Act I, Scene i: The play begins on the outer ramparts of Elsinore castle.
It is late and Bernardo, a guard, is on duty waiting for Francisco to relieve
him from his watch. Bernardo is nervous because the previous two nights he and
Francisco have seen a figure who appears to be the ghost of the recently
deceased king wandering around. Francisco approaches, accompanied by Horatio
(Hamlet's only friend and confident). Even though Horatio dismisses the idea of
a ghost, the guards start to retell the previous nights' encounters. As the
guards begin, the ghost appears before them- much to Horatio's surprise. The
guards urge Horatio to speak with the ghost. Because Horatio is a student, they
feel he should be able to communicate with the ghost, and their previous
attempts to talk with it have failed. Horatio's attempts also fail. The scene
ends with Horatio stating that he will go and inform his friend Hamlet of these
incredible events. Act I, Scene ii: This scene opens in contrast to the first
scene. The first scene takes place on the dark, cold isolated ramparts; this
scene begins in a brightly lit court, with the new king, Claudius, celebrating
his recent wedding to his new wife, Gertrude. Everyone in the court appears
happy and joyful, except one character who is sitting off to the side. He is
dressed in black, the colour of mourning, and does not like what he sees. The
lone figure is Hamlet, the main character of the play. He is wearing black
because it has been only two months since his father, Hamlet senior the ghost on
the battlements, died and he still is mourning his father's death. To further
upset Hamlet, Claudius' new bride is Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hamlet is upset
because his mother married Claudius so soon after becoming a widow. To add to
all the injustices Hamlet is feeling at this time, Claudius is also related to
Hamlet. Hamlet's uncle is now his father-in-law and Gertrude's brother-in-law is
now her husband. Claudius conducts several pieces of business during the
beginning of this scene. He first tries to take measures to prevent a war with
Norway, then discusses Laertes' request to leave court and go back to school.
Claudius agrees with Polonius, Laertes' father, that Laertes' plan of going back
to school is a good one. He gives Laertes permission to go. This familial scene
brings Claudius' mind to Hamlet. He recognizes Hamlet is upset and he tries to
make amends and urges Hamlet to stay in Denmark, instead of returning to school.
After his mother echoes Claudius' request, Hamlet agrees to stay. Hamlet is left
on stage after everyone else leaves. He speaks a soliloquy expressing his anger
at the present circumstances in his life and discusses his depression as a
result of these events. The scene ends with Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo
entering and talking with Hamlet about the ghost they have seen. Hamlet agrees
to join them this coming night to see the ghost himself. Note: a soliloquy is
the thoughts of a character being expressed out loud. These thoughts deal with
the true feelings of a character and give insight into what a character is
thinking about and how his mind works. This first soliloquy is one several
spoken by Hamlet throughout the play. Each one gives us further insight into
what Hamlet is feeling at the time. Text: Act I, Scene ii Act I, Scene iii: This
scene opens with Laertes saying his goodbyes to his sister Ophelia, before he
leaves for school. We find out from their discussion that Hamlet has been seeing
Ophelia and is very serious about their relationship. He has been alone with
Ophelia on many occasions and has professed his love for her during these times.
He has also given her gifts during these visits. Leartes, who knows about his
sister's suitor, tries to warn Ophelia that because Hamlet is destined to become
King, he can never be serious in his relationship with her. Hamlet may seem
virtuous and noble at this time, he warns, but he will leave her to fulfill his
duties to the kingdom when the time comes. She promises to be careful in this
relationship and re-asserts that Hamlet has never taken advantage of her, nor
has he ever been anything but a gentleman in their relationship. The
conversation ends with Ophelia lecturing her brother that he should practice
what he preaches and not fall into any casual relationships foolishly, and not
to worry about her. At this point, Polonius enters and gives his son one more
lecture before he leaves on how to conduct himself when he goes back to school.
The fatherly advice includes thoughts on not borrowing or lending money, because
it can cause more problems than it is worth. He also tells his son not to say
things that might make others think he is foolish, to hold his tongue and to be
careful of getting into quarrels, but once in one give a good show for yourself.
Finally, before Leartes leaves, Polonius tells him to be 'true to himself.' In
other words, if you do the right things for the right reasons you can never do
any wrong to others. The scene ends with Polonius discussing with Ophelia her
relationship with Hamlet. He, like Laertes, does not trust Hamlet's intentions,
because Hamlet is young and young men have no honour; they have only one thing
on their minds- sex. Although Ophelia has no reason to distrust Hamlet's
intentions, she obeys her father's wishes and agrees she will not see Hamlet any
more. Text: Act I, Scene iii Act I, Scene iv: It is the night following
Horatio's first encounter with the ghost and it finds him, the guards and Hamlet
on the platform waiting for the ghost. There is a celebration going on in the
castle and Hamlet explains to Horatio that it is customary for the king to hold
a celebration where cannons are shot off in honour of the King's health. This
celebration is something Hamlet does not agree with; it is too excessive and
other countries look upon the Danes as foolish because of it. The ghost appears
and Hamlet, realizing that it does look like his father -the old king-,
approaches it and asks that it speak to him. At this point, Hamlet doesn't know
whether or not the ghost is there for good or evil purposes. The ghost beckons
Hamlet. When Hamlet considers going with the ghost, Horatio and Marcellus try to
dissuade him. They are concerned for his safety. If the ghost is there for evil
purposes, it might lead Hamlet to his death. Hamlet forces his way past them and
follows the ghost. The scene ends with Horatio and Marcellus following Hamlet to
try and protect him. Text: Act I, Scene iv Act I, Scene v: On another part of
the platform, the ghost tells Hamlet that he is indeed Hamlet's father and that
he was murdered. The ghost asks Hamlet to revenge his 'most foul, strange, and
unnatural murder' and Hamlet heartily agrees. Hamlet is shocked when the ghost
goes on to tell him that he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius. Unlike
the story Claudius told the court, that a serpent stung and killed the old king,
the ghost tells Hamlet that during his afternoon nap in the orchard Claudius
crept in and poured poison in the king's ear. The ghost goes on to tell Hamlet
about how Hamlet's own mother was adulterous with Claudius, before the ghost's
death. He alos has Hamlet promise him that he will leave her deeds to be judged
and punished by God, and that Hamlet should not take revenge on her himself. The
dawn comes, forcing the ghost to return to the hellish underworld he must
inhabit, because of the wrongful deeds he did prior to his own death. Hamlet is
very angry about the events the ghost told him of, and swears that he will
remember the ghost and what the ghost asked of him. He also swears that he will
forget all trivial matters and that his life will be focused on one event,
avenging his father's murder. Horatio and Marcellus find him and Hamlet has them
swear that they will reveal to no one the events surrounding the ghost. The
ghost calls up from below for them to swear when they seem hesistant to do so.
Before the scene ends, Hamlet warns his friends that he will put on an 'antic
disposition' for everyone to see. In other words, he will pretend to be crazy
until he can avenge his father's death. Text: Act I, Scene v Act II, Scene i: As
we find out later in the scene, apparently Hamlet has been following the plan he
told Horatio about, putting on an 'antic disposition.' The scene opens with
Polonius sending Reynaldo to Wittenberg to give Laertes money. Although
Reynaldo's quest at first appears straight-forward, Polonius also gives Reynaldo
the added duty of spying on Laertes. Because Polonius is concerned for his
family name, he wants to find out all about Laertes' actions and goings-on. Even
though Reynaldo states that he was going to make some discreet inquires into
Laertes' actions, he is shocked when Polonius tells him to do whatever he can,
short of dishonouring Laertes, to find out what Laertes is up to; including
making up stories about incidents that didn't happen in hopes of freeing men's
tongues to tell stories concerning Leartes that Reynaldo may not have heard
about. Even though Reynaldo doesn't agree with Polonius' way of gathering
information, he gives in to Polonius' request. Ophelia enters as Reynaldo leaves
and her father, seeing that she is distressed, asks her what is troubling her.
Ophelia relates a strange encounter she has just had with Hamlet. He came to see
her in complete dissarray. His clothes were a mess and his appearance was pale
and sickly. She goes on to say that Hamlet grabbed her hand and studied her at
arms length. He didn't say anything, but after a perusal of her face he shook
his head threee times and gave out a wail that was piteous and profound. He then
dropped her arm and, without taking his eyes off Ophelia, walked out of the
room. Polonius, thinking that Hamlet is still madly in love with Ophelia,
believes his request for Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet is the cause of his
recent apparent madness. He tells Ophelia that they must report this incident to
the King. They leave, after Polonius chastises himself for making what appears
to be a wrong judgement regarding Hamlet's true feelings for Ophelia. Text: Act
II, Scene i Act II, Scene ii: The action takes place two months after Hamlet has
met with the ghost. The scene opens with Claudius and Gertrude talking to two of
Hamlet's friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. It seems that Hamlet has been
acting strangely for the past couple of months, and no one is able to find out
why. Although Gertrude guesses it is because of the death of his father and her
overhasty marriage, Claudius is not so sure this is the reason. Because Claudius
and Gertrude are unable to find out the reason for Hamlet's madness they send
for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with the hopes that they will be able to find
out the truth. Both gentlemen agree to spy on Hamlet to find out the cause of
his madness after Gertrude tells them they will gain the king's money, thanks
and recognition. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave to find Hamlet. Polonius
enters at the same time as the messengers sent to Norway return with news
regarding Fortinbras. Polonius tells the King and Queen that he has found out
the cause of Hamlet's madness, and will tell them after they hear the news from
the messengers. Voltimand and Cornelius enter and report to the king that they
met with Fortinbras' uncle and have found a way to stop Fortinbras' plan to
attack Denmark. The uncle, after finding out the true goal of Fortinbras' army,
rebukes Fortinbras for his deeds and tells him to forget this plan. Fortinbras
obeys his uncle's wishes and with his uncle's help decides to use his army to
attack the "Polacks." The king looks over a paper that has Fortinbras'
plans for crossing safely through Denmark on his way to fight the Polacks, and
turns his attention to Polonius. Polonius tells the King and Queen about his
suspicion that Hamlet's madness is caused by Ophelia's rejecting Hamlet's
affections. Although the queen believes Polonius' speech is too long-winded, and
chastises him for his round-about ways, he brushes her off and continues with
his theories. As proof of his suspicions, he reads a letter Hamlet wrote to
Ophelia that expresses his love and feelings for her. Seeing that the king and
queen don't agree with his assumptions as whole heartedly as he does, Polonius
tries to prove his theory by approaching Hamlet himself. He ushers the King and
Queen out as Hamlet approaches. Although Polonius tries his best to pin down
Hamlet's thoughts, he fails. Hamlet not only manages to evade Polonius'
questions, but he seizes the opportunity and slanders Polonius and his foolish,
meddling ways without Polonius' realization. Polonius leaves after realizing
that there is a lot of meaning in Hamlet's rantings. Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern enter and Hamlet greets them affectionately. Hamlet is pleasant and
cheerful to them until he finds out that they are there to spy on him and report
to the King the reason for Hamlet's madness. Although Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are hesitant to admit they were sent for, they cannot deny it
further when Hamlet convinces them that he knows they were sent for. The focus
of the conversation changes to acting and the theatre when Rosencrantz informs
Hamlet that players (entertainers) are on their way to the castle to perform a
play for the King. They discuss the use of child actors in the theatre and
Hamlet takes another opportunity to insult Polonius when he comes in to tell
Hamlet about the players. When Hamlet makes a remark about a 'fair daughter' in
a play, Polonius believes he is hinting at Ophelia. They are interrupted by the
entrance of the players. Hamlet greets the players warmly and asks the leader to
recite a passage he once heard player speak. Hamlet remembered the recital
because the player spoke it in such an honest and passionate way. The player
recites a passage concerning the death of Priam, during the Trojan war. After
the speech, Hamlet asks Polonius to take excellent care of the players and to
find them quarters. Hamlet talks with the First Player about inserting some
lines that Hamlet will make up into the play they are presenting tomorrow. The
player agrees to Hamlet's request and leaves. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave
and Hamlet is alone on stage to give his second soliloquy. Hamlet is angry with
himself for procrastinating and failing to take revenge for his father's death.
He is upset because he is unable to show the passion in real life that the
player can show on stage. He can't believe that an actor can show anger and even
cry for a fictitious event when he can't, despite all his reasons to show these
emotions. He tries to incite his passion by stating events that would make him
angry, but realizes all he is doing is talking about what he should do.
Realizing that he isn't further helping himself with these speeches, he makes a
plan that will give him the proof he needs to show Claudius' guilt in Hamlet's
father's death. Because there is still doubt about whether or not the ghost was
Hamlet's father asking Hamlet to avenge his death, or an evil spirit trying to
get Hamlet into trouble, Hamlet decides to get proof of Claudius' guilt before
proceeding further. Hamlet believes he can obtain his proof by watching
Claudius' reaction to a murder acted out by the players similar to that of
Hamlet's father's murder. Text: Act II, Scene ii Act III, Scene i: This scene
opens with Claudius, the King, asking Rosencrantz and Guildenstern if they have
discovered the cause of Hamlet's madness. After admitting they did not find the
cause, but were treated well by Hamlet, they inform the King and Queen that
Hamlet is happy that there is going to be a play presented tomorrow and he hopes
that Claudius and Gertrude will attend. Pleased that there is something that
amuses Hamlet, they both decide to attend the play and they urge Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern to try and stimulate his interest further. Claudius asks Gertrude
to leave beca so that he and Polonius can observe a clandestine meeting they set
up between Hamlet and Ophelia. They tell Ophelia to pretend she is praying and
they go and hide. Hamlet enters and gives a soliloquy on his thoughts about
himself committing suicide. He sees Ophelia, and when she tries to return some
gifts that he had given her, he claims he never gave her any. They have a
discussion wherein Hamlet denies ever loving Ophelia and berating her and women
in general for their trickery and pretentiousness. When Hamlet leaves, Claudius
and Polonius enter. Claudius is convinced that Hamlet's madness does not stem
from his love for Ophelia, but that it is something else that is afflicting his
soul. Claudius realizes that Hamlet's actions are a danger to those around him.
He decides to send Hamlet to England, hoping a change of atmosphere will settle
his heart. The scene ends with Claudius stating that Hamlet should be watched.
Text: Act III, Scene i Act III, Scene ii: Hamlet gives some last minute
instructions to the players and they proceed to get ready to perform the play.
Hamlet confides in Horatio that he has a plan to test his uncle's guilt. He
tells Horatio that he has asked the players to reinact the murder of Hamlet's
father. By seeing Claudius' reaction to the murder, Hamlet will know for sure
whether or not the ghost was telling the truth. Horatio agrees to watch the
king's reaction. The play, The Mousetrap, is introduced and gets underway. When
the murder scene is enacted, Claudius calls for lights and storms out. Hamlet
and Horatio discuss the king's reactions and both are convinced that Claudius
killed the old king. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter, tell Hamlet the king is
very upset and then they ask him why he has been so upset lately. Hamlet, tired
of their meddling, confronts them and demands to know why they are trying all
these games to get information from him. He tells them that he is too smart to
be caught in their traps. Polonius enters and tells Hamlet that the Queen wishes
to speak with him. Text: Act III, Scene ii Act III, Scene iii: This scene gives
insight into Claudius' thoughts and gives the audience proof regarding Hamlet's
and the ghost's assertions that Claudius killed Hamlet's father. The king,
frightened, prepares to send Hamlet to England, with Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern to accompany him. Polonius enters and tells the King that Gertrude
is going to talk to Hamlet and try and come to an understanding regarding his
madness, while he (Polonius) hides and listens to the conversation. Polonius
leaves and Claudius is left on stage. In Claudius' soliloquy, he admits to
killing his brother and starts to realize the difficulties he is in. He tries to
attone for his sins by praying, but he finds that although he can say the words
to ask for forgiveness, he doesn't believe what he is saying. Unbeknownst to
Claudius, Hamlet enters while Claudius is at prayer. Although this seems like
the perfect opportunity for Hamlet, a chance to kill Claudius after proving
Claudius' guilt in the murder, Hamlet refuses to go ahead with the deed. He is
afraid that because Claudius is praying, Claudius' sins will be forgiven.
Because Hamlet doesn't want Claudius to have a chance to go to heaven, or to
purgatory where Hamlet's father now resides, he leaves. NOTE: It is ironic that
when Hamlet has an opportunity to kill Claudius and get away with killing him,
he hesitates because he doesn't want there to be a chance that Claudius wouldn't
suffer in the afterlife. What Hamlet didn't know was that Claudius couldn't pray
and if he had killed Claudius, he would have had his revenge. Another thing to
note, if Hamlet kills Claudius now, the deaths that occur later in the play
would not have happened. Text: Act III, Scene iii Act III, Scene iv: Polonius
hides behind a curtain as Hamlet enters into mother's chamber. When the Queen is
confronted by an angry and erratic Hamlet, she panics and screams for help. When
Polonius hears her scream, he thinks Hamlet is trying to kill her and he yells
out. Hamlet, who suspects that Claudius is hiding behind the curtain, draws his
sword and stabs at the sound. The Queen, horrified at what Hamlet has done,
tries to chastise him, but Hamlet says his deed is nowhere as bad as killing a
king and marrying the old king's wife. Hamlet goes on to explain to the Queen
all that he believes she has done wrong, including wronging her old husband's
memory. He tries to show her the differences between the old king and
Claudius,attributing only good qualities to his father and negative qualities to
Claudius. Hamlet gets excited when confronted with Gertrude's misplaced love; he
doesn't understand how she can forget her husband so easily. The ghost enters.
The Queen thinks Hamlet is mad (crazy), because she cannot see the ghost Hamlet
sees. The ghost reminds Hamlet that Hamlet is to leave the judgement of Gertrude
to God and not to harm her. Hamlet tries to convince Gertrude that the ghost is
real, but fails. Hamlet tells Gertrude to forgo any romantic encounters with
Claudius, to save herself, and tries to get her to help with the plans he is
making for revenge on Claudius. He asks her to tell Claudius that she believes
that Hamlet is of sound mind, that he is only pretending to be mad. He also
warns her not to try and play the type of game he is playing. Hamlet, dragging
Polonius' body behind him, leaves a very shaken Gertrude after reminding her
that he must leave for England. Text: Act III, Scene iv Act IV, Scene i:
Gertrude explains to Claudius that she believes Hamlet is truly mad and that as
proof, he has killed Polonius and taken away the body. Claudius, after being
thankful that he wasn't the one killed, asks where Hamlet went. She cannot tell
him, and Claudius tries to comfort her by telling her that they will soon be rid
of him, because of his trip. Claudius calls for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
After telling them that Hamlet has killed Polonius, he asks them to go and find
Hamlet, get Polonius' body and to put Polonius' body in the chapel. The scene
ends with Claudius informing Gertrude that they must inform the court of what
has happened and the reasons why they are sending Hamlet away. He is afraid that
if he doesn't present Hamlet as being the only guilty person, people might start
to think Claudius had something to do with the murder. Text: Act IV, Scene i Act
IV, Scene ii: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come across Hamlet, who has by this
time safely hidden Polonius' body. Although Rosencrantz and Guildenstern demand
that Hamlet tell them where the body is he refuses. They then tell Hamlet the
King wishes to see him; they leave with him. Text: Act IV, Scene ii Act IV,
Scene iii: Claudius informs some of his Lords of his plan to send Hamlet away..
He tells them that a dangerous man cannot run loose, and that Hamlet will be
given the opportunity to think about his crimes; Hamlet will not be punished.
Hamlet, according to Claudius, is trying to protect his secret of killing the
old king. If he sends Hamlet away and Hamlet meets with an "accident",
then he can maintain his innocence by claiming he previously had the opportunity
to have Hamlet killed, but he choose to send him away instead. When Hamlet is
brought before Claudius, he at first doesn't tell the king where the body is.
Hamlet waits for his own opportunity to inform the king of Polonius'
whereabouts. The king sends some attendants to retrieve the body. Claudius
informs Hamlet that Hamlet must be sent away immediately, because of Polonius'
murder. When Hamlet is taken away, and Claudius is left on stage alone, we are
told that Claudius is preparing a trap for Hamlet. Claudius is sending notes to
the king of England informing him that Hamlet is to be executed immediately
after his arrival. Claudius is looking out for his own self-interest. Text: Act
IV, Scene iii Act IV, Scene iv: Fortinbras' army is on the outskirts of Denmark.
Fortinbras sends his captain in to tell Claudius how his campaign went. Hamlet,
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern meet up with the captain, who informs them the army
that they see is Fortinbras'. The Captain discusses the futility of the battle
that they fought, where thousands of men died, over a barren patch of land. The
captain leaves and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern preceed Hamlet to the ship; they
are taking Hamlet to England. Hamlet is left alone on stage. In this soliloquy,
he compares his inaction to date with Fortinbras' action. Once again his view of
himself is negative. He criticizes himself for the things he has still left
unaccomplished. NOTE: There is a parallel between this soliloquy and the one in
Act II, Scene ii. Hamlet is comparing his inadequacies and indecisions with
other characters who appear to be more direct and willing to take the
initiative, and who have better control over their emotions. The reader is to be
reminded of the comparison between The First Player's show of emotion and
Hamlet's inabiltiy to show that type of emotion. Although Hamlet has many valid
reasons to pursue his revenge against Claudius, he has held off. Fortinbras has
no real reason to attack Poland, but he will because it provides him with a task
which reflects his personality. Text: Act IV, Scene iv Act IV, Scene v: Gertrude
encounters a "mad" Ophelia in this scene. Unlike Hamlet's feigned
madness, Ophelia really is insane. She sings about death and behaves
erratically. Claudius enters and Ophelia's songs hint at grief regarding her
father's death. Claudius is amazed at Ophelia's condition and asks how long she
has been like this. When Ophelia leaves, he asks Horatio to follow her and to
protect her from doing herself harm. While Claudius laments all the misfortunes
that have befallen Ophelia recently, a noise is heard outside the castle.
Laertes has come back to Elsinore after he hears about his father's death.
Laertes believes that Claudius had something to do with the death of Polonius.
Although Laertes is upset over the events that have recently occurred and is
seeking revenge against Claudius for his father's death, Claudius manages to
talk him out wanting to harm him. Claudius uses his courage and cunning to
disarm Laertes and convinces him that all Laertes' misfortunes are caused by
Hamlet. Text: Act IV, Scene v Act IV, Scene vi: Horatio meets with sailors who
have messages from Hamlet. They give Horatio a letter which recounts Hamlet's
adventures on his sea voyage. It seems that pirates attacked the ship that
Hamlet was on and through misadventure, Hamlet was captured and taken prisoner.
Everyone else on the ship escaped unharmed and continued on to England. The note
also tells Horatio that Hamlet has an incredible story to tell him when he
arrives back tomorrow, a story that will make Horatio "dumb". Text:
Act IV, Scene vi Act IV, Scene vii: Claudius convinces Laertes that he is
innocent in Laertes' father's death and that Hamlet is to blame. A messenger
enters with Hamlet's letter and Claudius is amazed to find that Hamlet is still
alive. Claudius reads the letter to Laertes. Hamlet is writing to inform the
King that he has returned to Denmark and tha he wishes to meet with Claudius
tomorrow. Claudius, concerned about Hamlet's untimely return, advises Laertes to
have a dueling match with Hamlet. In this match, Claudius plans to have Laertes
kill Hamlet. They plan to cover the tip of Laertes's sword with poison. Once
Hamlet is struck with the sword, he will die. Hamlet's death will end Claudius'
worries about anyone finding out about his involvement in his brother's death.
To further ensure Hamlet's demise, Claudius intends to present Hamlet, if he
scores the first "hit", with a poisoned goblet of wine. This way,
Hamlet will be killed.