Hamlet--- Summary and Analysis

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

• no birth records exist, only church records of baptism
• English poet and playwright
• married to a woman named Anne Hathaway
• had a son named Hamnet (I thought it was interesting how it sounded like Hamlet)
• wasn't as famous until the 19th century
• christian; he was buried in the Holy Trinity Church

Setting

• Denmark
• Elsinore Castle
• Graveyard
• Gertrude's bedroom; Closet, which actually was a private intimate space
• Time: late medieval period

Plot

• Act I
• While guarding the Elsinore Castle, Marcellus and Bernardo see a ghost that appears like past King Hamlet and tells Horatio.
• Horatio agrees that the ghost resembles dead King Hamlet and tries to speak with it, but no answer is heard
• Meanwhile, King Claudius, past King Hamlet's brother takes the throne and claims to take Gertrude, his brother's wife as his wife.
• Prince Hamlet is still bitter and mourns for his father's death while Laertes claims to leave to France. 
• Claudius starts to act as a father to Hamlet and tells Hamlet to stay in the castle, for he is the next king.
• Hamlet is in great grief over his father's death and his mother's remarriage and desires to end his life until Horatio tells him about the ghost
• In the Meantime, as Laertes is getting ready to leave, he insists his sister, Ophelia, to stop loving Hamlet. 
• Ophelia's father, Polonius becomes aware of Ophelia and Hamlet's relationship and forbids their love because Hamlet is in higher rank and he will not keep his promise and Ophelia obeys.
• Hamlet finally appears in front of the ghost and is told about his father's death. He also receives an order to seek revenge on Claudius who killed him. 
• Hamlet swears to do so, and tells no one. The ghost only talked to Hamlet. 
• Act II
• Polonius sends a messenger to France to spy on his son Laertes.
• As Ophelia enters and tells him about Hamlet's visit, Polonius decides to tell the King and Queen about Hamlet's emotional state
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet's childhood friends, arrive from their college upon the King and Queens order.
• They are ordered to find out what Hamlet is actually thinking and what is bothering him and to cheer him up
• Polonius enters with great news from surrounding countries. He then talks about Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship showing them Hamlet's love letters.
• Polonius and the King and Queen come up with a plan to see how Hamlet confronts Ophelia when no one is present. 
• Rosencrantz and Guilderstern first confront Hamlet, but Hamlet's notices that the King and Queen sent them, they admit it and can't get anything out of him.
• Soon after, the players for the play have arrived, and Hamlet is fond of them more than ever.
• Act III
• Upon Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's message, the King and Queen agree to watch the play.
• Meanwhile, King Queen, and Polonius decide to use the plan.
• As Hamlet states the famous "To be, or not to be" speech, he concerns or death and is having trouble distinguishing the ghost as temptation or truly his father's spirit.
• As Ophelia approaches, Hamlet shows disgust and anger. 
• The king and queen both agree that Hamlet's madness is not caused by his love for Ophelia
• Polonius asks once more to spy on Hamlet. They arrange to send Hamlet in Gertrude's room after the play where Polonius will hide and listen.
• The play is about to begin and Hamlet insists them to weave the new story he has written in the play without making it obvious.
• As the play opens up, Hamlet continues to taunt Opehlia and embarrass her. 
• His plan is to see how Claudius reacts to the new scene (scene where a brother kills the king to receive the throne). 
• Once that scene is shows, Claudius becomes furious and leaves, in which Hamlet is now sure that what the ghost said is true.
• The King order Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet back to England and Polonius comes in to remind him about the plan
• Polonius tells Hamlet that the queen is waiting for him at her room to talk. 
• As Hamlet makes his way to kill Claudius and go talk to the queen, he sees that Claudius is praying. Hamlet knows that the murder will not benefit him, for Claudius just repented his sins and decides not to.
• Hamlet makes his way into Gertrude's room and is furious of all the actions Gertrude has done and makes her feel guilty for past King Hamlet. 
• As Gertrude cannot take it any longer, she asks for help and Polonius comes out of the curtains. Thinking that it is Claudius, Hamlet desperately stabs and kills him.
• Hamlet shows no regret to his action and leaves with Polonius's body
• Act IV
• Gertrude hurries on to Claudius and tells him of everything that happened with her and Hamlet
• They both agree to send Hamlet off to exile in England and call for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out where Hamlet put the dead body
• Hamlet refuses to say and allows them to take him to the King
• The King explains of Polonius's death and plan to send Hamlet off. Before leaving, Hamlet mentions that the location of the body and agrees to leave.
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are ordered to kill Hamlet.
• Meanwhile Horatio convinces Gertrude to talk to Ophelia
• Ophelia is in her sleep clothing and has gone mad in front of the king and queen.
• Once Ophelia leaves, Laertes arrive with a armed force to kill Claudius for his father's death
• The king and queen reveal that it wasn't Claudius, but Hamlet. Laertes also encounters his sister has gone crazy.
• Claudius asks Laertes to meet him in private and discuss the things that have happened
• Claudius then receives a letter stating that Hamlet is not dead and that will be arriving the next day
• Claudius and Laertes plan a scheme to kill Hamlet
• Gertrude then enters with news to Laertes that Ophelia has drowned herself 
• Act V
• As the gravediggers are preparing a burial for Ophelia, they argue if Ophelia has the right to be buried with christian burial
• Hamlet and Horatio appear behind and soon find out that Ophelia is the women getting buried
• unable to control his frustration, Hamlet runs out to the King, Queen and Laertes proclaiming about how much he loved her
• After Hamlet leaves, he tells Horatio how he survived through the pirates and Claudius' plan to kill him
• Meanwhile, Osric comes in with a message from Claudius. Osric flatter Hamlet and then talks about how good Laertes fencing skills are to get Hamlet Jealous.
• Hamlet does not get jealous, but still accepts to fence with Laertes.
• Laertes and Claudius have poisoned the drink and the sword and put pearls in the drink to kill Hamlet. 
• Once Hamlet and Laertes begin to fight, Hamlet sincerely apologizes and Laertes is not sure if he wants to kill Hamlet. 
• As Hamlet receives the first victory, Gertrude drinks the wine even after Claudius said not to and dies. 
• In the meantime, Laertes and Hamlet is already poisoned by the sword and Hamlet also murders Claudius
• Horatio says that he will follow Hamlet's death, but Hamlet doesn't allow him to.
• After the deaths, Fortinbras attacks and takes control of Denmark, Hamlet is the only one Fortinbas allow for burial. 

Significant Characters:

• Hamlet
• Protagonist
• Prince of Denmark
• Son of present Queen Gertrude and late King Hamlet
• Studies at University of Wittenberg 
• Has mixed feelings about the ghost
• Plans to revenge King Claudius
• Throughout the play, Hamlet begins to trust no one.
• He is very witty, sarcastic, and bitter
• Had a love relationship with Ophelia  
• Claudius
• Present King of Denmark
• Uncle to Hamlet
• Married his brother's wife, Hamlet's mother, Gertrude
• Assumed to have poisoned his brother/late king.
• Tries to kill Hamlet towards the latter Acts.
• Very ambitious and fake
• Gertrude
• Queen of Denmark
• Prince Hamlet's mother
• Re-married to present King Claudius
• Thrives to keep her status 
• Gertrude doesn't decide or have a say in anything
• Lonely
• Ghost
• Resembles past King Hamlet
• Only seen by Marcellus, Bernardo, Horatio and Hamlet
• Only talks with Hamlet
• Asks Hamlet to revenge Claudius for his death
• Claims to have been poisoned by Claudius
• Appears once in a while to Hamlet to remind him about the revenge
• Never sure if it actually exists, or it was a temptation
• Horatio
• Friend of Hamlet
• Also studies at University of Wittenberg
• Only person Hamlet trusts throughout the play, although Hamlet's trust is questioned by critics
• One of the first people to see the ghost
• The one who ends up telling the story of Hamlet
• Skeptical about the ghost
• Ophelia
• Polonius's daughter
• Status doesn't meet Hamlet's status
• Hamlet's love (?)
• Desperate to get Hamlet back
• Described as lovely, pretty, beautiful
• Obedient to her father and brother, Laertes
• Assumed to have been pregnant with Hamlet's child
• Polonius
• Lord Chamberlain (noble) of Claudius
• Father of Laertes and Ophelia
• Manipulative and controlling
• ambitious for power
• Laertes
• Son of Polonius and older brother of Ophelia
• Apparently really good at fighting (fencing).
• He is sent to France majority of the play
• serves as a foil to Hamlet, who has a contemplative behavior
• towards the end, Laertes revenges for his sister and father's death

Shakespeare's Style:

• Motif
• Recurring biblical references: 
• Hamlet refers to a husband and wife as one flesh. 
• the cock crowing three times is similar to the ghost's appearances
• Polonius's act as Julius Caesar 
• the murder of Claudius's brother, King Hamlet also refers to Cain and Abel
• Betrayal
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray the childhood friendship and try to lead Hamlet to death
• Gertrude betrays her son, Hamlet and tells Claudius what happened in her room and how Hamlet killed Polonius.
• Claudius betrays his brother and takes his throne
• Claudius betrays Hamlet, and makes it look like he's sent to England, but is ordered to be killed
• Uncertainty
• Polonius is very uncertain about Hamlet's love for Ophelia in which he continues to spy on
• King and Queen are uncertain of Hamlet's madness
• Hamlet is uncertain to which he should believe the ghost or not
• Imagery
• Hamlet's description by Ophelia
• Description of the ghost's appearance
• using metaphors to depict an emotional state
• Tone
• revenge, madness tone in Laertes and Hamlet
• witty and sarcasm in Hamlet's madness
• convincing/ persuasive tone from Claudius or Polonius
• Uncertainty 

Quotes:

• "To be or not to be" soliloquy
• The moment Hamlet can't decide if the ghost is right or wrong. He stumbles across dying because everything would be over, and no one would have to worry about anything. (one of the most famous quotes in literature)