Omar Abd-ElNasser

Hamlet - Study Guide

Hamlet, Shakespeare's timeless tragedy, has both intrigued and shocked audiences for centuries. Written between 1599 and 1601, the story about a sensitive and confused young man who is forced to seek revenge for his father's death continues to encourage audiences to think about both mortality and morality.

Some of the greatest actors in the world have taken on the play's titular role both for the stage and the screen. It is the most widely performed play in the world, and there are dozens of film versions. This tale of murder, family, political intrigue, madness, love, and hate still has the power to engage critics and thrill audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

Overview

Author

William Shakespeare

Years Written

1599–1601

Type

Play

Genre

Drama, Tragedy

Perspective and Narrator

Hamlet is written in objective third-person point of view. To give audiences some insight into characters' inner thoughts, Shakespeare uses short speeches (asides) and longer speeches (soliloquies) in which characters speak their thoughts aloud.

Tense

Shakespeare wrote Hamlet in the present tense.

About the Title

Hamlet is a tale of mourning, madness, and revenge. The play's title refers to its central character, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, and to his murdered father, King Hamlet, whose death he must avenge.

Plot Summary

The play opens soon after the death of the king of Denmark. Claudius, the king's brother, has claimed the throne and taken his sister-in-law—Hamlet's mother, Gertrude—as his queen. These events have left Prince Hamlet distraught and grieving. As the story begins, the ghost of King Hamlet appears in Elsinore, Denmark's royal castle. Sentinels who witness the ghost alert Horatio, who, upon seeing the ghost himself, goes to tell his dear friend Hamlet.

Hamlet's world is shaken anew when Horatio tells him that he has seen a ghost resembling his father. When Hamlet joins Horatio (Act 1, Scene 4) and sees the ghost himself, he is terrified. The ghost tells Hamlet that he has been murdered and that Claudius poisoned him. He commands Hamlet to avenge his death but insists that he not harm his mother. Hamlet questions whether the ghost is real, but his mourning is now compounded by rage.

Earlier, Hamlet had returned from his studies in Germany after learning of his father's death. Already in mourning, Hamlet is pushed deeper into despair by his mother's hasty second marriage. It is clear from his soliloquy in Act 2 that he is confused that his mother could disregard the sorrow of losing her husband and enter into marriage with his brother.

Meanwhile, Claudius seeks some semblance of normalcy for Denmark. Holding court one afternoon, Claudius draws attention to young Prince Fortinbras of Norway, who is raising an army against Denmark. Fortinbras seeks to avenge the death of his father, who had died in battle against King Hamlet some years before. Claudius does not see the parallel between that young prince and his nephew, nor does he take a note of caution from the situation.

Claudius casts a more fatherly eye on Laertes, son of his counselor Polonius, who seeks the king's blessing for his to return to France, which Claudius approves. Claudius next chastises Hamlet for the unseemly way in which he mourns for his father, after which he and Hamlet's mother deny his desire to return to Germany, insisting he stay in Elsinore.

As Laertes prepares to leave for France, he confronts his sister, Ophelia, about her relationship with Prince Hamlet. He warns her not to take Hamlet's affection seriously. Her father, Polonius, overhears; when Laertes has gone, he agrees with his son's advice and orders Ophelia to avoid Hamlet. Heartbroken, Ophelia says she will obey.

Sometime later, Ophelia tells Polonius of a distressing encounter with Prince Hamlet. She says Hamlet came to her looking bewildered. Polonius thinks Hamlet's love for Ophelia is driving him mad and decides he must tell the king and queen of this occurrence.

When Polonius visits the king and queen, they are already meeting with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet's childhood friends, in an attempt to figure out Hamlet's strange behavior. Also at hand are Voltemand and Cornelius, the ambassadors Claudius sent to Norway, who are reporting that "Old Norway" has commanded Fortinbras to abandon aggression against Denmark. Fortinbras vows obedience and will turn his attention to Poland. Finally, Polonius relates the story of Hamlet's encounter with Ophelia; he tells the king and queen that he believes Hamlet's love for Ophelia has driven him mad.

Hamlet meets Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and becomes suspicious of their presence in Elsinore. When they tell him that a company of players (actors) has arrived, he is excited. Hamlet seeks out the actors and asks them to perform a version of the play The Murder of Gonzago. By inserting a scene depicting his father's murder, Hamlet hopes his revised play, The Mousetrap, will catch the king in his guilt.

Claudius and Polonius plan to eavesdrop on Ophelia and Hamlet. As they hide nearby, Hamlet comes upon Ophelia and they chat. However, he quickly becomes suspicious of Ophelia's motives when she tries to return gifts he gave her. He rages wildly with sorrow and disappointment and tells Ophelia to "get thee to a nunnery" before leaving her.

Ophelia is devastated; Claudius and Polonius are shocked. Claudius realizes Hamlet poses a threat to him. He decides to send Hamlet to England to be rid of him. Polonius agrees but suggests one last try: have Gertrude talk with him after the play that evening, and he, Polonius, will eavesdrop on the conversation.

That evening the theater company performs for Claudius's court. As the players reenact the scene of the king being poisoned in the garden—as the ghost told Prince Hamlet—Claudius flies into a panicked rage, halting the play and fleeing the room. Hamlet, with Horatio beside him, takes this as an admission of guilt.

After the play, Claudius meets with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and tasks them with taking Hamlet to England. When they leave to find Hamlet, Claudius admits to King Hamlet's murder in a soliloquy. He attempts to pray, but finds he cannot repent, because he is unwilling to give up the rewards gained from the murder: the throne and his wife. Hamlet passes and sees Claudius on his knees. He thinks how easy it would be to kill his uncle then and there, but decides not to. Hamlet believes that to kill Claudius while he is in prayer would grant him entry to Heaven, which Hamlet does not want.

Hamlet meets with Gertrude in her chambers; Polonius hides nearby. Hamlet confronts Gertrude about her part in King Hamlet's death. When she cries out, Polonius shouts, revealing his presence, but not his identity. Believing that Claudius is hiding there, Hamlet stabs Polonius through the tapestry and kills him. Hamlet leaves, dragging Polonius's body with him. The encounter convinces Gertrude that her son is indeed mad.

Gertrude goes to tell Claudius of her meeting with Hamlet and of Polonius's death. Once he is alone, Claudius reveals that Hamlet is also soon to die; the documents he is sending with the ship call for Hamlet's execution.

As Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern head to the boat, they spy Fortinbras and his army en route to Poland. Hamlet is struck by the contrast between himself and young Fortinbras. He sees Fortinbras's ability to act—instead of think—as a mark of greatness. When contrasting himself with Fortinbras, Hamlet finds himself wanting.

Ophelia asks to meet with Gertrude and Claudius, and they realize that she has gone mad with grief. Laertes, back from France, storms in to see the king and queen and is heartbroken to find Ophelia in such a confused condition. Claudius convinces Laertes they had nothing to do with Polonius's death or Ophelia's madness. He counsels Laertes to be patient and encourages him to follow his counsel to exact his revenge. Laertes consents.

A messenger finds Horatio, bearing letters from Hamlet to Horatio and to Claudius. Hamlet's letter informs Horatio that he is back in Denmark and has much to tell him about his failed trip to England. He asks that Horatio lead the messenger to the king to deliver his letters to him. After that, the messenger will lead Horatio to him.

Claudius and Laertes are together when the king receives word of Hamlet's return. They plot a fencing duel between Hamlet and Laertes, with Laertes using a poison-tipped foil (sword). As a backup, they plan to have a poisoned cup of wine ready for Hamlet to drink. They intend to give Laertes his revenge without putting either of them in harm's way. As they conclude their meeting, Gertrude brings word that Ophelia has drowned.

Hamlet and Horatio meet in the graveyard where Ophelia is about to be buried. As the funeral procession gathers around her grave, the grief-stricken Laertes jumps into her grave and proclaims his love. Hamlet, overcome in the moment, follows, and they fight. Horatio and the other mourners separate the two as Hamlet boldly proclaims his love for Ophelia.

When Horaito and Hamlet leave the graveyard and enter the castle, Osric, one of Claudius's courtiers, tells Hamlet that Claudius has wagered on Hamlet to win a fencing match against Laertes. Hamlet accepts the challenge and says he will strive to win on the king's behalf.

The duel begins. Hamlet strikes Laertes twice and Gertrude drinks to Hamlet's health, unknowingly drinking the poisoned wine. Alarmed by the way the competition is going, Laertes finally strikes Hamlet, they scuffle, and the foils are exchanged. Hamlet's next hit on Laertes poisons him.

Suddenly, the queen collapses. As she dies, Laertes reveals to Hamlet that both of them have also been poisoned by the foil now in Hamlet's hands. Laertes reveals the plot to everyone, proclaiming that the king is to blame. Before he closes his eyes for the last time, he and Hamlet exchange forgiveness.

Enraged, Hamlet kills Claudius—stabbing him with the poisoned foil and forcing him to drink the rest of the poisoned wine. Hamlet watches him die, but he himself is soon to follow. As the prince approaches death, he begs Horatio to carry his story to the world.

Young Fortinbras, returning from Poland, arrives to find the gruesome scene—Hamlet, Laertes, Gertrude, and Claudius all dead—and to hear Horatio's explanation.

Characters

Hamlet

Prince Hamlet is a gentle, deep-thinking, loving, and loyal man. He is not only intelligent but also quick-witted, appreciative of his standing, and self-aware. He is a decent soul, well-liked by those close to him. As an only child, he is consumed with grief after the death of his father, King Hamlet. Audiences get as tangled in his thinking as he is, especially those who get stuck, as Polonius does, in wondering whether the prince is mad.

Polonius

Polonius is counselor to the king and father to Laertes and Ophelia, although his children seem to have more heart and more integrity. That he loves his children is a strength, but it also seems that he might sacrifice their best interests for what is the most politically correct decision. And while Polonius is in a profession that may demand that type of submissiveness, one could argue that his tendency toward action without thought—a tendency that some audiences might say is in a proportion inverse to that of Hamlet's—is a contributing factor to both Ophelia's and his own demise.

Claudius

Claudius is the king of Denmark. As the tale opens, Claudius has recently ascended to the throne, taking his deceased brother's (and Hamlet's father's) position; to the chagrin of many, he has also married his brother's widow, Gertrude. Claudius is a deceitful, corrupt, jealous, and controlling man—characteristics exhibited again and again throughout the play. Claudius carries himself well at the outset of the play; his nature is cordial and reserved as one might expect of well-bred royalty—but this feels forced, or "played." Little by little, we see Claudius's true nature: cold, calculating, and self-seeking, in contrast to Hamlet's gentle, introspective nature.

Horatio

Loyal friend to Prince Hamlet, Horatio is also a student at Wittenberg in Germany. He is the person the sentries Barnardo and Francisco alert after they have twice seen a ghostly version of the recently deceased king. His role, which he performs well, is trusted ally and logical thinker. In a sense, it is the calm and collected Horatio who represents a halfway point between the introspective Hamlet and those who act without thinking, such as Fortinbras (the young prince of Norway), Polonius, and, at times, Claudius. Horatio, by virtue of having Hamlet's trust and company, is often privy to the prince's more private thoughts and plans. Through Horatio, Shakespeare often gives the audience insight into Hamlet, too. And, ultimately, because Horatio is so close to all that transpires—and yet not immediately involved—he is able to be a witness to the events in Denmark and, as Hamlet requested of him, communicate that tale to the world.

Laertes

Adventurous yet obedient, Laertes, whose name comes from Homer's The Odyssey, is Polonius's son and Ophelia's brother. Early in the play, Laertes, who has most recently been living in France, comes across as a young man eager to begin his life. When introduced to the audience, he has come to the royal court, seeking permission from Claudius to return to France. He is a bit hesitant, maybe even tongue-tied in that setting. But in a scene shortly after this, with Ophelia in the family home, his character becomes a bit clearer. In that setting, Laertes is the gentle, loving, older brother. He shows his loyalty, affection, concern—and a bit of wisdom—when he speaks with his sister about Hamlet. Especially telling is Laertes's explanation to Ophelia that for persons of state, such as Hamlet, the good of the country often trumps individual desire—especially with regard to choice of partner.

Ophelia

The daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes, Ophelia is also Hamlet's love interest. She is a young, bright, and gentle woman, comfortable even with those above her in rank, like Gertrude. Although the depth of her relationship with Hamlet is difficult to discern, she is undoubtedly devoted to him. Her unbridled devotion, along with her obvious inexperience in love—as well as Hamlet's determination to drive her away from him—all figure into her misery and, ultimately, her heartbreaking death.

Gertrude

Gertrude is queen to Claudius, the current king of Denmark, and the widow of his brother, the elder King Hamlet. She is also mother to Prince Hamlet, the main character in this tragedy. A central quality of Gertrude's character is that she loves her son; it is apparent from the outset and is a driving force for her.

Ghost

The ghost is the spirit of Hamlet's father, who has recently died. The ghost tells Hamlet that his was not a natural death. He says he was murdered by Claudius, his brother, and he urges Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Claudius. The ghost's message unnerves Hamlet. He does not know whether to believe the ghost, or to think it some sort of demon there to trick him into committing murder.

Symbols

Yorick's Skull

The most obvious symbol in the play—and perhaps in Shakespeare's entire body of work—Yorick's skull represents mortality. Should the audience have any question about this symbolism, Hamlet explains it to them (and Horatio) when he says, "No matter one's stance in life, we all must face our own mortality." Hamlet has learned that death is inevitable and, given the "haunting" by his father's ghost, that the physical body is only temporary (Act 5, Scene 1).

The Mousetrap

Hamlet, in asking the players to perform The Murder of Gonzago with a few revisions, suggests that he has an understanding and appreciation for the idea of life imitating art. In this particular case, Hamlet is hoping to put that idea to use to catch the conscience of the king. In The Mousetrap, the edited version of the play, nearly everything is a symbol for the truth Hamlet hopes to uncover, with the most obvious symbols in the casting: "I'll have these players play something like the murder of my father." The King in The Mousetrap symbolizes King Hamlet and The Poisoner obviously symbolizes Claudius.

The Ghost

While the ghost symbolizes decay or evil—"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" (Act 1, Scene 4)—it is an ambiguous character. It is not clear whether the ghost is truly the spirit of Hamlet's father, a demon that wants to mislead the prince, or a figment of Hamlet's imagination. Hamlet tries to find out by asking it, "Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned/... Be thy intents wicked, or charitable?" The ghost appears with the purpose of seeking revenge for his death. He comes dressed in armor, prepared for battle, but because he is a spirit, he needs Hamlet's physical strength to exact revenge. Vengeance is a dangerous emotion, however, and it nearly drives both Hamlet and Laertes mad through obsession: "O, from this time forth my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!"

Themes

Mortality

For a play that is often depicted by the image of Hamlet contemplating Yorick's skull in the graveyard scene, it is not surprising that Shakespeare uses mortality as a central theme. It comes across in a number of ways: the ghost of Hamlet's father; Hamlet's contemplation of suicide and Ophelia's suicide; Hamlet's tendency for black dress (at least in the early scenes); the players' performance of The Murder of Gonzago; the gravediggers, the grave, and the funeral as well as the skull in the graveyard scene; and the numerous deaths in the play's final scene.

But what does Shakespeare say about mortality in his presentation? Primarily, he explores the concept as part of the cycle of life, looking at it from both religious and secular perspectives.

Truth versus Deception

The idea of truth versus deception, which at times is expressed more as reality versus appearance, is prevalent in Hamlet. This theme plays out in major ways; the deceitful way by which Claudius came to power underpins the entire play. And it is also developed in smaller ways; the fact that Polonius is willing to spread rumors about Laertes to investigate his behavior in France tells us something about the nature of Polonius's relationships with his children.

The play presents many characters who thrive on deceit (Polonius, Claudius), and many situations that evolve out of deceit (Polonius's death when he tries to eavesdrop on Gertrude and Hamlet).

Every scene and act contain examples, such as:

The presence of the ghost—as a witness to the truth, or as a figment of Hamlet's imagination
The presence of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—and their true mission—in Elsinore
Claudius's motivation in bringing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Elsinore
Claudius's very existence
The company of players
Hamlet putting on an "antic disposition"

Thought versus Action

A life of thought versus a life of action is a theme woven throughout the play. Although Hamlet seems like a man of thought through much of the play, by the end he finds balance between the two. This suggests that Shakespeare's final idea on the topic is that the best approach to life strikes a balance between thought and action.

From the outset, both Laertes and Fortinbras are foils for Hamlet. Whereas Hamlet initially thinks deeply before any action, Fortinbras seems prone to action before thought. Laertes, like Fortinbras, wants to take immediate steps to avenge his father's death and has none of the doubt that causes Hamlet to delay his revenge against Claudius.

Madness

Madness is a theme explored in Hamlet, particularly as it relates to Hamlet, Ophelia, and maybe even Claudius (if one considers egomania a form of madness). Interestingly, too, madness goes hand-in-hand with truth versus deception because whether Hamlet's madness is real or feigned remains an open question throughout the play.

Revenge

Revenge is a prominent theme in Hamlet and a catalyst to many events in the plot. Several characters seek revenge:

The ghost of Hamlet's father wants Hamlet to avenge his death.
Laertes wants to avenge both Polonius's and Ophelia's deaths.
Fortinbras wants revenge for his father's death and for military losses.

Of the characters prominently involved in vengeful action, Fortinbras is the only one who does not die as a direct result. It might be said that Hamlet's death was less a result of his own action (or attempted action) and unavoidable because Claudius and his need to protect his position was the force behind that string of events. It could be argued that Claudius's actions might have resulted in Hamlet's demise regardless of whatever Hamlet decided to do about the ghost's entreaty.

Both Hamlet and Fortinbras grow in spite of—or perhaps because of—the vengeful actions they undertake or attempt to undertake. The same might not be said about Laertes, however, unless the last-minute wisdom by which he asks for and extends forgiveness counts. And, ultimately, with the carnage of the final scene so poignant, Shakespeare could be making a case for the uselessness of revenge, but that could also be a 21st-century viewpoint overlaid on a 17th-century drama.

Google Sites

Report abuse