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Hamlet by William Shakespeare was first published in 1603. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play follows Prince Hamlet as he grapples with grief, betrayal, and the pursuit of justice after the sudden death of his father, the King. The story unfolds against a backdrop of political intrigue and familial conflict, with Hamlet’s inner turmoil ...
- 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
A mote it is to trouble the mind’s eye. In the most high and...
- Act Iv: Scenes V & VI
A summary of Act IV: Scenes v & vi in William Shakespeare's...
- Themes
The dead King Hamlet is portrayed as a strong, forthright...
- 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 ...
Full Play Analysis. In telling the story of a fatally indecisive character’s inability to choose the proper course to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet explores questions of fate versus free will, whether it is better to act decisively or let nature take its course, and ultimately if anything we do in our time on earth makes any difference.
More than any other play by Shakespeare, Hamlet focuses on the point of view of a single character: Hamlet himself, which makes him sympathetic even as he commits unsympathetic acts. Hamlet has more lines than any other character in Shakespeare, and nearly 40% of the lines in his play—the highest proportion of lines Shakespeare ever gave to a ...
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