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Hamlet Summary | Play by William Shakespeare | Neb English Support Class 12
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
SHORT STORYLINE
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Hamlet sees his dead father's ghost, pretends to go mad with revenge, actually goes crazy with revenge (debatable), and everyone dies finally.
SHORT SUMMARY
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
The ghost of the King of Denmark asks his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by assassinating the new king's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, ponders much over life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet's rival, and Hamlet himself are all killed.
DETAILED SUMMARY
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Act I
Late at night, the guards at the battlement of Elsinore Castle in Denmark meet Prince Hamlet's school friend, Horatio. The guards describe a ghost they have seen that resembles the recently deceased King, Hamlet's father. At that moment, the ghost appears again, and the guards and Horatio decide to tell Hamlet about it.
Hamlet's uncle, Claudius, marries Hamlet's recently widowed mother and becomes the new King of Denmark. Hamlet mourns his father's death and even laments his mother's lack of loyalty. When Hamlet hears about his father's ghost from Horatio, he wants to see it for himself.
Elsewhere, the royal attendant Polonius bids farewell to his son Laertes, who is departing for France. Laertes warns his sister Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet and think too much about her attention to him.
The ghost appears to Hamlet, claiming to be the ghost of his father. He relates to Hamlet all the facts of how Claudius, the present King, including Hamlet's uncle, murdered him, and Hamlet swears vengeance for his father. Hamlet decides to feign insanity while testing the truth of the ghost's accusations (always a good idea in such situations).
Act II
As per his plan, Hamlet starts acting strangely. He dismisses Ophelia, while Claudius and Polonius, the royal attendants, spy on her. Both of them hoped to find the reason for the sudden change in Hamlet's behaviour, but this did not happen. Claudius summons Hamlet's old friends Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to find out what's got into him. Their arrival coincides with that of a troupe of travelling actors whom Hamlet knows well. Hamlet writes a play that includes scenes mimicking the murder of Hamlet's father. During rehearsal, Hamlet and the actors plan to present Hamlet's play to the King and Queen.
Act III
During the performance, Hamlet observes Claudius closely to see how he reacts. The play infuriates Claudius, and he interrupts the action by passing out. He immediately resolves to send Hamlet away from there. Hamlet is summoned by his distressed mother, Gertrude, and on the way, he attempts to get Claudius to kneel and pray. Hamlet reasons that now his soul will only be sent to heaven instead of hell for killing the king. Hamlet plans to spare his life for the time being.
Polonius hides in Gertrude's room to protect her from her unexpected son. When Hamlet comes to scold his mother, he hears Polonius walking past the aaras (a type of tapestry). He stabs at the tapestry and, in doing so, kills Polonius. The ghost of Hamlet's father reappears and warns his son not to delay revenge or disturb his mother.
Act IV
Supposedly, Hamlet is sent to England as an ambassador, just as King Fortinbras of Norway crosses Denmark with his force to attack Poland. During his journey, Hamlet learns that Claudius plans to kill him when he arrives. He comes back to Denmark alone, sending his companions Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in his place.
After being dismissed by Hamlet, Ophelia is now desolate at the loss of her father. She gets mad and drowns.
Act V
On his way back to Denmark, Hamlet meets Horatio (along with the gravedigger) at the cemetery, where they talk about the possibilities of life and death. Ophelia's funeral procession arrives at the same cemetery (what luck!). Hamlet encounters Laertes, Ophelia's brother, who has taken his father's place at court.
A duel is arranged between Hamlet and Laertes. During the match, Claudius conspires with Laertes to kill Hamlet. They plan that Hamlet will die either on a poisoned rapier or from poisoned wine. The plans go awry when Gertrude inadvertently drinks from the poisoned cup and dies. Later, both Laertes and Hamlet get wounded by the poisoned blade, and Laertes dies.
Hamlet kills Claudius in his death throes. Hamlet dies, leaving only his friend Horatio to explain the truth to the new king, Fortinbras, as he comes back in triumph from the Polish Wars.
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