Hamlet Plot
Act 1, Scene 1:
The play begins at the Elsinore castle in Denmark where the guards are changing shifts. Bernardo and Marcellus, along with Horatio, come to replace Francisco. Bernardo, feeling anxious, asks “Who’s there?” setting a tense mood for the rest of the play. Francisco says that nothing happened during his watch.
When they are alone, Bernardo and Marcellus tell Horatio about a ghost they saw the previous night. They are waiting to see if it will appear again and hope that Horatio, being a scholar, might be able to communicate with it.
As they wait, the ghost appears but disappears when Horatio tries to talk to it. The men notice that the ghost looks like the late King Hamlet. They ask Horatio why they are on guard and why Denmark is preparing for war. Horatio explains that they fear an invasion by Norwegian troops led by young Fortinbras. Fortinbras’ father was killed by King Hamlet in a war, and Fortinbras wants to avenge his father’s death and reclaim the lost territory. The ghost appears and disappears again. The three men decide to tell Hamlet about what they have seen.
Act 1, Scene 2:
Inside the castle, the new king, Claudius, is giving a speech. He talks about becoming king, the death of the old king, and his marriage to Gertrude, the old king’s widow and Hamlet’s mother. He then discusses the upcoming war with Norway. He sends Cornelius and Voltimand to Norway to talk to Fortinbras’s uncle, the king of Norway, to prevent a war.
Claudius then focuses on Hamlet, who is dressed in black mourning clothes. Claudius refers to Hamlet as their main courtier, cousin, and son. Hamlet’s first words show his dislike for Claudius. When Claudius asks why Hamlet is still sad, Hamlet responds with a pun, suggesting that he is too loyal for Claudius’s deceitful world.
Claudius, by marrying Gertrude, has effectively taken Hamlet’s place as the next king. He talks to Hamlet about his grief for his dead father, arguing that it’s wrong to continue grieving. Claudius also tells Hamlet that he won’t allow him to return to school in Germany and wants him to stay at court, especially since Queen Gertrude, his mother, wants him to stay near her.
Hamlet agrees to stay. When his mother asks him why his grief seems so strong, he tells her that his grief is indeed strong. He also tells her that his black mourning clothes and his sad behavior are signs of his inner sorrow.
After everyone leaves, Hamlet stays behind and reveals his inner feelings. He expresses his disgust with the world and wishes he could die, if it weren’t against God’s laws. He is upset about his mother’s quick marriage to Claudius. Hamlet is deeply troubled by the differences between his father and his uncle. He is angry not only at Gertrude’s disloyalty to her dead husband but also at her apparent hypocrisy.
As Hamlet finishes his thoughts, Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo enter the room and tell him about their encounter with the ghost of his dead father.
Act 1, Scene 3:
The focus shifts to Polonius and his children, Ophelia and Laertes. Laertes is about to leave for France and advises his sister, Ophelia, to be careful with Hamlet. Ophelia promises to do so and reminds him to behave well. Polonius comes to say goodbye to Laertes and gives him some advice for his time in France. After Laertes leaves, Polonius asks Ophelia about their conversation. Ophelia tells him that Laertes warned her about Hamlet. Polonius agrees with this and tells Ophelia not to talk to Hamlet anymore.
Act 1, Scene 4:
Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo wait on the castle battlements at night to see if the Ghost will appear. They discuss the nightly revelry at the Danish court, which Hamlet admits gives Denmark a reputation for drunkenness. Hamlet reflects on human faults, saying one flaw can overshadow an otherwise decent person. The Ghost appears, signaling Hamlet to follow. Hamlet’s friends try to stop him, fearing the Ghost might drive him mad or lead him to harm himself. However, Hamlet resists, draws his sword, and follows the Ghost, with the others following him.
Act 1, Scene 5:
alone with the Ghost, Hamlet learns that it’s the spirit of his deceased father, condemned to wander the night. The Ghost reveals that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, who poured poison in his ear. Claudius, now the king, has deceived Denmark. The Ghost instructs Hamlet to avenge the murder but not to harm his mother, leaving her to heaven’s judgment. As morning approaches, the Ghost disappears, asking Hamlet to remember him. Hamlet believes the Ghost but doesn’t share the details. He instructs his friends not to reveal anything and makes them swear an oath of silence. Hamlet, feeling the world is out of order, accepts the responsibility to set things right.
Act 2, Scene 1:
Polonius is alone with Reynaldo, a courtier he’s sending to Paris to check on Laertes, Polonius’ son. Polonius advises Reynaldo on gathering information, suggesting that he should make derogatory remarks about Laertes to see if others confirm them or share more faults. After Reynaldo leaves, Ophelia enters and tells her father about a troubling encounter with Hamlet. She describes how Hamlet entered her room looking disheveled, grabbed her wrist, sighed, stared at her, and then left. Polonius thinks Hamlet is lovesick and asks if Ophelia has said anything harsh to him. Ophelia says she followed Polonius’ advice, returned Hamlet’s letters, and denied him access. Polonius decides to tell the king about the incident.
Act 2, Scene 2:
Claudius and Gertrude welcome Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are old school friends of Hamlet. They thank them for coming and explain that Hamlet has changed. They hope that the two friends can spend time with Hamlet and find out what caused his change. The friends leave to let Hamlet know they’re here.
Polonius comes in and tells Claudius that the ambassadors to Norway, Cornelius and Voltimand, have returned. He thinks he knows why Hamlet is acting mad and suggests that the king should hear from the ambassadors first. After Polonius leaves to get the ambassadors, Claudius tells Gertrude that Polonius thinks he knows why Hamlet is mad. She thinks it’s because of his father’s death and their quick marriage.
Voltimand and Cornelius report that the king of Norway was upset to learn that Fortinbras was raising an army against Denmark. He thought the army was for an attack against Poland. When he found out the truth, he stopped Fortinbras’s war effort against Denmark but asked for passage through Denmark for the Polish campaign.
After the ambassadors leave, Polonius tells the king and queen that he believes Hamlet is mad because he’s in love with Ophelia. He reads a letter from Hamlet to Ophelia that expresses love and desperation. The queen believes this, and the king wants to know how they can test it. Polonius suggests that he will arrange for Hamlet and Ophelia to meet and talk while the king, queen, and Polonius hide and listen. Claudius agrees, and Polonius, seeing Hamlet coming towards them, tells the king and queen to leave while he talks to Hamlet.
Polonius greets Hamlet and asks him if he knows him. Hamlet says he knows him very well and calls him a fishmonger, which can also mean a pimp. In a way, Polonius is using Ophelia to trap Hamlet. Hamlet continues to tease Polonius with references to love, sexuality, Ophelia, and death. Polonius leaves, convinced that Hamlet is mad and that his love for Ophelia is the cause.
As Polonius leaves, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come in and greet Hamlet. Hamlet asks why they have come to Denmark, which he calls a prison. They say they don’t think it’s a prison, but Hamlet says it is to him because nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so. They think he is too ambitious, but Hamlet disagrees. He toys with them, saying he could live happily in a small space but has bad dreams. Hamlet asks again why they have come to Elsinore, and they say it was to visit him. But Hamlet says their visit is not voluntary and asks if they were sent for. They don’t know what to say, and Hamlet tells them they don’t need to answer; he knows they were summoned. Finally, they admit they were summoned, and Hamlet says he will tell them why so they won’t be guilty of revealing their mission.
Hamlet shares his disillusionment with life, expressing that the joys of being human don’t bring him happiness, suspecting their understanding might be crude. Rosencrantz denies any inappropriate thoughts and mentions encountering traveling players. Hamlet invites them to stay, particularly praising the actor playing the king.
Polonius arrives to announce the arrival of the players, and Hamlet and Polonius banter about theater and family matters. Hamlet subtly suggests that Polonius is sacrificing his daughter. The players enter, and Hamlet asks one of them to recite a speech about the fall of Troy. Polonius notices the player’s emotional performance.
Hamlet then asks the players if they know a play called “The Murder of Gonzago,” and they do. He arranges for them to perform it the next night with additional lines he will write. Alone, Hamlet reflects on his lack of determination in seeking revenge and considers that a play reflecting people’s misdeed might make them confess. Hamlet plans to observe the king’s response to “The Murder of Gonzago,” featuring a murder similar to King Hamlet’s. He concludes, “The play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.”
Act 3, Scene 1:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell the king and queen that they couldn’t learn much from Hamlet. He was polite but avoided their questions with clever madness. They tell the king about the actors’ arrival and the performance scheduled for that evening. The king is happy that Hamlet seems to be seeking pleasure and tells them to keep trying to find out the cause of his mad behavior. The king then asks Gertrude to leave them. Gertrude tells Ophelia that she hopes Hamlet is mad because he loves her; she wouldn’t oppose their marriage. Polonius positions Ophelia with a book to wait for Hamlet; he and the king will watch in hiding when Hamlet arrives.
Hamlet enters and recites the famous soliloquy “To be or not to be,” in which he thinks about the pain of being alive and the fear of death and what the afterlife may hold. He concludes that fear of the unknown makes people bear the burdens, injustices, and woes of being alive. He stops his thoughts when he sees Ophelia, who is reading from a book that Hamlet thinks is a prayer book. He greets her and asks her to include him in her prayers. She tells him that she has “remembrances” of his, gifts and letters he has given her that she wants to return to him. He says that he never gave her anything, but she insists that he knows he did; when he did, he gave them with sweet words, but now that he is cold to her, the gifts no longer have the richness they once had.
He interrupts her to ask if she is honest, suspecting that she is the bait in a trap to catch him. She doesn’t understand his question, and he declares that if she is honest and fair, her honesty wouldn’t allow her to be used (as she is being used to lure Hamlet into revealing himself). In a speech full of words with double meanings, Hamlet tells Ophelia “Get thee to a nunnery,” meaning both “seclude yourself in a convent to be away from this sinful, dangerous world” and “go into a brothel, for you are being a prostitute, in being used by Claudius and Polonius.” At length, he criticizes himself and all of mankind. He ends by asking, “Where’s your father?” and she answers with a lie, “At home, my lord.” Hamlet then calls her father a fool, tells Ophelia that if she marries she should be chaste, and ends with a condemnation of women who wear makeup and act artificially, making a mockery of God’s creation. He criticizes marriage and makes a veiled threat to kill the king. He ends by once more telling her, “To a nunnery, go.”
Alone, Ophelia grieves at Hamlet’s apparent madness. The king and Polonius come out of hiding, and the king remarks that Hamlet didn’t seem to be talking like a disappointed lover, that his words were not really like those of a madman. Furthermore, the king feels that Hamlet is a threat and so decides to send him to England in an ambassadorial role, to collect some tribute money that England has neglected to pay Denmark. Polonius tells Ophelia that she doesn’t need to tax herself to relate the conversation as they have overheard everything, thus offering no comfort to the heartbroken girl. Polonius suggests that after the play, Gertrude should talk to Hamlet to see what she can learn; he will hide behind a curtain and listen to their conversation. The king agrees and adds that “madness in great ones” must not go unnoticed.
Act 3, Scene 2:
Before the performance of The Mousetrap, Hamlet’s version of The Murder of Gonzago, Hamlet tells the actors how to act. He tells them not to overact but to perform realistically. When the actors leave, Horatio comes in. Hamlet tells him how much he admires him for his balanced, calm nature. Hamlet asks Horatio to watch the king’s reactions during the play, which will reflect the circumstances of King Hamlet’s death as the Ghost has told them.
The king and the court enter with a ceremonial flourish. The king greets Hamlet, asking how he is, and Hamlet responds with a cryptic pun. Hamlet says that he “eats the air, promise crammed,” suggesting that Claudius, by marrying Gertrude and becoming king, has taken Hamlet’s rightful place in the royal succession. Claudius says that he does not understand Hamlet’s meaning, and Hamlet retorts that now that they have been spoken, the words are not his either. Hamlet then jokes with Polonius about his past as an actor. The queen invites Hamlet to sit beside her, but Hamlet indicates that he would prefer to sit by Ophelia and proceeds to make a series of crude sexual puns and cutting references to his father’s death and his mother’s remarriage.
The play begins with a “dumb show” or pantomime of the action to come. After a spoken prologue, the Player King and Player Queen enter. They are loving, but the king is not in good health and speaks of the possibility of dying. The queen says that she will never marry again; to do so would be like a second death of her husband. But the king objects; as circumstances change, he asserts, so will she. She protests that she will be constant and then leaves the stage, and the king lies down for a nap. As the scene changes, Hamlet asks his mother what she thinks of the play, and she says that it seems to her that “the lady doth protest too much.”
A new character then enters and pours poison into the sleeping king’s ear, as Hamlet narrates what is happening, noting, “You shall see anon how the murderer gets the love of Gonzago’s wife.” At this point, Claudius rises, Gertrude asks how he is, Polonius orders the play stopped, and Claudius calls for “some light” and leaves; all the court except Hamlet and Horatio follow. Hamlet is euphoric, and he and Horatio agree that the king’s reaction confirms the Ghost’s honesty and the king’s guilt.
As they talk, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter and tell Hamlet how disturbed the king and queen are at his behavior and also that the queen wishes to speak with him in her chamber. They apologize for their boldness in speaking somewhat reproachfully to Hamlet, citing the great love they bear him as an excuse. Hamlet takes a flute from one of the actors and asks Guildenstern to play it; Guildenstern protests that he lacks the skill to do so. Hamlet remarks on how cheaply, then, Guildenstern must hold Hamlet, in that Guildenstern was trying to “play upon” him. Polonius enters to also announce that the queen wishes to see Hamlet in her chamber. Hamlet then taunts Polonius, too, and the scene ends with Hamlet leaving for Gertrude’s chamber, vowing to be severe with her and reprimand her for her remarriage but not to be abusive or violent.
Act 3, Scene 3:
Feeling threatened, Claudius asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to escort Hamlet to England and tells them to prepare for the task. They flatter him, telling him how important a king is and how he must protect himself to protect all the people of the kingdom who depend on him. As they leave, Polonius comes in; he tells the king that Hamlet is going to Gertrude’s room and that he will hide there to listen to their conversation. Polonius adds that a mother is too biased towards her son to be trusted in such circumstances.
Alone, Claudius thinks about his crime, admitting to himself how terrible the murder of a brother is. He tries to pray but realizes that his prayer is meaningless as long as he still enjoys the benefits of his crime. Meanwhile, Hamlet passes on his way to Gertrude’s room and realizes that he might kill the king—but he refrains from doing so because killing Claudius while he is in prayer would send his soul to heaven. That, Hamlet says, would be unfair: “A villain kills my father, and for that / I, his sole son, do this same villain send / To heaven.” He leaves Claudius alive. Claudius, alone, ends the scene saying, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. / Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” Ironically, prayer did, this time, despite his ambivalence, protect him.
Act 3, Scene 4:
In Gertrude’s room, Polonius tells her that Hamlet is coming and that she should scold her son for his “pranks”; meanwhile, Polonius will hide behind the curtain. As Hamlet approaches, she tells Polonius not to worry and to hide. Hamlet asks his mother, “What’s the matter?” and she answers that he has upset his father, meaning Claudius, his stepfather. He retorts that she has upset his father, meaning her first husband, King Hamlet. They start to argue. She asks if he has forgotten who she is; he says that he hasn’t, that she is her husband’s brother’s wife and, though he wishes it were not so, his mother. She says that if he will not listen to her, she will have others speak to him, and he grabs her and sits her down, saying that he will show her her true self. Frightened, she cries out, “What will you do? You won’t murder me? Help!” Polonius, hearing her cry, calls out “Help!” too, and Hamlet stabs the man behind the curtain without seeing who it is. When his mother asks, “What have you done?” he says that he does not know. He asks if the man was the king, but she only says that it was a “bloody deed.” Hamlet responds that the act is “almost as bad, good Mother, / as kill a king, and marry with his brother.” She responds with the question, “As kill a king?” apparently not knowing what he is referring to. He then lifts the curtain and sees the dead Polonius, calling him a “wretched, rash, intruding fool.”
The murder seems to spur them to speak more openly, for Gertrude then asks what she has done to upset him so much. Hamlet proceeds to answer, and what he does not say is as interesting as what he does, for he fails to mention his meeting with the Ghost, nor does he explain the expression “as kill a king.” Rather, he focuses on the differences he perceives between the two brothers, elevating the old King Hamlet to a divine level and depicting Claudius as a depraved man. He criticizes his mother for being able to go from a man so fine to a man so base. She breaks down and tells him that he has torn her heart in two. He tells her to throw away the rotten part, the part attached to Claudius. As he speaks, the Ghost enters to remind Hamlet that he has nearly forgotten his mission, to avenge his father’s death. Gertrude sees Hamlet talking to the air and grows afraid that he truly is crazy. Hamlet warns her not to think that he is mad rather than realize that she is at fault; he tells her not to go again to Claudius’s bed or to be seduced into revealing Hamlet’s true condition. She agrees. Hamlet then tells his mother that he is being sent to England, that he suspects a plot against him, that he does not trust Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and that he will beat them at their own game. He leaves, dragging Polonius’s body behind him to deposit it in another room.
Act 4, Scene 1:
The king asks Gertrude how her meeting with Hamlet went. She tells Claudius that Hamlet is as mad as a stormy sea and that he killed Polonius. The king thinks about how he could have been killed and how the people will partly blame him for the killing, as he failed to control Hamlet. He repeats that he will send Hamlet to England. When Claudius asks Gertrude where Hamlet is now, she says that he has gone to hide Polonius’s body somewhere. The king calls Rosencrantz and Guildenstern back, tells them about the murder of Polonius, and orders them to find Hamlet and the body.
Act 4, Scene 2:
No longer as friends but as agents of the king, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern demand Polonius’s body from Hamlet. He doesn’t give them a straight answer, insults them, and runs away as if playing hide-and-seek; they chase him.
Act 4, Scene 3:
The king tells some courtiers that he has sent people to find Hamlet and the body and that Hamlet is dangerous, though the people love him. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come in and tell the king that Hamlet is outside the room under guard but won’t say where the body is. The king orders Hamlet brought in and asks him where the body is. Hamlet answers cryptically first that Polonius is “at supper,” “not where he eats, but where he is eaten,” then that perhaps Polonius is in heaven and the king should send a messenger there to find him; if he is not there, the king might look in the “other place” himself. Finally, Hamlet says that if the king cannot find him in either place he will soon smell him by a certain staircase. Claudius tells Hamlet that for his own safety he is sending him to England on a ship, and Hamlet is taken away under guard. In a short soliloquy, the king reveals that he has sent letters to England ordering Hamlet’s murder and that he will not know peace until Hamlet is dead.
Act 4, Scene 4:
Fortinbras, of Norway, crosses the stage with his troops, passing through Denmark on his way to fight for a barren piece of land in Poland, as a captain tells Hamlet when he asks. Hamlet is astonished that men should fight and so many should die for the possession of a worthless piece of ground. He concludes that to be great is to “find quarrel in a straw,” and criticizes himself for not having accomplished the Ghost’s mission yet. He vows that his thoughts will be bloody from then on, thinking that if they are not, they will be worth nothing.
Act 4, Scene 5:
In the castle, Gertrude initially refuses to speak with Ophelia until a courtier tells her that Ophelia is upset and talking madly about her father. Horatio then advises Gertrude to speak with Ophelia to prevent people from thinking badly of the king, and Gertrude agrees. Ophelia enters, upset by grief and singing songs about sexual promiscuity, abandonment, and death. Claudius enters and speaks kindly to Ophelia, but she leaves them talking about her father’s burial and how her “brother shall know of it.” Claudius instructs Horatio to keep an eye on Ophelia, as he is worried that seeing her grief will turn the people against him. Claudius then tells Gertrude that Laertes has secretly returned from France to avenge his father’s death, for which he blames the king. As Claudius speaks, there is a commotion, as Laertes has stirred up a mob looking to overthrow Claudius and make Laertes king. They break down the doors of the castle and enter, and Laertes commands the mob to stand outside and demands to know where his father is. Gertrude unsuccessfully tries to calm Laertes, and Claudius tells her to let him go, saying that he is not afraid, for a king is protected by God. The king persuades Laertes to be patient and tries to convince Laertes that they are partners in grief, that he is not responsible for Polonius’s death, and that he does not begrudge Laertes his revenge but also does not want Laertes to punish the innocent with the guilty. As Laertes’s anger subsides, Ophelia enters again, upset and scattering flowers, stirring up that anger again. Once Ophelia has gone, Claudius tells Laertes that he will answer any questions regarding Polonius’s death and will satisfy Laertes regarding his own innocence.
Act 4, Scene 6:
Sailors bring Horatio a letter from Hamlet. Hamlet writes that he is back in Denmark because pirates attacked their ship at sea, and during the battle, Hamlet boarded the pirates’ ship. The pirates treated him fairly and are returning him to Denmark as a reward. He asks Horatio to take the sailors to the king and give the king letters from him. Hamlet has a lot to tell Horatio about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are still traveling to England. Horatio promises the sailors to do as Hamlet asks and asks them to take him to Hamlet.
Act 4, Scene 7:
Explaining what happened to Polonius, Claudius convinces Laertes of his own innocence regarding Polonius’s death and of Hamlet’s guilt. When Laertes asks why Hamlet was not punished, Claudius explains that he could not punish him outright because of the love his mother and the people both have for him. Laertes vows to take revenge himself, but the king tells him that more news will soon come to satisfy him. As they talk, a messenger comes in with Hamlet’s letters, and the king reads that Hamlet has returned to Denmark alone and wants to see him. Laertes asserts that he must now take revenge, and the king comes up with a plan to make Hamlet’s death look accidental. He tells Laertes how much Hamlet admires his skill in fencing and proposes a match between the two. Laertes’ sword, however, will not have a blunt tip. Laertes, stirred by the king’s goading to a passion that would allow him to cut Hamlet’s throat in church, agrees. Besides the sword being sharp, the king proposes that its tip be wetted with a deadly poison and that, should Hamlet become thirsty during the duel, the king will offer him a cup of poisoned wine. Gertrude interrupts their conversation to announce that Ophelia has drowned in a brook near the castle, and Laertes is devastated. The king and Gertrude follow him offstage, with the king noting how terrible Ophelia’s death is, since he has had so much trouble calming Laertes’ rage, and her death has now inflamed it once again.
Act 5, Scene 1:
In the graveyard, two clowns are joking and singing as they dig a grave. From their conversation, we understand that the grave is Ophelia’s and that due to a dispute over whether her drowning was accidental or suicidal, she will not be given full burial rites. Hamlet and Horatio then enter, and Hamlet is surprised that the First Clown can go about his gravedigging work in such a carefree manner and engages him in conversation. The First Clown says that he has been doing his job for thirty years, since young Hamlet was born. They talk about mortality, and the clown shows Hamlet a skull, saying that it was the skull of Yorick, the king’s jester; Hamlet then reflects on the passing of time.
As they talk, Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, a Priest, and members of the court enter for Ophelia’s burial. When she is laid in the earth, Laertes jumps into the grave after her. Hamlet, seeing everything, his passion aroused, jumps in, too, and wrestles with Laertes, proclaiming his greater love. The king separates them, and Hamlet protests that Laertes has no reason to be angry with him, that he has always respected him. Claudius asks Horatio to look after Hamlet, and when he is alone with Laertes, the king asks him to be patient in his desire for revenge, reminding him of the plan they have to murder Hamlet in the dueling contest.
Act 5, Scene 2:
Hamlet tells Horatio how he found the letter that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were carrying from Claudius to the king of England ordering Hamlet’s immediate execution. He says that he replaced it with another letter that he wrote and sealed with his own royal signet ring, ordering instead the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He feels no guilt for their deaths, as they were willing to do the king’s bidding. During this discussion, Hamlet reveals a new calmness based on his acceptance that things will be as they are meant to be.
As they are talking, Osric, a courtier, enters and tells Hamlet about the fencing bet the king has placed on him against Laertes. Hamlet agrees to the contest and says that he is ready immediately. The king, queen, Laertes, and the court then enter, and the contest begins. Hamlet asks Laertes for forgiveness, claiming that his madness, not himself, wronged Laertes. Laertes, still planning to kill Hamlet, lies and says that he forgives him. They choose their swords, with Laertes taking the sharp, poisoned one and Hamlet accepting the blunted one without checking the other, as the king had said he would. Between rounds, the king offers Hamlet a drink of poisoned wine, but Hamlet declines until later. The queen then begins to take a sip, and the king tries to stop her, but she insists that she will drink. After drinking, she faints and realizes that she has been poisoned. Hamlet and Laertes then both wound each other with the poisoned sword, as their swords are exchanged in a scuffle. Laertes then changes his mind and tells Hamlet about the king’s plot. Laertes asks for Hamlet’s forgiveness and dies receiving it. Hamlet then strikes the king with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink some of the wine, and the courtiers cry out treason. As Hamlet is dying, Horatio says that he will also drink from the cup and die like a Roman following his friend in death. However, Hamlet stops him, asking him to put off the joys of death for a while and, in the cruel world, to live in pain and tell Hamlet’s story, as he dies with a tarnished reputation. Hamlet notes that he imagines Fortinbras will be chosen as the king of Denmark, and he approves of that. Fortinbras then enters, returning across Denmark from victory in Poland, and has Hamlet placed on a funeral platform and given military rites.
MEDIA ADAPTATIONS
“Hamlet” has been adapted for the screen more than fifty times, in many languages. Here are some notable film adaptations:
Hamlet, 1948: Directed by Laurence Olivier, this adaptation is still regarded as one of the most successful. Olivier cut Fortinbras entirely and focused on Hamlet’s psychological turmoil.
Hamlet, 1969: Directed by Tony Richardson, this movie was based on his stage production of Hamlet, and it focuses more on Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia.
Hamlet, 1990: Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, this version gives more screentime to the female characters than most adaptations.
Hamlet, 1996: Directed by Kenneth Branagh, this adaptation uses Shakespeare’s full text, and even adds in several flashbacks that don’t appear in the original play.
Hamlet, 2000: Directed by Michael Almereyda, this adaptation is the only one to move Hamlet’s action into a modern-day setting.
“Hamlet” has been adapted into Hindi media in various forms. Here are some notable adaptations:
Khoon Ka Khoon (1935): Directed by Sohrab Modi, this is an Indian adaptation of Hamlet. The story and script were by Mehdi Hassan Ahsan from his Urdu play adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”.
Haider (2014): Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, this film is a modern adaptation of Hamlet. The movie, starring Shahid Kapoor, Tabu, and Kay Kay Menon, is set in Kashmir and speaks more about its political insurgency.
