skull and the decaying corpses in the cemetery. Throughout, the idea of death is closely tied to the themes of spirituality, truth, and uncertainty in that death may bring the answers to Hamlet’s deepest questions, ending once and for all the problem of trying to determine truth in an ambiguous world. And, since death is both the cause and the consequence of revenge, it is intimately tied to the theme of revenge and justice—Claudius’s murder of King Hamlet initiates Hamlet’s quest for revenge, and Claudius’s death is the end of that quest. The question of his own death plagues Hamlet as well, as he repeatedly contemplates whether or not suicide is a morally legitimate action in an unbearably painful world. Hamlet’s grief and misery is such that he frequently longs for death to end his suffering, but he fears that if he commits suicide, he will be consigned to eternal suffering in hell because of the Christian religion’s prohibition of suicide. In his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy (III.i), Hamlet philosophically concludes that no one would choose to endure the pain of life if he or she were not afraid of what will come after death, and that it is this fear which causes complex moral considerations to interfere with the capacity for action.
The Nation as a Diseased Body
Everything is connected in Hamlet, including the welfare of the royal family and the health of the state as a whole. The play’s early scenes explore the sense of anxiety and dread that surrounds the transfer of power from one ruler to the next. Throughout the play, characters draw explicit connections between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the nation. Denmark is frequently described as a physical body made ill by the moral corruption of Claudius and Gertrude, and many observers interpret the presence of the ghost as a supernatural omen indicating that “[s]omething is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.iv.67). The dead King Hamlet is portrayed as a strong, forthright ruler under whose guard the state was in good health, while Claudius, a wicked politician, has corrupted and compromised Denmark to satisfy his own appetites. At the end of the play, the rise to power of the upright Fortinbras suggests that Denmark will be strengthened once again.
Motifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
Incest and Incestuous Desire
The motif of incest runs throughout the play and is frequently alluded to by Hamlet and the ghost, most obviously in conversations about Gertrude and Claudius, the former brother-in-law and sister-in-law who are now married. A subtle motif of incestuous desire can be found in the relationship of Laertes and Ophelia, as Laertes sometimes speaks to his sister in suggestively sexual terms and, at her funeral, leaps into her grave to hold her in his arms. However, the strongest overtones of incestuous desire arise in the relationship of Hamlet and Gertrude, in Hamlet’s fixation on Gertrude’s sex life with Claudius and his preoccupation with her in general.
Misogyny
Shattered by his mother’s decision to marry Claudius so soon after her husband’s death, Hamlet becomes cynical about women in general, showing a particular obsession with what he perceives to be a connection between female sexuality and moral corruption. This motif of misogyny, or hatred of women, occurs sporadically throughout the play, but it is an important inhibiting factor in Hamlet’s relationships with Ophelia and Gertrude. He urges Ophelia to go to a nunnery rather than experience the corruptions of sexuality and exclaims of Gertrude, “Frailty, thy name is woman” (I.ii.146).
Ears and Hearing
One facet of Hamlet’s exploration of the difficulty of attaining true knowledge is slipperiness of language. Words are used to communicate ideas, but they can also be used to distort the truth, manipulate other people, and serve as tools in corrupt quests for power. Claudius, the shrewd politician, is the most obvious example of a man who manipulates words to enhance his own power. The sinister uses of words are represented by images of ears and hearing, from Claudius’s murder of the king by pouring poison into his ear to Hamlet’s claim to Horatio that “I have words to speak in thine ear will make thee dumb” (IV.vi.21). The poison poured in the king’s ear by Claudius is used by the ghost to symbolize the corrosive effect of Claudius’s dishonesty on the health of Denmark. Declaring that the story that he was killed by a snake is a lie, he says that “the whole ear of Denmark” is “Rankly abused. . . .” (I.v.36–38).
Symbols Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Yorick’s Skull
In Hamlet, physical objects are rarely used to represent thematic ideas. One important exception is Yorick’s skull, which Hamlet discovers in the graveyard in the first scene of Act V. As Hamlet speaks to the skull and about the skull of the king’s former jester, he fixates on death’s inevitability and the disintegration of the body. He urges the skull to “get you to my lady’s chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favor she must come”—no one can avoid death (V.i.178–179). He traces the skull’s mouth and says, “Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft,” indicating his fascination with the physical consequences of death (V.i.174–175). This latter idea is an important motif throughout the play, as Hamlet frequently makes comments referring to every human body’s eventual decay, noting that Polonius will be eaten by worms, that even kings are eaten by worms, and that dust from the decayed body of Alexander the Great might be used to stop a hole in a beer barrel.
What separates Hamlet from other revenge plays (and maybe from every play written before it) is that the action we expect to see, particularly from Hamlet himself, is continually postponed while Hamlet tries to obtain more certain knowledge about what he is doing. This play poses many questions that other plays would simply take for granted. Can we have certain knowledge about ghosts? Is the ghost what it appears to be, or is it really a misleading fiend? Does the ghost have reliable knowledge about its own death, or is the ghost itself deluded? Moving to more earthly matters: How can we know for certain the facts about a crime that has no witnesses? Can Hamlet know the state of Claudius’s soul by watching his behavior? If so, can he know the facts of what Claudius did by observing the state of his soul? Can Claudius (or the audience) know the state of Hamlet’s mind by observing his behavior and listening to his speech? Can we know whether our actions will have the consequences we want them to have? Can we know anything about the afterlife?
Many people have seen Hamlet as a play about indecisiveness, and thus about Hamlet’s failure to act appropriately. It might be more interesting to consider that the play shows us how many uncertainties our lives are built upon, how many unknown quantities are taken for granted when people act or when they evaluate one another’s actions.
The Complexity of Action
Directly related to the theme of certainty is the theme of action. How is it possible to take reasonable, effective, purposeful action? In Hamlet, the question of how to act is affected not only by rational considerations, such as the need for certainty, but also by emotional, ethical, and psychological factors. Hamlet himself appears to distrust the idea that it’s even possible to act in a controlled, purposeful way. When he does act, he prefers to do it blindly, recklessly, and violently. The other characters obviously think much less about “action” in the abstract than Hamlet does, and are therefore less troubled about the possibility of acting effectively. They simply act as they feel is appropriate. But in some sense they prove that Hamlet is right, because all of their actions miscarry. Claudius possesses himself of queen and crown through bold action, but his conscience torments him, and he is beset by threats to his authority (and, of course, he dies). Laertes resolves that nothing will distract him from acting out his revenge, but he is easily influenced and manipulated into serving Claudius’s ends, and his poisoned rapier is turned back upon himself.
The Mystery of Death
In the aftermath of his father’s murder, Hamlet is obsessed with the idea of death, and over the course of the play he considers death from a great many perspectives. He ponders both the spiritual aftermath of death, embodied in the ghost, and the physical remainders of the dead, such as by Yorick’s skull and the decaying corpses in the cemetery. Throughout, the idea of death is closely tied to the themes of spirituality, truth, and uncertainty in that death may bring the answers to Hamlet’s deepest questions, ending once and for all the problem of trying to determine truth in an ambiguous world. And, since death is both the cause and the consequence of revenge, it is intimately tied to the theme of revenge and justice—Claudius’s murder of King Hamlet initiates Hamlet’s quest for revenge, and Claudius’s death is the end of that quest. The question of his own death plagues Hamlet as well, as he repeatedly contemplates whether or not suicide is a morally legitimate action in an unbearably painful world. Hamlet’s grief and misery is such that he frequently longs for death to end his suffering, but he fears that if he commits suicide, he will be consigned to eternal suffering in hell because of the Christian religion’s prohibition of suicide. In his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy (III.i), Hamlet philosophically concludes that no one would choose to endure the pain of life if he or she were not afraid of what will come after death, and that it is this fear which causes complex moral considerations to interfere with the capacity for action.
The Nation as a Diseased Body
Everything is connected in Hamlet, including the welfare of the royal family and the health of the state as a whole. The play’s early scenes explore the sense of anxiety and dread that surrounds the transfer of power from one ruler to the next. Throughout the play, characters draw explicit connections between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the nation. Denmark is frequently described as a physical body made ill by the moral corruption of Claudius and Gertrude, and many observers interpret the presence of the ghost as a supernatural omen indicating that “[s]omething is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.iv.67). The dead King Hamlet is portrayed as a strong, forthright ruler under whose guard the state was in good health, while Claudius, a wicked politician, has corrupted and compromised Denmark to satisfy his own appetites. At the end of the play, the rise to power of the upright Fortinbras suggests that Denmark will be strengthened once again.
Motifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
Incest and Incestuous Desire
The motif of incest runs throughout the play and is frequently alluded to by Hamlet and the ghost, most obviously in conversations about Gertrude and Claudius, the former brother-in-law and sister-in-law who are now married. A subtle motif of incestuous desire can be found in the relationship of Laertes and Ophelia, as Laertes sometimes speaks to his sister in suggestively sexual terms and, at her funeral, leaps into her grave to hold her in his arms. However, the strongest overtones of incestuous desire arise in the relationship of Hamlet and Gertrude, in Hamlet’s fixation on Gertrude’s sex life with Claudius and his preoccupation with her in general.
Misogyny
Shattered by his mother’s decision to marry Claudius so soon after her husband’s death, Hamlet becomes cynical about women in general, showing a particular obsession with what he perceives to be a connection between female sexuality and moral corruption. This motif of misogyny, or hatred of women, occurs sporadically throughout the play, but it is an important inhibiting factor in Hamlet’s relationships with Ophelia and Gertrude. He urges Ophelia to go to a nunnery rather than experience the corruptions of sexuality and exclaims of Gertrude, “Frailty, thy name is woman” (I.ii.146).
Ears and Hearing
One facet of Hamlet’s exploration of the difficulty of attaining true knowledge is slipperiness of language. Words are used to communicate ideas, but they can also be used to distort the truth, manipulate other people, and serve as tools in corrupt quests for power. Claudius, the shrewd politician, is the most obvious example of a man who manipulates words to enhance his own power. The sinister uses of words are represented by images of ears and hearing, from Claudius’s murder of the king by pouring poison into his ear to Hamlet’s claim to Horatio that “I have words to speak in thine ear will make thee dumb” (IV.vi.21). The poison poured in the king’s ear by Claudius is used by the ghost to symbolize the corrosive effect of Claudius’s dishonesty on the health of Denmark. Declaring that the story that he was killed by a snake is a lie, he says that “the whole ear of Denmark” is “Rankly abused. . . .” (I.v.36–38).
Symbols Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
Yorick’s Skull
In Hamlet, physical objects are rarely used to represent thematic ideas. One important exception is Yorick’s skull, which Hamlet discovers in the graveyard in the first scene of Act V. As Hamlet speaks to the skull and about the skull of the king’s former jester, he fixates on death’s inevitability and the disintegration of the body. He urges the skull to “get you to my lady’s chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favor she must come”—no one can avoid death (V.i.178–179). He traces the skull’s mouth and says, “Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft,” indicating his fascination with the physical consequences of death (V.i.174–175). This latter idea is an important motif throughout the play, as Hamlet frequently makes comments referring to every human body’s eventual decay, noting that Polonius will be eaten by worms, that even kings are eaten by worms, and that dust from the decayed body of Alexander the Great might be used to stop a hole in a beer barrel.
Plot Summary, Act-by-Act
Act I
The protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet, and nephew of King Claudius, his father's brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King Hamlet's widow, Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and took the throne for himself. Denmark has a long-standing feud with neighbouring Norway, in which King Hamlet slew King Fortinbras of Norway in a battle some years ago. Although Denmark defeated Norway and the Norwegian throne fell to King Fortinbras's infirm brother, Denmark fears that an invasion led by the dead Norwegian king's son, Prince Fortinbras, is imminent.
On a cold night on the ramparts of Elsinore, the Danish royal castle, the sentries Bernardo and Marcellus discuss a ghost resembling the late King Hamlet which they have recently seen, and bring Prince Hamlet's friend Horatio as a witness. After the ghost appears again, the three vow to tell Prince Hamlet what they have witnessed.
As the court gathers the next day, while King Claudius and Queen Gertrude discuss affairs of state with their elderly adviser Polonius, Hamlet looks on glumly. During the court, Claudius grants permission for Polonius's son Laertes to return to school in France and sends envoys to inform the King of Norway about Fortinbras. Claudius also scolds Hamlet for continuing to grieve over his father and forbids him to return to his schooling in Wittenberg. After the court exits, Hamlet despairs of his father's death and his mother's hasty remarriage. Learning of the ghost from Horatio, Hamlet resolves to see it himself.
As Polonius's son Laertes prepares to depart for a visit to France, Polonius offers him advice that culminates in the maxim "to thine own self be true."[6] Polonius's daughter, Ophelia, admits her interest in Hamlet, but Laertes warns her against seeking the prince's attention, and Polonius orders her to reject his advances. That night on the rampart, the ghost appears to Hamlet, telling the prince that he was murdered by Claudius and demanding that Hamlet avenge him. Hamlet agrees, and the ghost vanishes. The prince confides to Horatio and the sentries that from now on he plans to "put an antic disposition on", or act as though he has gone mad, and forces them to swear to keep his plans for revenge secret; however, he remains uncertain of the ghost's reliability.
Act II
Soon thereafter, Ophelia rushes to her father, telling him that Hamlet arrived at her door the prior night half-undressed and behaving erratically. Polonius blames love for Hamlet's madness and resolves to inform Claudius and Gertrude. As he enters to do so, the king and queen finish welcoming Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two student acquaintances of Hamlet, to Elsinore. The royal couple has requested that the students investigate the cause of Hamlet's mood and behaviour. Additional news requires that Polonius wait to be heard: messengers from Norway inform Claudius that the King of Norway has rebuked Prince Fortinbras for attempting to re-fight his father's battles. The forces that Fortinbras had conscripted to march against Denmark will instead be sent against Poland, though they will pass through Danish territory to get there.
Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude his theory regarding Hamlet's behaviour and speaks to Hamlet in a hall of the castle to try to uncover more information. Hamlet feigns madness and subtly insults Polonius all the while. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, Hamlet greets his "friends" warmly but quickly discerns that they are spies. Hamlet admits that he is upset at his situation but refuses to give the true reason, instead commenting on "What a piece of work is a man". Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Hamlet that they have brought along a troupe of actors that they met while traveling to Elsinore. Hamlet, after welcoming the actors and dismissing his friends-turned-spies, asks them to deliver a soliloquy about the death of King Priam and Queen Hecuba at the climax of the Trojan War. Impressed by their delivery of the speech, he plots to stage The Murder of Gonzago, a play featuring a death in the style of his father's murder and to determine the truth of the ghost's story, as well as Claudius's guilt or innocence, by studying Claudius's reaction.
Act III
Polonius forces Ophelia to return Hamlet's love letters and tokens of affection to the prince while he and Claudius watch from afar to evaluate Hamlet's reaction. Hamlet is walking alone in the hall as the King and Polonius await Ophelia's entrance, musing whether "to be or not to be". When Ophelia enters and tries to return Hamlet's things, Hamlet accuses her of immodesty and cries "get thee to a nunnery", though it is unclear whether this, too, is a show of madness or genuine distress. His reaction convinces Claudius that Hamlet is not mad for love. Shortly thereafter, the court assembles to watch the play Hamlet has commissioned. After seeing the Player King murdered by his rival pouring poison in his ear, Claudius abruptly rises and runs from the room; for Hamlet, this is proof positive of his uncle's guilt.
Gertrude summons Hamlet to her chamber to demand an explanation. Meanwhile, Claudius talks to himself about the impossibility of repenting, since he still has possession of his ill-gotten goods: his brother's crown and wife. He sinks to his knees. Hamlet, on his way to visit his mother, sneaks up behind him but does not kill him, reasoning that killing Claudius while he is praying will send him straight to heaven while his father's ghost is stuck in purgatory. In the queen's bedchamber, Hamlet and Gertrude fight bitterly. Polonius, spying on the conversation from behind a tapestry, calls for help as Gertrude, believing Hamlet wants to kill her, calls out for help herself.
Hamlet, believing it is Claudius, stabs wildly, killing Polonius, but he pulls aside the curtain and sees his mistake. In a rage, Hamlet brutally insults his mother for her apparent ignorance of Claudius's villainy, but the ghost enters and reprimands Hamlet for his inaction and harsh words. Unable to see or hear the ghost herself, Gertrude takes Hamlet's conversation with it as further evidence of madness. After begging the queen to stop sleeping with Claudius, Hamlet leaves, dragging Polonius's corpse away.
Act IV
Hamlet jokes with Claudius about where he has hidden Polonius's body, and the king, fearing for his life, sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England with a sealed letter to the English king requesting that Hamlet be executed immediately.
Unhinged by grief at Polonius's death, Ophelia wanders Elsinore. Laertes arrives back from France, enraged by his father's death and his sister's madness. Claudius convinces Laertes that Hamlet is solely responsible, but a letter soon arrives indicating that Hamlet has returned to Denmark, foiling Claudius's plan. Claudius switches tactics, proposing a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet to settle their differences. Laertes will be given a poison-tipped foil, and, if that fails, Claudius will offer Hamlet poisoned wine as a congratulation. Gertrude interrupts to report that Ophelia has drowned, though it is unclear whether it was suicide or an accident caused by her madness.
Act V
Horatio has received a letter from Hamlet, explaining that the prince escaped by negotiating with pirates who attempted to attack his England-bound ship, and the friends reunite offstage. Two gravediggers discuss Ophelia's apparent suicide while digging her grave. Hamlet arrives with Horatio and banters with one of the gravediggers, who unearths the skull of a jester from Hamlet's childhood, Yorick. Hamlet picks up the skull, saying "alas, poor Yorick" as he contemplates mortality. Ophelia's funeral procession approaches, led by Laertes. Hamlet and Horatio initially hide, but when Hamlet realizes that Ophelia is the one being buried, he reveals himself, proclaiming his love for her. Laertes and Hamlet fight by Ophelia's graveside, but the brawl is broken up.
Back at Elsinore, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he had discovered Claudius's letter with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's belongings and replaced it with a forged copy indicating that his former friends should be killed instead. A foppish courtier, Osric, interrupts the conversation to deliver the fencing challenge to Hamlet. Hamlet, despite Horatio's pleas, accepts it. Hamlet does well at first, leading the match by two hits to none, and Gertrude raises a toast to him using the poisoned glass of wine Claudius had set aside for Hamlet. Claudius tries to stop her but is too late: she drinks, and Laertes realizes the plot will be revealed. Laertes slashes Hamlet with his poisoned blade. In the ensuing scuffle, they switch weapons, and Hamlet wounds Laertes with his own poisoned sword. Gertrude collapses and, claiming she has been poisoned, dies. In his dying moments, Laertes reconciles with Hamlet and reveals Claudius's plan. Hamlet rushes at Claudius and kills him. As the poison takes effect, Hamlet, hearing that Fortinbras is marching through the area, names the Norwegian prince as his successor. Horatio, distraught at the thought of being the last survivor and living whilst Hamlet does not, says he will commit suicide by drinking the dregs of Gertrude's poisoned wine, but Hamlet begs him to live on and tell his story. Hamlet dies in Horatio's arms, proclaiming "the rest is silence". Fortinbras, who was ostensibly marching towards Poland with his army, arrives at the palace, along with an English ambassador bringing news of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's deaths. Horatio promises to recount the full story of what happened, and Fortinbras, seeing the entire Danish royal family dead, takes the crown for himself and orders a military funeral to honour Hamlet.
The protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet, and nephew of King Claudius, his father's brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King Hamlet's widow, Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and took the throne for himself. Denmark has a long-standing feud with neighbouring Norway, in which King Hamlet slew King Fortinbras of Norway in a battle some years ago. Although Denmark defeated Norway and the Norwegian throne fell to King Fortinbras's infirm brother, Denmark fears that an invasion led by the dead Norwegian king's son, Prince Fortinbras, is imminent.
On a cold night on the ramparts of Elsinore, the Danish royal castle, the sentries Bernardo and Marcellus discuss a ghost resembling the late King Hamlet which they have recently seen, and bring Prince Hamlet's friend Horatio as a witness. After the ghost appears again, the three vow to tell Prince Hamlet what they have witnessed.
As the court gathers the next day, while King Claudius and Queen Gertrude discuss affairs of state with their elderly adviser Polonius, Hamlet looks on glumly. During the court, Claudius grants permission for Polonius's son Laertes to return to school in France and sends envoys to inform the King of Norway about Fortinbras. Claudius also scolds Hamlet for continuing to grieve over his father and forbids him to return to his schooling in Wittenberg. After the court exits, Hamlet despairs of his father's death and his mother's hasty remarriage. Learning of the ghost from Horatio, Hamlet resolves to see it himself.
As Polonius's son Laertes prepares to depart for a visit to France, Polonius offers him advice that culminates in the maxim "to thine own self be true."[6] Polonius's daughter, Ophelia, admits her interest in Hamlet, but Laertes warns her against seeking the prince's attention, and Polonius orders her to reject his advances. That night on the rampart, the ghost appears to Hamlet, telling the prince that he was murdered by Claudius and demanding that Hamlet avenge him. Hamlet agrees, and the ghost vanishes. The prince confides to Horatio and the sentries that from now on he plans to "put an antic disposition on", or act as though he has gone mad, and forces them to swear to keep his plans for revenge secret; however, he remains uncertain of the ghost's reliability.
Act II
Soon thereafter, Ophelia rushes to her father, telling him that Hamlet arrived at her door the prior night half-undressed and behaving erratically. Polonius blames love for Hamlet's madness and resolves to inform Claudius and Gertrude. As he enters to do so, the king and queen finish welcoming Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two student acquaintances of Hamlet, to Elsinore. The royal couple has requested that the students investigate the cause of Hamlet's mood and behaviour. Additional news requires that Polonius wait to be heard: messengers from Norway inform Claudius that the King of Norway has rebuked Prince Fortinbras for attempting to re-fight his father's battles. The forces that Fortinbras had conscripted to march against Denmark will instead be sent against Poland, though they will pass through Danish territory to get there.
Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude his theory regarding Hamlet's behaviour and speaks to Hamlet in a hall of the castle to try to uncover more information. Hamlet feigns madness and subtly insults Polonius all the while. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, Hamlet greets his "friends" warmly but quickly discerns that they are spies. Hamlet admits that he is upset at his situation but refuses to give the true reason, instead commenting on "What a piece of work is a man". Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Hamlet that they have brought along a troupe of actors that they met while traveling to Elsinore. Hamlet, after welcoming the actors and dismissing his friends-turned-spies, asks them to deliver a soliloquy about the death of King Priam and Queen Hecuba at the climax of the Trojan War. Impressed by their delivery of the speech, he plots to stage The Murder of Gonzago, a play featuring a death in the style of his father's murder and to determine the truth of the ghost's story, as well as Claudius's guilt or innocence, by studying Claudius's reaction.
Act III
Polonius forces Ophelia to return Hamlet's love letters and tokens of affection to the prince while he and Claudius watch from afar to evaluate Hamlet's reaction. Hamlet is walking alone in the hall as the King and Polonius await Ophelia's entrance, musing whether "to be or not to be". When Ophelia enters and tries to return Hamlet's things, Hamlet accuses her of immodesty and cries "get thee to a nunnery", though it is unclear whether this, too, is a show of madness or genuine distress. His reaction convinces Claudius that Hamlet is not mad for love. Shortly thereafter, the court assembles to watch the play Hamlet has commissioned. After seeing the Player King murdered by his rival pouring poison in his ear, Claudius abruptly rises and runs from the room; for Hamlet, this is proof positive of his uncle's guilt.
Gertrude summons Hamlet to her chamber to demand an explanation. Meanwhile, Claudius talks to himself about the impossibility of repenting, since he still has possession of his ill-gotten goods: his brother's crown and wife. He sinks to his knees. Hamlet, on his way to visit his mother, sneaks up behind him but does not kill him, reasoning that killing Claudius while he is praying will send him straight to heaven while his father's ghost is stuck in purgatory. In the queen's bedchamber, Hamlet and Gertrude fight bitterly. Polonius, spying on the conversation from behind a tapestry, calls for help as Gertrude, believing Hamlet wants to kill her, calls out for help herself.
Hamlet, believing it is Claudius, stabs wildly, killing Polonius, but he pulls aside the curtain and sees his mistake. In a rage, Hamlet brutally insults his mother for her apparent ignorance of Claudius's villainy, but the ghost enters and reprimands Hamlet for his inaction and harsh words. Unable to see or hear the ghost herself, Gertrude takes Hamlet's conversation with it as further evidence of madness. After begging the queen to stop sleeping with Claudius, Hamlet leaves, dragging Polonius's corpse away.
Act IV
Hamlet jokes with Claudius about where he has hidden Polonius's body, and the king, fearing for his life, sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England with a sealed letter to the English king requesting that Hamlet be executed immediately.
Unhinged by grief at Polonius's death, Ophelia wanders Elsinore. Laertes arrives back from France, enraged by his father's death and his sister's madness. Claudius convinces Laertes that Hamlet is solely responsible, but a letter soon arrives indicating that Hamlet has returned to Denmark, foiling Claudius's plan. Claudius switches tactics, proposing a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet to settle their differences. Laertes will be given a poison-tipped foil, and, if that fails, Claudius will offer Hamlet poisoned wine as a congratulation. Gertrude interrupts to report that Ophelia has drowned, though it is unclear whether it was suicide or an accident caused by her madness.
Act V
Horatio has received a letter from Hamlet, explaining that the prince escaped by negotiating with pirates who attempted to attack his England-bound ship, and the friends reunite offstage. Two gravediggers discuss Ophelia's apparent suicide while digging her grave. Hamlet arrives with Horatio and banters with one of the gravediggers, who unearths the skull of a jester from Hamlet's childhood, Yorick. Hamlet picks up the skull, saying "alas, poor Yorick" as he contemplates mortality. Ophelia's funeral procession approaches, led by Laertes. Hamlet and Horatio initially hide, but when Hamlet realizes that Ophelia is the one being buried, he reveals himself, proclaiming his love for her. Laertes and Hamlet fight by Ophelia's graveside, but the brawl is broken up.
Back at Elsinore, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he had discovered Claudius's letter with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's belongings and replaced it with a forged copy indicating that his former friends should be killed instead. A foppish courtier, Osric, interrupts the conversation to deliver the fencing challenge to Hamlet. Hamlet, despite Horatio's pleas, accepts it. Hamlet does well at first, leading the match by two hits to none, and Gertrude raises a toast to him using the poisoned glass of wine Claudius had set aside for Hamlet. Claudius tries to stop her but is too late: she drinks, and Laertes realizes the plot will be revealed. Laertes slashes Hamlet with his poisoned blade. In the ensuing scuffle, they switch weapons, and Hamlet wounds Laertes with his own poisoned sword. Gertrude collapses and, claiming she has been poisoned, dies. In his dying moments, Laertes reconciles with Hamlet and reveals Claudius's plan. Hamlet rushes at Claudius and kills him. As the poison takes effect, Hamlet, hearing that Fortinbras is marching through the area, names the Norwegian prince as his successor. Horatio, distraught at the thought of being the last survivor and living whilst Hamlet does not, says he will commit suicide by drinking the dregs of Gertrude's poisoned wine, but Hamlet begs him to live on and tell his story. Hamlet dies in Horatio's arms, proclaiming "the rest is silence". Fortinbras, who was ostensibly marching towards Poland with his army, arrives at the palace, along with an English ambassador bringing news of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's deaths. Horatio promises to recount the full story of what happened, and Fortinbras, seeing the entire Danish royal family dead, takes the crown for himself and orders a military funeral to honour Hamlet.
Study Guide Questions, Act-by-Act
ACT ONE Review Questions
1. What are some of the problems in Hamlet?
2. Discuss several ways in which Shakespeare unified the play.
3. What does Shakespeare think of revenge? How do you know?
4. What view of human nature does the play assume and depict?
5. Who is Fortinbras? How does he fit with the overall themes of the play? What is significant about the way Claudius links Fortinbras with Laertes and Hamlet?
6. What kind of character is Claudius? Claudius says that Fortinbras thinks "by our late dear brother's death our state to disjoint and out of frame" (1.2.19-20). How is this ironic? What would Hamlet think of this statement?
7. Does Claudius perceive any threat to his kingdom? From whom?
8. What is Hamlet's state of mind at the beginning of the play? Why? How does he describe his feelings about the world?
9. Where does the ghost come from?
10. How was King Hamlet killed? What imagery does the ghost use to describe his death? Why is this significant?
ACT ONE Thoughtful Questions
1. How was the ghost dressed when Horatio sees him (1.1.59-64)? Why is this important?
2. Does Horatio expect to see a ghost (1.1.23-29)? What does this say about his view of the world (see 1.5.166-167)?
3. Claudius is constantly talking about drinking. What does this say about Claudius? Why is his drinking accompanied by cannon fire (1.2.125-128)?
4. How does Claudius compare to Hamlet's father (1.2.139-156)? Is Hamlet's description of this father accurate? Does it reflect his real feelings about his father?
5. Laertes warns Ophelia not to spend too much time with Hamlet. Why? (1.3.10-44)
6. What kind of character is Polonius (1.3.54-81)?
7. Explain the various uses of the word 'tender' in Polonius's advice to Ophelia (1.3.99-109).
8. While Horatio and Hamlet wait for the appearance of the ghost, they observe and discuss the drinking customs of Denmark (1.4.13-38). What does this discussion have to do with the scene? How does it fit within the play in general?
9. What does Horatio fear will happen to Hamlet if he follows the ghost (1.4.69-78)? Why is this ironic?
10. Whom does Hamlet call "this fellow in the cellarage" and "old mole" (1.5.144-162)? Why do you think Hamlet speaks this way?
ACT TWO Review Questions
1. Why does Act 2 open with Polonius's instructions to Reynaldo?
2. Discuss how the theme of spying and setting traps develops in the play. What are the results of spying?
3. What does Voltimand report about his trip to Norway? What has young Fortinbras decided to do? Why is this important?
4. What does Polonius think is the cause of Hamlet's madness?
5. What does Claudius think about Hamlet's madness?
6. How does Hamlet confirm everyone's suspicions at once? Why does he do this?
7. Explain one of the exchanges between Hamlet and Polonius or Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
8. What does Hamlet ask for the first player to recite? Why?
9. How does Hamlet react to the First Player's recitation?
10. How does Hamlet hope to "catch the conscience of the king"?
ACT TWO Thoughtful Questions
1. How does Polonius suggest that Reynaldo learn about Laertes (2.1.1-73)?
2. How did Hamlet look when he visited Ophelia (2.1.77-83)? Why does he appear this way? How is the imagery of clothing used in the scene?
3. What reaction does Hamlet have to Ophelia (2.1.87-100)? Why does he act this way?
4. How are the beginnings of scenes 1 and 2 similar to each other?
5. Explain the conversation between Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about Fortune (2.2.234-241). How does this conversation fit with other themes of the play--e.g., fortune, faithfulness, prostitution?
6. Hamlet says that he is plagued by bad dreams (2.2.263). What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern make of this comment? How is Hamlet's comment related to Claudius's statement in 2.2.9-10?
7. How does Hamlet describe man in 2.2.321-329? Why does neither man nor woman bring him delight? Is his view of man a Christian one?
8. How does Hamlet act when the Players arrive? Does he seem grieved? Mad? Why does he act this way?
9. Hamlet says that the players are "the abstract and brief chronicles of the time" (2.2.554-555). In the context of Hamlet's plan to trap Claudius, what does this imply?
10. Hamlet castigates himself for not acting but instead "unpacking my heart with words" (2.2.620). To what does he compare himself in this regard? How is this significant in the light of the imagery of the rest of the act?
ACT THREE Review Questions
1. How is the beginning of Act 3 similar to the beginning of Act 2?
2. How does Claudius react when he overhears Polonius's instructions to Ophelia? Why?
3. Why, according to Hamlet's soliloquy, do men accept the pains of this life rather than end life with suicide?
4. How does Hamlet treat Ophelia? Why? How is Hamlet's conversation with Ophelia similar to his conversation with Polonius in Act 2?
5. What is the purpose of the performance of a play? How does Hamlet intend to use the play?
6. Explain how the play is understood differently by different members of the audience.
7. Summarize Claudius's prayer. Is he genuinely repentant?
8. Why does Hamlet choose not to kill Claudius while he is praying? How does this relate to other parts of the play? What does this say about Hamlet's spiritual condition?
9. How does Hamlet speak to Gertrude? Why? What effect do Hamlet's words have on his own mother?
10. Why does the ghost appear during Hamlet's conversation with Gertrude?
ACT THREE Thoughtful Questions
1. How does Ophelia describe Hamlet's condition (3.1.159-170)? In light of what happens in Act 4, why is this significant?
2. What kind of direction does Hamlet give to the actors? What is the best kind of acting, according to Hamlet? Does Hamlet follow his own instructions in his behavior? Do the Players?
3. Hamlet tells Horatio that he prefers a man that is "not a pipe for fortune's finger to sounds what stop she please" (3.2.76-77). Looking at the context of this remark, what does Hamlet mean by this? Is Hamlet such a man? Is Horatio?
4. For those who have studied Julius Caesar, how is Hamlet similar to and different from Brutus?
5. How does Hamlet treat Ophelia during the play scene? How does this compare with his treatment of her in the previous scene?
6. What does Hamlet mean when he says, "The players cannot keep counsel--they'll tell all" (3.2.151-152)?
7. What kind of mood is Hamlet in after the success of his "Mouse-trap"? What kind of mood is Horatio in? Why?
8. What is Claudius planning at the beginning of 3.3? What does this indicate about the sincerity of his prayer?
9. In what way is Claudius like a man "to double business bound" (3.3.41)? Does this description apply to anyone else in the play?
10. Hamlet says he will wring Gertrude's heart "if damned custom have not brass'd it so that it be proof and bulwark against sense" (3.4.36-37). What does this mean? How does it fit with other passages in the play that speak of "custom"?
ACT FOUR Review Questions
1. What does Claudius do to Hamlet after he kills Polonius? Why?
2. What effect does Polonius's death have on Ophelia?
3. Explain the significance of Ophelia's songs.
4. What effect does Polonius's death have on Laertes? How does Laertes become like Hamlet? How is he different?
5. How does Claudius encourage Laertes to take revenge? How does Claudius's role compare with that of the ghost in Act 1?
6. How does Claudius plan for Laertes to take revenge on Hamlet? What is significant about this method?
ACT FOUR Thoughtful Questions
1. As Claudius sends men throughout the castle to search for Polonius's body, Hamlet says that Polonius is at dinner (4.3.18-33). What does he mean? How does what he says here fit with other passages in the play about death?
2. Hamlet says that the "body is with the king, but the king is not with the body" (4.2.29-30). What does this mean?
3. Claudius tells Laertes that he could not prosecute Hamlet because he feared that his "arrows...would have reverted to my bow again" (4.7.21-24). What does this mean? Why is his image of arrows returning to the bow significant?
ACT FIVE Review Questions
1. Why does Act 5 open with the grave-digging scene?
2. Why is it fitting for this play to end with a fencing match?
3. What is significant about how the major characters die in the final scene?
4. What is Fortinbras's situation at the end of the play? Why is this important?
ACT FIVE Thoughtful Questions
1. At the opening of Act 5, the grave diggers are discussing the circumstances of Ophelia's death (5.1.1-66). What is their conclusion? How does this fit with the circumstances of King Hamlet's death? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's?
2. Horatio says of the singing grave digger that "Custom hath made it in him a property of easiness" (5.1.74). What does this mean? Does Hamlet agree that one can become accustomed to death? Did he believe this in Act 1?
3. Hamlet says that no amount of "paint" or make-up could prevent anyone from dying and ending up a skull (5.1.210-214). Compare this statement to others about "paint" and make-up.
4. What does Gertrude say as she places flowers on Ophelia's grave? (5.1.264-267)? What contrasting uses of flowers does she mention? Compare this to Ophelia's use of flowers in her death (4.7.168-185).
5. Why do Laertes and Hamlet fight at Ophelia's funeral? What is significant about this?
6. Is Hamlet's apology to Laertes satisfying? (5.2.239-248)
7. Before the fencing match begins, Claudius promises to drink to Hamlet's health (5.2.276-288). Why is this ironic?
1. What are some of the problems in Hamlet?
2. Discuss several ways in which Shakespeare unified the play.
3. What does Shakespeare think of revenge? How do you know?
4. What view of human nature does the play assume and depict?
5. Who is Fortinbras? How does he fit with the overall themes of the play? What is significant about the way Claudius links Fortinbras with Laertes and Hamlet?
6. What kind of character is Claudius? Claudius says that Fortinbras thinks "by our late dear brother's death our state to disjoint and out of frame" (1.2.19-20). How is this ironic? What would Hamlet think of this statement?
7. Does Claudius perceive any threat to his kingdom? From whom?
8. What is Hamlet's state of mind at the beginning of the play? Why? How does he describe his feelings about the world?
9. Where does the ghost come from?
10. How was King Hamlet killed? What imagery does the ghost use to describe his death? Why is this significant?
ACT ONE Thoughtful Questions
1. How was the ghost dressed when Horatio sees him (1.1.59-64)? Why is this important?
2. Does Horatio expect to see a ghost (1.1.23-29)? What does this say about his view of the world (see 1.5.166-167)?
3. Claudius is constantly talking about drinking. What does this say about Claudius? Why is his drinking accompanied by cannon fire (1.2.125-128)?
4. How does Claudius compare to Hamlet's father (1.2.139-156)? Is Hamlet's description of this father accurate? Does it reflect his real feelings about his father?
5. Laertes warns Ophelia not to spend too much time with Hamlet. Why? (1.3.10-44)
6. What kind of character is Polonius (1.3.54-81)?
7. Explain the various uses of the word 'tender' in Polonius's advice to Ophelia (1.3.99-109).
8. While Horatio and Hamlet wait for the appearance of the ghost, they observe and discuss the drinking customs of Denmark (1.4.13-38). What does this discussion have to do with the scene? How does it fit within the play in general?
9. What does Horatio fear will happen to Hamlet if he follows the ghost (1.4.69-78)? Why is this ironic?
10. Whom does Hamlet call "this fellow in the cellarage" and "old mole" (1.5.144-162)? Why do you think Hamlet speaks this way?
ACT TWO Review Questions
1. Why does Act 2 open with Polonius's instructions to Reynaldo?
2. Discuss how the theme of spying and setting traps develops in the play. What are the results of spying?
3. What does Voltimand report about his trip to Norway? What has young Fortinbras decided to do? Why is this important?
4. What does Polonius think is the cause of Hamlet's madness?
5. What does Claudius think about Hamlet's madness?
6. How does Hamlet confirm everyone's suspicions at once? Why does he do this?
7. Explain one of the exchanges between Hamlet and Polonius or Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
8. What does Hamlet ask for the first player to recite? Why?
9. How does Hamlet react to the First Player's recitation?
10. How does Hamlet hope to "catch the conscience of the king"?
ACT TWO Thoughtful Questions
1. How does Polonius suggest that Reynaldo learn about Laertes (2.1.1-73)?
2. How did Hamlet look when he visited Ophelia (2.1.77-83)? Why does he appear this way? How is the imagery of clothing used in the scene?
3. What reaction does Hamlet have to Ophelia (2.1.87-100)? Why does he act this way?
4. How are the beginnings of scenes 1 and 2 similar to each other?
5. Explain the conversation between Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about Fortune (2.2.234-241). How does this conversation fit with other themes of the play--e.g., fortune, faithfulness, prostitution?
6. Hamlet says that he is plagued by bad dreams (2.2.263). What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern make of this comment? How is Hamlet's comment related to Claudius's statement in 2.2.9-10?
7. How does Hamlet describe man in 2.2.321-329? Why does neither man nor woman bring him delight? Is his view of man a Christian one?
8. How does Hamlet act when the Players arrive? Does he seem grieved? Mad? Why does he act this way?
9. Hamlet says that the players are "the abstract and brief chronicles of the time" (2.2.554-555). In the context of Hamlet's plan to trap Claudius, what does this imply?
10. Hamlet castigates himself for not acting but instead "unpacking my heart with words" (2.2.620). To what does he compare himself in this regard? How is this significant in the light of the imagery of the rest of the act?
ACT THREE Review Questions
1. How is the beginning of Act 3 similar to the beginning of Act 2?
2. How does Claudius react when he overhears Polonius's instructions to Ophelia? Why?
3. Why, according to Hamlet's soliloquy, do men accept the pains of this life rather than end life with suicide?
4. How does Hamlet treat Ophelia? Why? How is Hamlet's conversation with Ophelia similar to his conversation with Polonius in Act 2?
5. What is the purpose of the performance of a play? How does Hamlet intend to use the play?
6. Explain how the play is understood differently by different members of the audience.
7. Summarize Claudius's prayer. Is he genuinely repentant?
8. Why does Hamlet choose not to kill Claudius while he is praying? How does this relate to other parts of the play? What does this say about Hamlet's spiritual condition?
9. How does Hamlet speak to Gertrude? Why? What effect do Hamlet's words have on his own mother?
10. Why does the ghost appear during Hamlet's conversation with Gertrude?
ACT THREE Thoughtful Questions
1. How does Ophelia describe Hamlet's condition (3.1.159-170)? In light of what happens in Act 4, why is this significant?
2. What kind of direction does Hamlet give to the actors? What is the best kind of acting, according to Hamlet? Does Hamlet follow his own instructions in his behavior? Do the Players?
3. Hamlet tells Horatio that he prefers a man that is "not a pipe for fortune's finger to sounds what stop she please" (3.2.76-77). Looking at the context of this remark, what does Hamlet mean by this? Is Hamlet such a man? Is Horatio?
4. For those who have studied Julius Caesar, how is Hamlet similar to and different from Brutus?
5. How does Hamlet treat Ophelia during the play scene? How does this compare with his treatment of her in the previous scene?
6. What does Hamlet mean when he says, "The players cannot keep counsel--they'll tell all" (3.2.151-152)?
7. What kind of mood is Hamlet in after the success of his "Mouse-trap"? What kind of mood is Horatio in? Why?
8. What is Claudius planning at the beginning of 3.3? What does this indicate about the sincerity of his prayer?
9. In what way is Claudius like a man "to double business bound" (3.3.41)? Does this description apply to anyone else in the play?
10. Hamlet says he will wring Gertrude's heart "if damned custom have not brass'd it so that it be proof and bulwark against sense" (3.4.36-37). What does this mean? How does it fit with other passages in the play that speak of "custom"?
ACT FOUR Review Questions
1. What does Claudius do to Hamlet after he kills Polonius? Why?
2. What effect does Polonius's death have on Ophelia?
3. Explain the significance of Ophelia's songs.
4. What effect does Polonius's death have on Laertes? How does Laertes become like Hamlet? How is he different?
5. How does Claudius encourage Laertes to take revenge? How does Claudius's role compare with that of the ghost in Act 1?
6. How does Claudius plan for Laertes to take revenge on Hamlet? What is significant about this method?
ACT FOUR Thoughtful Questions
1. As Claudius sends men throughout the castle to search for Polonius's body, Hamlet says that Polonius is at dinner (4.3.18-33). What does he mean? How does what he says here fit with other passages in the play about death?
2. Hamlet says that the "body is with the king, but the king is not with the body" (4.2.29-30). What does this mean?
3. Claudius tells Laertes that he could not prosecute Hamlet because he feared that his "arrows...would have reverted to my bow again" (4.7.21-24). What does this mean? Why is his image of arrows returning to the bow significant?
ACT FIVE Review Questions
1. Why does Act 5 open with the grave-digging scene?
2. Why is it fitting for this play to end with a fencing match?
3. What is significant about how the major characters die in the final scene?
4. What is Fortinbras's situation at the end of the play? Why is this important?
ACT FIVE Thoughtful Questions
1. At the opening of Act 5, the grave diggers are discussing the circumstances of Ophelia's death (5.1.1-66). What is their conclusion? How does this fit with the circumstances of King Hamlet's death? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's?
2. Horatio says of the singing grave digger that "Custom hath made it in him a property of easiness" (5.1.74). What does this mean? Does Hamlet agree that one can become accustomed to death? Did he believe this in Act 1?
3. Hamlet says that no amount of "paint" or make-up could prevent anyone from dying and ending up a skull (5.1.210-214). Compare this statement to others about "paint" and make-up.
4. What does Gertrude say as she places flowers on Ophelia's grave? (5.1.264-267)? What contrasting uses of flowers does she mention? Compare this to Ophelia's use of flowers in her death (4.7.168-185).
5. Why do Laertes and Hamlet fight at Ophelia's funeral? What is significant about this?
6. Is Hamlet's apology to Laertes satisfying? (5.2.239-248)
7. Before the fencing match begins, Claudius promises to drink to Hamlet's health (5.2.276-288). Why is this ironic?
Thoughts to enhance study of play
1. Questions are a central rhetorical form in Hamlet. The opening line is a question. The most famous line in the play ("To be or not to be...") is a question. (An excellent little book is by Harry Levin, The Question of Hamlet [1959].) Here are a few particular questions to ponder. You may want to generate some of your own.
*What is the status of the ghost?
*Is Gertrude culpable in the murder of her husband?
*Is Hamlet mad?
*Are (were) Hamlet and Ophelia lovers?
*Does Ophelia commit suicide?
*How old is Hamlet? [Click here for a lively essay on this question.]
*Why does Hamlet delay his revenge?
*Does Hamlet actually take his revenge?
These questions have answers, and it is worthwhile to discover them. Beyond answers, however, there is an experience of questions-without-answers, or contradictory states of mind. It is also worthwhile to spend time inside that experience.
2. Examine carefully all the references to the Ghost in the opening scene. Is it definitively identified? How or how not? At what point does it become definitively identified? Why at this point?
3. Hamlet as a dramatic character is uniquely defined by his soliloquies. By rough count there are eight of these rhetorical performances. Try reading through all of them, independent of the play they inhabit. What can you learn about a character who talks this way, and who reveals these characteristics? I.e., listen to the purely private Hamlet. Who is he? What is he telling us?
Click here for a Lecture Supplement on early-modern styles of subjectivity.
4. Hamlet is often described as a play about the conflict between thought (or words about thoughts) and action. Consider this idea in terms of the character and the plot. Then, consider it more deeply, in terms of the discrepancy between emotion and expression: i.e., the problem of representation, through words or acts, of internal states.
5. Freud famously theorized that Hamlet enacted an Oedipus Complex, whereby he wanted his father dead so he could possess his mother. Does this theory make sense to you? Can you find evidence in the play to support it?
6. During much of Act 4, Hamlet is absent from the play. When he returns, he seems changed. How would you describe the change? How do you explain it?
7. In the "graveyard scene" (5.1), Hamlet literally and figuratively weighs Yorick's skull: "Alas, poor Yorick ...." Examine this skull with Hamlet. What is he looking at? How can you relate his speech about the skull to major issues in the play?Click here for a QuickTime video.
8. After worrying the problem of action for 4.5 acts, Hamlet finally takes vigorous action. What are the motives for these acts? How do they relate to his initial charge of revenge? For example, why does he kill Claudius?
9. Although the source for Hamlet is an ancient tale from Danish legend, the story as Shakespeare tells it is one of the most popular ever told. It seems universal. Click here to read a student's explanation of this universality. Can you relate personally to some of these themes? (This is a private study question, to be considered in your internal theater of the mind. You too can be Hamlet.)
*What is the status of the ghost?
*Is Gertrude culpable in the murder of her husband?
*Is Hamlet mad?
*Are (were) Hamlet and Ophelia lovers?
*Does Ophelia commit suicide?
*How old is Hamlet? [Click here for a lively essay on this question.]
*Why does Hamlet delay his revenge?
*Does Hamlet actually take his revenge?
These questions have answers, and it is worthwhile to discover them. Beyond answers, however, there is an experience of questions-without-answers, or contradictory states of mind. It is also worthwhile to spend time inside that experience.
2. Examine carefully all the references to the Ghost in the opening scene. Is it definitively identified? How or how not? At what point does it become definitively identified? Why at this point?
3. Hamlet as a dramatic character is uniquely defined by his soliloquies. By rough count there are eight of these rhetorical performances. Try reading through all of them, independent of the play they inhabit. What can you learn about a character who talks this way, and who reveals these characteristics? I.e., listen to the purely private Hamlet. Who is he? What is he telling us?
Click here for a Lecture Supplement on early-modern styles of subjectivity.
4. Hamlet is often described as a play about the conflict between thought (or words about thoughts) and action. Consider this idea in terms of the character and the plot. Then, consider it more deeply, in terms of the discrepancy between emotion and expression: i.e., the problem of representation, through words or acts, of internal states.
5. Freud famously theorized that Hamlet enacted an Oedipus Complex, whereby he wanted his father dead so he could possess his mother. Does this theory make sense to you? Can you find evidence in the play to support it?
6. During much of Act 4, Hamlet is absent from the play. When he returns, he seems changed. How would you describe the change? How do you explain it?
7. In the "graveyard scene" (5.1), Hamlet literally and figuratively weighs Yorick's skull: "Alas, poor Yorick ...." Examine this skull with Hamlet. What is he looking at? How can you relate his speech about the skull to major issues in the play?Click here for a QuickTime video.
8. After worrying the problem of action for 4.5 acts, Hamlet finally takes vigorous action. What are the motives for these acts? How do they relate to his initial charge of revenge? For example, why does he kill Claudius?
9. Although the source for Hamlet is an ancient tale from Danish legend, the story as Shakespeare tells it is one of the most popular ever told. It seems universal. Click here to read a student's explanation of this universality. Can you relate personally to some of these themes? (This is a private study question, to be considered in your internal theater of the mind. You too can be Hamlet.)
Website links for more help
http://www.enotes.com/hamlet
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/Hamlet.id-121.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Tragedy/hamlet/hamlet.html (Full Script)
http://www.tk421.net/hamlet/hamlet.html
http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/
http://www.pathguy.com/hamlet.htm
http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/Hamlet/index.html
http://www.gradesaver.com/hamlet/
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/hamlet/
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/Hamlet.id-121.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Tragedy/hamlet/hamlet.html (Full Script)
http://www.tk421.net/hamlet/hamlet.html
http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/
http://www.pathguy.com/hamlet.htm
http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/Hamlet/index.html
http://www.gradesaver.com/hamlet/
Video Clips
Act 1 (First part) Act 1(second part) Act 1 (third part)
Act 1 (end)-Act 2 (first part)
Act 2-Act 3 (first part)
Act 3 First part) Act 3 (second part) Act 3 (third portion) Act 3 (to end)
Act 4 (first part) Act 4-Act 5 (First part)
Act 5 (part 2) Act 5 (part 3) Act 5 (final part)
Act 1 (end)-Act 2 (first part)
Act 2-Act 3 (first part)
Act 3 First part) Act 3 (second part) Act 3 (third portion) Act 3 (to end)
Act 4 (first part) Act 4-Act 5 (First part)
Act 5 (part 2) Act 5 (part 3) Act 5 (final part)