Hamlet

Author: William Shakespeare

Time/Setting: Unknown; State of Denmark

Significant Characters: 

• Hamlet - Prince of Denmark; has been away at school in France 

• Claudius  - The King of Denmark; brother of the recent dead King Hamlet 

• Ophelia - Love interest of Hamlet; daughter  of Polonius and sister of Laertes 

• Gertrude - Queen of Denmark; Hamlet's mother who has married her dead husbands brother 

• Laertes - Brother of Ophelia; wants to protect her from Hamlet 

• Polonius -Father of Ophelia and Laertes 

• Horatio - Best friend of Hamlet; has been away at school with him 

• The Ghost - The spirit of Hamlet's dead father; appears only to the Watch and speaks only to Hamlet 

• The Watch - On guard outside the palace; the first ones to see The Ghost 

• Two Clowns - Gravediggers

• Rosencrantz/Guildenstern - Friends of Hamlet

Significant/Important Plot Points:

• The Watch stands guard outsides thee palace where they meet Horatio, a god friend of Hamlet's 
• Horatio tells The Watch about how Old Hamlet and Fortibras bet their lands to the victor of a duel - Old Hamlet won and now Old Fortinbras' nephew (Young Fortinbras) is now raising an army against Denmark 
• The Watch and Horatio see The Ghost but it does not speak to them; Horatio believes that it will speak to Hamlet 
• Claudius and Gertrude celebrate that they are now married; Hamlet is not happy 
• Horatio tells Hamlet of what he and The Watch saw; Hamlet tells him that he will go with them tonight
• Laertes leaves Denmark to return to school; Polonius tells Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet 
• The Ghost appears to Hamlet, Horatio and The Watch; Hamlet goes away with the ghost to hear it speak 
• The Ghost tells Hamlet of how he was murdered by his brother who is now the King and has married his queen; Hamlet vows to revenge his father
• Polonius warns the King of Hamlet's "madness" and they decide to have him confront Ophelia and reveal his true feelings for her 
• Hamlets friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive in Denmark; they have been charged to find out what is wrong with Hamlet; Hamlet doesn't fall for their "only coming to visit"
• Players enter; Hamlet asks them to preform 'The Murder of Gonzago' to see how the King reacts 
• Hamlet and Ophelia meet; Polonius and the King hide themselves and watch Hamlet throw Ophelia around the room and tell her how he used to be in love with her 
• The play is preformed; the King is astonished and leaves the room
• Ros/Guild tell Hamlet that his mother wishes to speak with him 
• Polonius hides himself in Gertrude's room; Hamlet confront Gertrude on what she has done and discovers Polonius; he stabs him and kills him 
• The King learns of this news and decides to send Hamlet to England where he will be killed 
• Ophelia begins to go mad; Laertes returns from school to find her in this state and learns that Hamlet is the one who killed his father 
• The King and Laertes talk alone, when the Queen shows up and tells them that Ophelia is dead - she drowned herself 
• A small and short ceremony is preformed for Ophelia and Laertes discovers that Hamlet is there hiding in the woods 
• Laertes blames Hamlet for the death of his sister
• Horatio and Hamlet the next day meet Osric, who tells them that Laertes has challenged Hamlet to a duel and The  King has bet on Laertes and not his own son
• Hamlet tells Horatio that he will die at this duel; they say their final good-byes 
• Hamlet and Laertes duel - unaware that one of the swords tips is poisoned 
• The King offers a cup of poisoned wine to Hamlet who refuses - but the Queen drinks it instead; The King decides not to save her because he would then reveal that villian he is to all of Denmark 
• Both Hamlet and Laertes are wounded and the Queen now is dead; Laertes tells Hamlet that the King is to blame 
• Hamlet takes what is left of the poisoned cup and pours it down the Kings throat 
• Osric announces that Young Fortinbras' army has charged the palace and is right outside the door 
• Hamlet tells Horatio that if he wants his memory to live on, he should tell everyone the story of what has happened; Hamlet dies
• An ambassador enters with news that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead 
• Fortinbras enters with his army and orders Hamlet be given a proper burial and be carried out like a soldier 

Tone:

• The tone of Hamlet is very sad and depressing. The whole plays outlook on life and other people is very grim and negative, unlike The American Dream or one of Shakespeares more comedic plays. The tone never really shifts in the whole play.

Symbolism:

• Biblical Allusion - In the beginning of the play, there is a biblical allusion to Peters betrayal of Jesus. He denies his knowing Jesus three times and then the cock crows to signal that he has done this. Horatio and the Watch do the same, only they ask the Ghost three times to speak to them and then the cock crows. This is only one of the first biblical allusions in Hamlet

• Hamlet as a Christ Figure - There are many ideas that can lead readers to relate Hamlet to a Christ figure:
• His existence in Denamrk is to cleanse it of its evil ways; as Jesus did with the Earth
• Hamlet thinks himself to be a man of high and mighty power 
• Hamlet is ordered by Young Fortinbras to be carried out like a soldier; in some film version of Hamlet he looks like Christ up on the cross 

  
Significant Quotes:

• "O God! a beast that wants discourse of reason, would have mourn’d longer,—married with mine uncle, my father’s brother; but no more like my father than I to Hercules: within a month; ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her galled eyes, she married:— O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not, nor it cannot come to good; but break my heart,—for I must hold my tongue." - Hamlet 

• This is one of the times that we see Hamlets internal struggle with himself and the world that he lives in. Hamlet must be on constant alert and watch what and who he says things to. Hamlet must even do this around his own family, including his mother and new father.

• "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark" - Marcellus 

• One of the simplest yet powerful lines in Shakespeare's entire drama. While Marcellus states right out that something is wrong in Denmark,  he leads into the next section of the play where Hamlet talks with the ghost. 

• "To be or not to be....(entire soliloquy)" - Hamlet 

   
 Theme:

• You are free to feel, say and do what you think is best and right for you and others, but you have to know that things that even go slightly wrong can have the longest lasting impacts