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Read the full play summary, an in-depth analysis of character of Hamlet , and explanations of important quotes from Hamlet. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the SparkNotes Hamlet Study Guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays.
- Act I: Scene I
A summary of Act I: Scene i in William Shakespeare's Hamlet....
- Act V: Scene II
Summary: Act V, scene ii. The next day at Elsinore Castle,...
- Act Iii: Scene IV
A summary of Act III: Scene iv in William Shakespeare's...
- Act Iii: Scene II
Summary: Act III, scene ii. That evening, in the castle hall...
- Hamlet
A detailed description and in-depth analysis of Hamlet in...
- Quick Quiz
Perfect prep for Hamlet quizzes and tests you might have in...
- Sparklet Scene Summaries
Hamlet waits with Horatio and Marcellus for the ghost to...
- No Fear Translation
Read the Summary of Act 1, scene 1. Hamlet, William...
- Act Iv: Scenes V & VI
A summary of Act IV: Scenes v & vi in William Shakespeare's...
- Themes
In Hamlet, the question of how to act is affected not only...
- Act I: Scene I
- Story
- Plot summary
- Synopsis
- Battle
On a dark winter night, a ghost walks the ramparts of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Discovered first by a pair of watchmen, then by the scholar Horatio, the ghost resembles the recently deceased King Hamlet, whose brother Claudius has inherited the throne and married the kings widow, Queen Gertrude. When Horatio and the watchmen bring Prince Hamlet, ...
Prince Hamlet devotes himself to avenging his fathers death, but, because he is contemplative and thoughtful by nature, he delays, entering into a deep melancholy and even apparent madness. Claudius and Gertrude worry about the princes erratic behavior and attempt to discover its cause. They employ a pair of Hamlets friends, Rosencrantz and Guilden...
Hamlet goes to confront his mother, in whose bedchamber Polonius has hidden behind a tapestry. Hearing a noise from behind the tapestry, Hamlet believes the king is hiding there. He draws his sword and stabs through the fabric, killing Polonius. For this crime, he is immediately dispatched to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. However, Clau...
The sword-fighting begins. Hamlet scores the first hit, but declines to drink from the kings proffered goblet. Instead, Gertrude takes a drink from it and is swiftly killed by the poison. Laertes succeeds in wounding Hamlet, though Hamlet does not die of the poison immediately. First, Laertes is cut by his own swords blade, and, after revealing to ...
The play’s falling action deals with the consequences of Polonius’s death. Hamlet is sent away, Ophelia goes mad and Laertes returns from France to avenge his father’s death. When Hamlet comes back to Elsinore, he no longer seems to be concerned with revenge, which he hardly mentions after this point in the play.
Act I. Scene i. Two guards at Elsinore Castle see the ghost of the recently dead King Hamlet. Horatio decides to tell Hamlet. Read a full Summary & Analysis of Act I: Scene i. Scene ii. Gertrude and King Claudius, who are recently married, ask Hamlet to stay in Denmark a while longer. Horatio tells Hamlet about the ghost.
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