Hamlet (c. 1606)
by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s tragedy of grief, revenge, corruption and moral uncertainty in the Danish court.
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Hamlet: The Prince of Denmark, who seeks to avenge his father’s murder.
Claudius: The current king of Denmark, who murdered Hamlet’s father and married his mother.
Gertrude: The Queen of Denmark and Hamlet’s mother, who marries Claudius after her husband’s death.
Ophelia: A young woman loved by Hamlet, who becomes a victim of the political intrigue.
Polonius: The Lord Chamberlain of Denmark, who advises both his children and the king.
Laertes: Polonius’s son, who returns to Denmark seeking justice for his father’s death.
Horatio: Hamlet’s loyal friend and confidant, who witnesses the play’s events.
Revenge and justice: Hamlet’s quest for vengeance raises questions about the nature of justice and the consequences of violence.
Madness and sanity: The play explores the thin line between madness and sanity, particularly through Hamlet’s feigned and genuine madness.
Appearance and reality: Characters repeatedly hide their intentions behind false appearances and deceptive language.
Death and mortality: The play grapples with the inevitability of death and the meaning of life in the face of mortality.
Family and betrayal: The play examines the complexities of family relationships and the pain of betrayal.
Political power and corruption: The play critiques the abuse of political power and the moral decay that accompanies it.
Act 1: Hamlet learns of his father’s murder from the ghost and is urged to seek revenge.
Act 2: Hamlet feigns madness, stages a play to confirm Claudius’s guilt, and accidentally kills Polonius.
Act 3: Claudius sends Hamlet to England, where he escapes and returns to Denmark.
Act 4: Ophelia descends into madness and drowns, while Laertes seeks revenge for his father’s death.
Act 5: The final confrontation occurs in the play’s climax, leading to the deaths of several key characters.
Hamlet encounters his father’s ghost and learns that Claudius murdered the former king.
Hamlet appears mad while he tests the truth of the ghost’s accusation against Claudius.
Hamlet confirms Claudius’s guilt but delays killing him, then accidentally kills Polonius.
Claudius sends Hamlet to England, Ophelia descends into madness, and Laertes returns seeking revenge.
Hamlet returns to Denmark, confronts death, and dies after killing Claudius.