
The Tragedy of Hamlet
'The Tragedy of Hamlet' Summary
The protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet, and nephew of King Claudius, his father's brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King Hamlet's widow, Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and took the throne for himself. Denmark has a long-standing feud with neighbouring Norway, in which King Hamlet slew King Fortinbras of Norway in a battle some years ago. Although Denmark defeated Norway and the Norwegian throne fell to King Fortinbras's infirm brother, Denmark fears that an invasion led by the dead Norwegian king's son, Prince Fortinbras, is imminent.
On a cold night on the ramparts of Elsinore, the Danish royal castle, the sentries Bernardo and Marcellus discuss a ghost resembling the late King Hamlet which they have recently seen, and bring Prince Hamlet's friend Horatio as a witness. After the ghost appears again, the three vow to tell Prince Hamlet what they have witnessed.
As the court gathers the next day, while King Claudius and Queen Gertrude discuss affairs of state with their elderly adviser Polonius, Hamlet looks on glumly. During the court, Claudius grants permission for Polonius's son Laertes to return to school in France and sends envoys to inform the King of Norway about Fortinbras. Claudius also scolds Hamlet for continuing to grieve over his father and forbids him to return to his schooling in Wittenberg. After the court exits, Hamlet despairs of his father's death and his mother's hasty remarriage. Learning of the ghost from Horatio, Hamlet resolves to see it himself.
As Polonius's son Laertes prepares to depart for a visit to France, Polonius offers him advice that culminates in the maxim "to thine own self be true." Polonius's daughter, Ophelia, admits her interest in Hamlet, but Laertes warns her against seeking the prince's attention, and Polonius orders her to reject his advances. That night on the rampart, the ghost appears to Hamlet, telling the prince that he was murdered by Claudius and demanding that Hamlet avenge him. Hamlet agrees, and the ghost vanishes. The prince confides to Horatio and the sentries that from now on he plans to "put an antic disposition on", or act as though he has gone mad, and forces them to swear to keep his plans for revenge secret; however, he remains uncertain of the ghost's reliability.
Book Details
Authors

William Shakespeare
United Kingdom
William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon. The son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden, he was probably educated at the King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford, where he...
Books by William ShakespeareDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Marrying of Ann Leete by Harley Granville-Barker
The Marrying of Ann Leete is a comedy with a serious vein running through it. It is about the Leete family, British rural gentry in 1799. Mr. Carnaby...

Medea (Way Translation) by Euripides
Medea, a powerful sorceress, is abandoned by her husband Jason, the famous Argonaut, for a Greek princess. Driven by a potent mix of rage and grief,...

Cliff-Dwellers by Henry Blake Fuller
Cliff-Dwellers is a novel by Henry Blake Fuller that explores the social and economic changes taking place in Chicago in the late 19th century. The no...

Mary Tudor by Victor Hugo
Mary Tudor by Victor Hugo is a historical novel that tells the story of Queen Mary I of England. Mary is a powerful and ruthless ruler, and she is det...

Flor de Santidad. Historia milenaria by Ramón del Valle-Inclán
Flor de Santidad es una novela corta que narra la historia de Adega, una pastora inocente que cree haber sido seducida por un peregrino a quien identi...

Johann by Otto Roquette
Johann, a young man mistreated by his brother and uncle, is banished to a remote forest as a forester. Initially finding solace in his solitude, his p...

fille aux yeux d'or by Honoré de Balzac
La Fille aux yeux d’or est un roman d'Honoré de Balzac qui explore les thèmes de l'amour, de l'obsession et de la passion dans la société française du...

Marriage of William Ashe by Mary Augusta Ward
**Marriage of William Ashe** delves into the complex dynamics of a marriage between a promising politician, William Ashe, and Kitty, a free-spirited a...

Dubrowskij by Alexander Pushkin
Wladimir Dubrowskij ist der Sohn eines Kleinadligen, dessen väterlicher Besitz durch seinen frühreren Freund und Nachbarn Kirila Petrowitsch Trojekuro...
Reviews for The Tragedy of Hamlet
No reviews posted or approved, yet...