Hamlet Synopsis
The Ghost of the recently deceased King Hamlet of Denmark appears to the watchmen
at Elsinore castle. Horatio, a friend of young prince Hamlet’s, suggests
that they tell the prince in the hopes that the ghost will speak to his own
son.
Meanwhile, Claudius, the new king and brother to the late King Hamlet, has
married his brother’s widow, Queen Gertrude. Young Hamlet is despondent,
but when he hears about his father’s ghost, he eagerly joins the watch
that evening.
Laertes, son of the king’s advisor Polonius, warns his sister Ophelia
about her relationship with Hamlet. After receiving his father’s advice,
Laertes leaves for France. Polonius orders Ophelia not to speak with Hamlet
any longer.
Later that night, the ghost appears again. Hamlet, ignoring his friends’ warnings,
follows the ghost, who tells Hamlet that he was murdered by his brother Claudius
and demands that Hamlet take revenge.
Hamlet begins to behave strangely. Claudius and Gertrude recruit Hamlet’s
childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to covertly investigate the
cause of Hamlet’s “madness.” To cheer him up, they bring
Hamlet’s favorite company of actors to the castle. Hamlet asks the actors
to perform a play designed to provoke Claudius to reveal his guilt.
Claudius and Polonius spy on an arranged encounter between Hamlet and Ophelia
in order to test Polonius’ theory that Ophelia’s rejection of Hamlet’s
love drove Hamlet mad. Claudius begins to see Hamlet’s behavior as a
threat and decides to send him away to England. That night, when the actors
perform a scene resembling the murder of old King Hamlet, Claudius rises suddenly
and leaves the hall.
Polonius hides behind a curtain in the queen’s chamber as she scolds
her son for offending Claudius. Hamlet answers threateningly, and when Polonius
responds to the Queen’s cries for help, Hamlet stabs him through the
curtain. Claudius apprehends Hamlet and sends him with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
to England, along with a sealed letter telling the king of England to put Hamlet
to death upon arrival.
Distraught over her father’s death, Ophelia approaches the king and queen
in a state of madness. Laertes returns to Denmark to confront Claudius, who
denies responsibility for Polonius’ death and Ophelia’s madness,
and promises Laertes that he will get his chance for revenge. Meanwhile, Hamlet
sends letters to say that he has escaped and is on his way back to Denmark.
Claudius and Laertes plot to kill Hamlet by challenging him to a fencing match
in which Laertes will use a poison-tipped sword. Claudius will ensure their
success by having a poisoned drink on hand. Gertrude suddenly arrives to announce
that Ophelia has drowned.
Hamlet and Horatio come upon a cemetery on their way back to the castle and
talk with a gravedigger. They hide when they hear an approaching funeral procession
and watch in horror as Ophelia is buried. When a grief-stricken Laertes leaps
into the open grave, Hamlet emerges from hiding and professes his love for
Ophelia. The two men fight and must be forcibly separated.
Once back in the castle, Laertes challenges Hamlet to a fencing match. During
the match, Hamlet and Laertes each wound each other with the poisoned blade
and Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup. Laertes exposes Claudius as the
master-mind of the plot, and Hamlet stabs Claudius before forcing him to drink
the poisoned wine. Gertrude, Claudius and Laertes die, followed by Hamlet.
Fortinbras, prince of Norway, arrives to lay claim to the empty throne of Denmark.
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