Hamlet Summary

Context (sparknotes)
The most influential writer in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a
successful middle-class glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare attended
grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. In 1582 he married an older
woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with her. Around 1590 he left his family behind
and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical success quickly
followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and part-
owner of the Globe Theater. His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 15581603) and
James I (ruled 16031625), and he was a favorite of both monarchs. Indeed, James granted
Shakespeares company the greatest possible compliment by bestowing upon its members the
title of Kings Men. Wealthy and renowned, Shakespeare retired to Stratford and died in 1616 at
the age of fifty-two. At the time of Shakespeares death, literary luminaries such as Ben Jonson
hailed his works as timeless.
Shakespeares works were collected and printed in various editions in the century following his
death, and by the early eighteenth century his reputation as the greatest poet ever to write in
English was well established. The unprecedented admiration garnered by his works led to a
fierce curiosity about Shakespeares life, but the dearth of biographical information has left
many details of Shakespeares personal history shrouded in mystery. Some people have
concluded from this fact that Shakespeares plays were really written by someone elseFrancis
Bacon and the Earl of Oxford are the two most popular candidatesbut the support for this
claim is overwhelmingly circumstantial, and the theory is not taken seriously by many scholars.
In the absence of credible evidence to the contrary, Shakespeare must be viewed as the author
of the thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets that bear his name. The legacy of this body of work is
immense. A number of Shakespeares plays seem to have transcended even the category of
brilliance, becoming so influential as to profoundly affect the course of Western literature and
culture ever after.
Written during the first part of the seventeenth century (probably in 1600 or 1601), Hamlet was
probably first performed in July 1602. It was first published in printed form in 1603 and appeared
in an enlarged edition in 1604. As was common practice during the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries, Shakespeare borrowed for his plays ideas and stories from earlier literary works. He
could have taken the story of Hamlet from several possible sources, including a twelfth-century
Latin history of Denmark compiled by Saxo Grammaticus and a prose work by the French writer
Franois de Belleforest, entitled Histoires Tragiques.
The raw material that Shakespeare appropriated in writing Hamlet is the story of a Danish
prince whose uncle murders the princes father, marries his mother, and claims the throne. The
prince pretends to be feeble-minded to throw his uncle off guard, then manages to kill his uncle
in revenge. Shakespeare changed the emphasis of this story entirely, making his Hamlet a
philosophically minded prince who delays taking action because his knowledge of his uncles
crime is so uncertain. Shakespeare went far beyond making uncertainty a personal quirk of
Hamlets, introducing a number of important ambiguities into the play that even the audience
cannot resolve with certainty. For instance, whether Hamlets mother, Gertrude, shares in
Claudiuss guilt; whether Hamlet continues to love Ophelia even as he spurns her, in Act III;
whether Ophelias death is suicide or accident; whether the ghost offers reliable knowledge, or
seeks to deceive and tempt Hamlet; and, perhaps most importantly, whether Hamlet would be
morally justified in taking revenge on his uncle. Shakespeare makes it clear that the stakes
riding on some of these questions are enormousthe actions of these characters bring disaster
upon an entire kingdom. At the plays end it is not even clear whether justice has been
achieved.
By modifying his source materials in this way, Shakespeare was able to take an unremarkable
revenge story and make it resonate with the most fundamental themes and problems of the
Renaissance. The Renaissance is a vast cultural phenomenon that began in fifteenth-century
Italy with the recovery of classical Greek and Latin texts that had been lost to the Middle Ages.
The scholars who enthusiastically rediscovered these classical texts were motivated by an
educational and political ideal called (in Latin) humanitasthe idea that all of the capabilities
and virtues peculiar to human beings should be studied and developed to their furthest extent.
Renaissance humanism, as this movement is now called, generated a new interest in human
experience, and also an enormous optimism about the potential scope of human understanding.
Hamlets famous speech in Act II, What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how
infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in
apprehension how like a godthe beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! (II.ii.293297)
is directly based upon one of the major texts of the Italian humanists, Pico della
MirandolasOration on the Dignity of Man. For the humanists, the purpose of cultivating reason
was to lead to a better understanding of how to act, and their fondest hope was that the
coordination of action and understanding would lead to great benefits for society as a whole.
As the Renaissance spread to other countries in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
however, a more skeptical strain of humanism developed, stressing the limitations of human
understanding. For example, the sixteenth-century French humanist, Michel de Montaigne, was
no less interested in studying human experiences than the earlier humanists were, but he
maintained that the world of experience was a world of appearances, and that human beings
could never hope to see past those appearances into the realities that lie behind them. This is
the world in which Shakespeare places his characters. Hamlet is faced with the difficult task of
correcting an injustice that he can never have sufficient knowledge ofa dilemma that is by no
means unique, or even uncommon. And while Hamlet is fond of pointing out questions that
cannot be answered because they concern supernatural and metaphysical matters, the play as
a whole chiefly demonstrates the difficulty of knowing the truth about other peopletheir guilt or
innocence, their motivations, their feelings, their relative states of sanity or insanity. The world of
other people is a world of appearances, and Hamlet is, fundamentally, a play about the difficulty
of living in that world

Summary of the play
On a dark winter night, a ghost walks the ramparts of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Discovered
first by a pair of watchmen, then by the scholar Horatio, the ghost resembles the recently
deceased King Hamlet, whose brother Claudius has inherited the throne and married the kings
widow, Queen Gertrude. When Horatio and the watchmen bring Prince Hamlet, the son of
Gertrude and the dead king, to see the ghost, it speaks to him, declaring ominously that it is
indeed his fathers spirit, and that he was murdered by none other than Claudius. Ordering
Hamlet to seek revenge on the man who usurped his throne and married his wife, the ghost
disappears with the dawn.
Prince Hamlet devotes himself to avenging his fathers death, but, because he is contemplative
and thoughtful by nature, he delays, entering into a deep melancholy and even apparent
madness. Claudius and Gertrude worry about the princes erratic behavior and attempt to
discover its cause. They employ a pair of Hamlets friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to
watch him. When Polonius, the pompous Lord Chamberlain, suggests that Hamlet may be mad
with love for his daughter, Ophelia, Claudius agrees to spy on Hamlet in conversation with the
girl. But though Hamlet certainly seems mad, he does not seem to love Ophelia: he orders her
to enter a nunnery and declares that he wishes to ban marriages.
A group of traveling actors comes to Elsinore, and Hamlet seizes upon an idea to test his
uncles guilt. He will have the players perform a scene closely resembling the sequence by
which Hamlet imagines his uncle to have murdered his father, so that if Claudius is guilty, he will
surely react. When the moment of the murder arrives in the theater, Claudius leaps up and
leaves the room. Hamlet and Horatio agree that this proves his guilt. Hamlet goes to kill
Claudius but finds him praying. Since he believes that killing Claudius while in prayer would
send Claudiuss soul to heaven, Hamlet considers that it would be an inadequate revenge and
decides to wait. Claudius, now frightened of Hamlets madness and fearing for his own safety,
orders that Hamlet be sent to England at once.
Hamlet goes to confront his mother, in whose bedchamber Polonius has hidden behind a
tapestry. Hearing a noise from behind the tapestry, Hamlet believes the king is hiding there. He
draws his sword and stabs through the fabric, killing Polonius. For this crime, he is immediately
dispatched to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. However, Claudiuss plan for Hamlet
includes more than banishment, as he has given Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sealed orders
for the King of England demanding that Hamlet be put to death.
In the aftermath of her fathers death, Ophelia goes mad with grief and drowns in the river.
Poloniuss son, Laertes, who has been staying in France, returns to Denmark in a rage.
Claudius convinces him that Hamlet is to blame for his fathers and sisters deaths. When
Horatio and the king receive letters from Hamlet indicating that the prince has returned to
Denmark after pirates attacked his ship en route to England, Claudius concocts a plan to use
Laertes desire for revenge to secure Hamlets death. Laertes will fence with Hamlet in innocent
sport, but Claudius will poison Laertes blade so that if he draws blood, Hamlet will die. As a
backup plan, the king decides to poison a goblet, which he will give Hamlet to drink should
Hamlet score the first or second hits of the match. Hamlet returns to the vicinity of Elsinore just
as Ophelias funeral is taking place. Stricken with grief, he attacks Laertes and declares that he
had in fact always loved Ophelia. Back at the castle, he tells Horatio that he believes one must
be prepared to die, since death can come at any moment. A foolish courtier named Osric arrives
on Claudiuss orders to arrange the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes.
The sword-fighting begins. Hamlet scores the first hit, but declines to drink from the kings
proffered goblet. Instead, Gertrude takes a drink from it and is swiftly killed by the poison.
Laertes succeeds in wounding Hamlet, though Hamlet does not die of the poison immediately.
First, Laertes is cut by his own swords blade, and, after revealing to Hamlet that Claudius is
responsible for the queens death, he dies from the blades poison. Hamlet then stabs Claudius
through with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned wine.
Claudius dies, and Hamlet dies immediately after achieving his revenge.
At this moment, a Norwegian prince named Fortinbras, who has led an army to Denmark and
attacked Poland earlier in the play, enters with ambassadors from England, who report that
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Fortinbras is stunned by the gruesome sight of the
entire royal family lying sprawled on the floor dead. He moves to take power of the kingdom.
Horatio, fulfilling Hamlets last request, tells him Hamlets tragic story. Fortinbras orders that
Hamlet be carried away in a manner befitting a fallen soldier.

Act I
Scene 1
- Francisco, Bernardo, Marcellus and Horatio are on the gun platform at Elsinore. Its midnight
and cold
- Ghost of Hamlets father appears
- Horatio claims that young Fortinbras intends to regain the lands his father lost when killed by
King Hamlet
- They agree to tell Hamlet about the ghost
Scene 2
- Claudius gives speech in the Great Hall of Elsinore castle. He talks about the death of his
brother, his marriage to gertrude, and the threat of Fortinbras to Denmark (sends messengers to
prevent war)
- Hamlet is depressed
- Hamlet is named heir to the throne but is not allowed to return to Wittenberg University (where
as Laertes is allowed to leave back for France)
- Hamlet contemplates suicide but his religion is opposed to it
- Hamlet is angry at Gertrude that she married so quickly and that there hasnt been enough
time to mourn the death of his father
- Horatio tells Hamlet about the ghost. Hamlet agrees he will join watch that night.
Scene 3
- Laertes warns Ophelia against Hamlets love (youthful infatuation, he cannot choose his own
wife, she is prone to danger)
- Polonius forbid Ophelia from seeing Hamlet anymore
Scene 4
- Hamlet Horatio and Marcellus are on the gun platform. The ghost appears.
- Horatio and Marcellus urge Hamlet not to follow the ghost. He follows ghost anyways and
threaten them with death if they try to restrain him.
Scene 5
- The ghost commands Hamlet to revenge
- Hamlet eager to take immediate revenge
- Ghost reveals he was killed by Claudius, and expresses disgust that Gertrude now sleeps with
his brother. Claudius murder King Hamlet by pouring poison in his ear and died with no chance
to confess his sins
- The ghost urges Hamlet to revenge, but without harming gertrude. (ghost leaves)
- He avoid telling Marcellus and Horatio what he knows
- Hamlet then tells them put asks them to keep it a secret (swear an oath of silence on his
sword)
- They must also promise not to put on a show of knowing the true nature of any future stange
behaviour by Hamlet

Act II
Scene 1
- Polonius orders Reynaldo to spy on Laertes and use indirect methods to find the truth about
Laertes behavior in Paris.
- Ophelia goes to Polonius telling him about Hamlets strange behavior. Polonius suspects that
Hamlet has been driven mad by Ophelias rejection of his love and tells Claudius of his
suspicions.
Scene 2
- Claudius calls for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and informs them of Hamlets weird behavior.
- Voltemand reports that Fortinbras will no longer invade Denmark, but rather Poland.
- Polonius reveals to Claudius that Ophelias rejection of Hamlets love has caused his madness
and devises a plan to spy on a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia.
- Hamlet questions why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have come to Elsinore; by their own will,
or were they sent for? Guildenstern admits to being sent for and Hamlet reflects upon his
melancholy.
- Hamlet welcomes the players and after seeing a speech given by the principal actor asks him
to perform a play the next night, including a specially written speech.
- Hamlet wonders at the players ability to weep over a fictional character. This causes him to
berate himself for doing nothing even considering his real reasons for revenge.
- Hamlet stages a play showing a murder similar to King Hamlets. He will watch Claudius and if
he shows guilt it will prove his actions.
Act III
Scene 1
- Hamlet rejects Ophelia.
- Claudius wants to send Hamlet to England
- Hamlet gets mad at all females
Scene 2
- Claudius suspects Hamlet knows the truth
- Mousetrap play is acted out. Hamlet gets proof that Claudius is guilty.
- Hamlet gets angry at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and understands that they are being used
by Claudius
Scene 3
- Claudius prays for divine mercy but he does not give up his crown or wife (hamlet doesnt kill
him because he thinks he has been pardoned and therefore if he dies now he will go to
heaven. Hamlet will wait until he has committed a sin to send him to hell.)
Scene 4
- Hamlet gets angry at his mother, and kills Polonius
- Hamlet tells Gertrude not to tell Claudius of his feigned madness
- Hamlet plans to kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (who are involved in a plot against him)

Act IV
Scene 1
- Gertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet has killed Polonius
- Claudius is fearful of his life (fears he might have been victim and that he will be blamed for
Poloniuss death)
Scene 2
- Claudius decides to send hamlet away from Denmark
- Hamlet does not reveal where he has hidden Poloniuss body
- Claudius cannot punish Hamlet as he is popular in Denmark
Scene 3
- Hamlet taunts claudius with images of the corruption of dead bodies, then reveals where
Polonius's body is hidden
- Claudius realise he must use desperate measures
- Claudius sends Hamlet away to England for execution
Scene 4
- Fortinbras asks Claudius permission to pass through Danish territory in order to fight for a tiny,
unprofitable part of Poland. Hamlet reflects on a sick society. Hamlet sees how men will give
their lives for their country even if its just to conquer a scrap of land yet he cannot bring himself
to avenge his father how was murdered horribly.
- Hamlet criticises his delay in revenging his fathers death. Is it forgetfulness or too much
thought that stops him? Promoted by his encounter with Fortinbrass army, he resolves to speed
to his revenge. (straight from the book)
Scene 5
- Gertrude refuses to see Ophelia but is told that Ophelia is mad and needs pity. Gertrude
agrees to admit Ophelia, but expresses guilt and misgivings about the future.
Ophelias first song recalls the death of her father. She replies enigmatically to Claudius,
declares that the future is uncertain, then sings a song about the loss of virginity
- Ophelia sings of betrayed love. She talks distractedly. Claudius reflects that sorrows never
come alone: Polonius killed, the citizens restless, Ophelia mad and Laertes a prey to rumour
among the people.
- Laertes burst in demanding what happened to his father followed by an angry mob demanding
he be King
-Claudius claims innocent to Poloniuss death
- Laertes is appalled by Ophelia's madness. It moves moves him even more strongly to
revenge. Ophelia sings again of death. She distributes herbs and flowers
- Ophelia again sings about her fathers death. Claudius sympathises with Laertess grief, and
makes an offer: if Claudius proves to blame, Laertes can be king. If not, Claudius will help
Laertes find justice and revenge.
Scene 6
- Hamlets letter reveals that he has been captured in a sea battle. By doing a deal with the
pirates, he has returned to Denmark. He has sent letter to the king, and urgently wishes to meet
Horatio.
Scene 7
- Claudius claims that Hamlet not only killed Polonius, but was intent on killing him, too. He
explains that he did not punish Hamlet for love of Gertrude, and Hamlets popularity with the
people. Claudius assures Letters that he will not let Hamlets actions go unpunished. A
Messenger brings letter from Hamlet, telling of his return to Denmark. Laertes welcomes the
chance to be revenged on Hamlet
- Claudius begins to hatch a new plot to kill Hamlet. He says that Hamlet envies Laertes, but
delays naming the reason for that envy.
- Claudius praises Laertes's swordsmanship. Laertes asks what the point of Claudiuss work is.
Claudius talks of how love fades with time. His words prompt Laertes to seek bloody revenge.
- Claudius plans a duel in which one of the swords will not be blunted. Laertes offers to poison
the sharpened foil. TO make Hamlets death certain, Claudius proposes to poison Hamlets
drink.
- Gertrude tells how Ophelia drowned: she fell from a willow as she tried to hand flowers on it,
and was pulled under by her clothes. Laertes unsuccessfully fights back tears. Claudius lies
about calming Laertes
Act V
Scene 1
- Hamlet comes face to face with the skull of the jester Yorick and is overwhelmed with the fact
that Yorick, once so full of tricks and laughter is now merely a skull. He continues to reason that
death turns kings into trivial objects.
- At Ophelias funeral Laertes jumps into her grave in grief and Hamlet follows, they have a
scuffle which is quickly stopped. Hamlet pronounces that his love for Ophelia was greater than
that of Laertes.
Scene 2
- Hamlet tells Horatio how he found on the ship the letter from Claudius ordering his execution
on arrival to England. Then tells of how he reversed the plan and ordered Rosencrantz and
Guildensterns executions but that he feels no remorse.
- Hamlet justifies his mission to kill Claudius and regrets his actions towards Laertes whom he
sees as a fellow revenger.
- Hamlet agrees to a duel with Laertes even against the advice of Horatio as he feels the time is
right. He asks Laertes to pardon him.
- Hamlet strikes Laertes twice and is offered the poison cup (in celebration) but he declines it
- Gertrude drinks from the cup.
- Laertes wounds Hamlet, they change rapiers and Hamlet wounds Laertes
- Gertrude dies
- Gertrude has left the game
- Laertes reveals the treacherous plot
- Hamlet wounds Claudius and forces him to drink from the poisoned cup
- Claudius dies
- Claudius has left the game
- Laertes forgives Hamlet
- Laertes dies
- Laertes has left the game
- Hamlet prevents Horatio from suicide, and asks him to report his (Hamlets story)
- Hamlet declares Fortinbras as his choice for King of Denmark
- Hamlet dies
- Hamlet has left the game
- Fortinbras wonders at the sight of so many dead bodies
- English ambassador reports that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.
- Rosencrantz has left the game
- Guildenstern has left the game
- Horatio ask asks for the bodies to be placed on view and says he will tell how carnage came
about. Fortinbras claims the throne of Denmark. He command that Hamlet be carried with due
ceremony to the platform.
- Da ENDz

Themes
Melancholy and Madness
Appearance vs. Reality
- How it is represented in the text
The theme is echoed throughout the entire play but specifically by Hamlet, Claudius and
Polonius. Everyone from Hamlet through to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern resonate with this
theme (except for Horatio) even Ophelia is suspected of some feigned madness. Each
character is only concerned about their own interests and will manipulate and deceive others in
order to achieve their own goals.
This is why Horatio has an important role in the text, Horatios role in the play is to reflect
only reality and not appearance and is evident at the end of the play shown in the line all this I
can truly deliver , the use of the personal pronoun I and the word truly makes the line sound
sincere and genuine showing his truthful nature. Shakespeare shows how the main character
manipulate, deceive and even kill each other in order to achieve their own goals. It questions
how far a person will go in order to reach their goals or obtain their desires.
The text reflects the morals and context of Shakespeares time and its textual integrity
ahs ensure that the play will resonate with many readers throughout time giving Shakespeare
literary immortality.
Horatio is used by Shakespeare as a direct allusion to Horace (the Roman poet) to give Hamlet
literary immortality or as Jacob Sider Jost saud a medium of posthumous literary survival.
- Quotes
Hamlet (Act 2 Scene 2) [Soliloquy]May be the DevilAs he is potent with such spirits ,
abuses me to damn me. In the passage, Hamlet questions the appearance of the ghost and
claims that it could just be the devil telling him lies in order to commit a sin and therefore damn
him. Showing how in the state of Denmark everything is questions as everyone has hidden
intentions and each action should not be over look or be taken on face value as there may be a
more sinister and hidden plot at hand.
Hamlet (Act 2 Scene 2) [Soliloquy] Ill have these players/ Play something like the
murder of my father/ Before mine uncle. Shows how Hamlet will deceive Claudius in order to
get a reaction from him to prove his guilt highlighting the theme of appearance vs. reality.
Hamlet (Act 2 Scene 2) [Soliloquy] Must like a whore unpack my heart with words The
simile in the line shows how Hamlet is ashamed at revealing his true feelings and that he cannot
cope with the reality for the situation, hinting to the audience that the antic disposition (feigned
madness) is not only to make him appear harmless to his enemies but in a way needed by him
in order not to go completely insane (as he can say anything he wants and get away with it).
Hamlet (Act 2 Scene 2) [Soliloquy]The play is the thing/Wherein Ill catch the
conscience of the King Hamlet uses a rhyme at the end of his soliloquy to announce to the
audience that ironically he will use false appearance in order to prove that Claudiuss
appearance and intentions are false and expose the truth.
He speaks in prose throughout this passage to to his rage and extreme emotions,
reflecting the seriousness of his speech. (the soliloquy in act 2 scene 2)
(Lacks quote) At the beginning of the scene Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Polonius
appear at the beginning each with the hidden intention of furthering their position with the King
by spying on and betraying Hamlet

Claudiuss (Act 1 Scene 2) [Monologue] Another fine example of how the theme of
Appearance vs. Reality is persistent and enduring throughout the play. In this passage,
Claudius appears to be genuinely concerned about Denmark, Gertrude and Hamlet and
sorrowful due to the death of his brother, saying Through yet of Hamlet our dear brother's
death the memory be green.. and our whole kingdom to be contracted in one brow of woe.
However the audience later finds out that the reality of his character is immoral and power-
hungry as shown in Act 3 Scene 3 I am still possessed of those effects for which I did the
murder, My Crown mine own ambition and my queen. This is definite proof to the audience that
Claudius is guilty and immoral whereas before in Act 1 Scene 2 he seemed to be virtuous
showing how is appearance is not the same as his reality
He uses emotive language such as the quote to our most valiant brother and think of
us as father. Claudius speaks in prose poetry throughout this passage because gus sentence
structure is like that of prose however he uses colourful language like that in poetry in order to
glatter the Danish court, however in reality he is only pretending on account of having learnt that
his father had been murdered by Claudius. It can bee seen that this passage, through the use of
prose poetry and language techniques that Appearance vs. Reality is a vibrant theme
underlying how the main characters especially Hamlet and Claudius act to give the
impersonation of one thing but have different intentions.

Human Condition
- How it is represented in the text
This theme concerns what it means to die and the very purpose of ones existence. Hamlet is
especially captivated by death when it stands before him, in the form of Yoricks skull.
Furthermore, he continually addresses it in his soliloquies where he contemplates suicide.
- Quotes
Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 2) [Soliloquy] "O that this too too solid flesh would melt, | Thaw and
resolve itself into a dew"
This line, along with the entire soliloquy introduce Hamlet as depressed and melancholic. It also
sheds light on the severe pain his fathers death has caused him.
Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 2) [Soliloquy] Tis an unweeded garden
Metaphor where Hamlet compares his life to an unweeded garden as he believes his life is full
of nothing but misfortune and calamity. This shows Hamlets depressed nature and the grief the
death of his father has caused him.
Hamlet (Act 4 Scene 2) [Soliloquy] "There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow."
Supports the notion that Hamlet is fascinated with death - he sees what would seem to be a
meaningless death of a sparrow as something of great importance.

Revenge
- How it is represented in the text
Revenge is show mainly by the characters Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras
Hamlet seeks revenge on Claudius for killing his father. To a degree he wants revenge upon
Gertrude for remarrying and forgetting his father so quickly. Laertes seeks revenge on Hamlet
for the murder of his own father Polonius and after seeing the state that his sister was in
(Ophelia). Fortinbras seeks revenge upon Denmark and its current rules for taking Norways
land and killing his father (Old king Hamlet killed old Fortinbras). Each character seeks revenge
due to the death of their father.
- Quotes
Hamlet (Act 2 Scene 2) [Soliloquy] Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell
Hamlet is driven to avenge his father by his belief that everything is predetermined and thus it is
inevitable that he will murder Claudius in revenge.
-Hamlet (Act 2 Scene 2) [Soliloquy] I have heard/ That guilty creatures sitting at a play/
Have been struck so to the soul, that presently/ They have proclaimed their malefactions;
Hamlet plans through deception and trickery to uncover Claudius sin of murdering King Hamlet
and in doing so, sins himself. In uncoverin
Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 5) [Soliloquy] I have swornt shows Hamlets dedication and
decision towards the ghosts commandment. His fathers ghost has enforced this idea into him
and now Hamlet must bear it. Hamlet has promised to enact his father's revenge.
Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 5) [Soliloquy] "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder".
Hamlet promises to prove his love and do his duty. He tells the Ghost to tell the story of the
murder, and the revenge will follow

Sin and Salvation
- Claudius sins by killing old king Hamlet
- Hamlet sins by killing Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
- Gertrude sins by marrying Claudius so soon and not mourning king Hamlet's death
- Hamlet finds salvation by avenging his father and leaving the throne to 4Sn[Cu + Zn]
The theme of sin and salvation is an essential component explored in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
He ponders both the spiritual aftermath of death, embodied in the ghost, and the physical
remains of the dead, such as Yoricks skull and the decaying corpses in the cemetery. Hamlets
beliefs in regards to sin and salvation reflect the beliefs of the Elizabethan era, which
Shakespeare lived in (Heaven, Hell and Purgatory).
Quotes
g the sin of Claudius he believes he will find salvation in his revenge.
Hamlet (Act Scene ) [Soliloquy] O that this too too solid flesh would melt. In Hamlets
first speech he ponders the consequences of creating his own demise. He concludes by
realizing that suicide is not allowed by God an idea that is explored by Ophelias death.
Hamlet ( Act 3 Scene 3) [Soliloquy] To take him in the purging of his soul, When he is fit
and seasond for his passage? No. Hamlets approach to the vengeance of his fathers death
with trepidation (A feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen). He believes he
cannot kill Claudius in a moment of prayer, he wishes to kill him in a moment of sin. In a
moment of irony it is revealed that Claudius prayers are not true.
Hamlet (Act 2 Scene 2) [Soliloquy]May be the DevilAs he is potent with such spirits ,
abuses me to damn me. Hamlet The Ghost of Hamlets father is an important aspect of the
investigation of this motif Hamlet is unsure whether or not to trust the apparition, this is a
reflection on a common belief held in the Elizabethan time.

Throughout the play Hamlet concerns himself with the idea of death and over the course of the
play he considers death from many perspectives Hamlet ponders both the spiritual aftermath of
death, embodied in the ghost, Ophelias death and the physical reminders of the dead - the
decaying corpses in the cemetery. Death is both the cause and consequence of revenge, and
as a cause of this Hamlet reflects upon sin and salvation.

Procrastination
- How it is represented in the text
- Hamlet takes a whole play to kill Claudius
- Hamlet takes a whole play to do anything
- can argue that is is delay and not procrastination
- To be or not to be...
- dominant theme is seen in Hamlet Soliloquy 4 (Act 3 Scene 1) {refer to next section}

Corruption
- Corruption is strongly represented through the characters of Claudius and Polonius. It is also
represented in the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to a lesser extent. Furthermore it is
represented in Denmark as a whole. The lone exception to corruption is Horatio.

This is why Horatio has an important role in the text, Horatios role in the play is to reflect only
truth and justice and is evident at the end of the play shown in the line all this I can truly
deliver, the use of the personal pronoun I and word truly makes the line sound sincere and
genuine, showing his truthful nature. Horatio is used by Shakespeare as a direct allusion to
Horace ( the Roman poet) to give Hamlet (and also Shakespeare) literary immortality or as
Jacob Sider Jost said a medium of posthumous literary survival.
- Quotes
Marcellus (Act 1 Scene 4) Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
Foreshadows the the corruption and sin contained within the rest of the play
Claudius (Act 3 Scene 3) [Soliloquy] My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent

Claudius (Act 3 Scene 3) [Soliloquy] What if this cursed hand were thicker than itself
with brothers blood, is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow?
(shows his guilt)

Claudius (Act 3 Scene 3) [Soliloquy] Forgive me for my foul murder?

Claudius (Act 3 Scene 3) [Soliloquy] I am still possessed of those effects for which I did
the murder my crown, mine own ambition, and my queen

Claudius (Act 3 Scene 3) [Soliloquy] corrupted currents of this world

Critic Comments
G. Wilson Knight, for instance, writes at length about death in the play: "Death is over
the whole play. Polonius and Ophelia die during the action, and Ophelia is buried before our
eyes. Hamlet arranges the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The plot is set in motion by
the murder of Hamlet's father, and the play opens with the apparition of the Ghost." And so on
and so forth.
Jacob Sider Jost said Horatio is a medium of posthumous literary survival
F Richmond fraught with painful sensitivity, tortured by the crudities of the action
demanded of him,
Kenneth Muir describe hamlet as being corrupted by the evil with which he is asked to
deal
Hamlet could not escape the actions of his morality according to AC Bradley.

Analysis of Soliloquies
Hamlet Soliloquy 1
Act 1 Scene 2: O that this too too solid flesh would melt (Spoken by Hamlet)


His soliloquy about suicide (O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, / Thaw and resolve itself
into a dew! [I.ii.129130]) ushers in what will be a central idea in the play. The world is painful
to live in, but, within the Christian framework of the play, if one commits suicide to end that pain,
one damns oneself to eternal suffering in hell. The question of the moral validity of suicide in an
unbearably painful world will haunt the rest of the play; it reaches the height of its urgency in the
most famous line in all of English literature: To be, or not to be: that is the question (III.i.58). In
this scene Hamlet mainly focuses on the appalling conditions of life, railing against Claudiuss
court as an unweeded garden, / That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature / Possess
it merely (I.ii.135137). Throughout the play, we watch the gradual crumbling of the beliefs on
which Hamlets worldview has been based. Already, in this first soliloquy, religion has failed him,
and his warped family situation can offer him no solace.

In this soliloquy Hamlet is contemplating suicide. He cannot bear to live in this cruel world
anymore and wishes to end it by killing himself. However he knows that he cannot do it as iit a
sin against god and if he tries to escape this world by suicide he will damn himself (suffering in
hell) for eternity (not a worthy trade-off). He is sad due to his fathers death and annoyed at his
mothers quick marriage to his uncle. He remembers how deeply in love his parents seemed,
and he curses the thought that now, not yet two month after his fathers death, his mother has
married his fathers far inferior brother.

Quotes
gainst self-slaughter - links to sin and salvation + suicide
frailty thy name is women - he thinks they always deceive him and are weak (always liars and
cheat on you)
She married. Oh most wicked speed, to post/With such dexterity to incestuous sheets (similar,
use men for their own need) + quote
In this scene Hamlet mainly focuses on the appalling conditions of life, railing against Claudiuss
court as an unweeded garden, / That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature / Possess
it merely

Throughout the play, we watch the gradual crumbling of the beliefs on which Hamlets worldview
has been based. Already, in this first soliloquy, religion has failed him, and his warped family
situation can offer him no solace.

Hamlet Soliloquy 2
Act 1 Scene 5: O all you host of heaven! O earth! what else? (Spoken by Hamlet)
Hamlet determines to remember only the Ghosts commandment to revenge. He says will forget
everything and not concern himself with it anymore and will only remember the commandment
of the Ghost; to kill Claudius (Ghost: Thus was I, sleeping, by a brothers hand, Of life, of
crown, of queen, at once dispatched:). Hamlet is very angry at his uncle.

Quote
And thy commandment all alone shall live/Within the book and volume of my brain Shows how
Hamlet is only concerned about revenge now. He will not concern himself with anything else
infact he will forget about it in order to focus on the task of avenging his father and killing his
uncle. Shows how is anger and rage are making him act abruptly and irrationally.

I have swornt shows Hamlets dedication and decision towards the ghosts commandment. His
fathers ghost has enforced this idea into him and now Hamlet must bear it.

Hamlet Soliloquy 3
Act 2 Scene 2: O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I (Spoken by Hamlet)

He immediately begins cursing himself, bitterly commenting that the player who gave the
speech was able to summon a depth of feeling and expression for long-dead figures who mean
nothing to him, while Hamlet is unable to take action even with his far more powerful motives
(murder of his father). He resolves to devise a trap for Claudius, forcing the king to watch a play
whose plot closely resembles the murder of Hamlets father; if the king is guilty, he thinks, he
will surely show some visible sign of guilt when he sees his sin re-enacted on stage. Then,
Hamlet reasons, he will obtain definitive proof of Claudiuss guilt. The plays the thing, he
declares, wherein Ill catch the conscience of the king.
Hamlet speaks in prose throughout this passage due to his rage and extreme emotions
reflecting the seriousness of his speech.

Quotes
What would he do, had he the motive and the cue for passion That I have? This quote shows
how Hamlet is angry that the player can show his feelings and cry over nothing a fake situation
in a play yet Hamlet who has a valid reason cannot, his father has been murdered and his
mother taken by his murder yet he shows less emotion than the player.

But I am pigeon-liver'd, and lack gall (gale = courage) Showing how Hamlet is showing that the
lacks the courage to take action against his uncle. Shows that he is finding it difficult to follow
his fathers command of vengeance.

Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell

Must like a whore unpack my heart with words Hamlet rebukes (Express sharp disapproval or
criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions.) himself for his emotional outburst.
The whore part also references woman, and becomes a metaphor as he is comparing himself to
women who, in his eyes, are weak and manipulative.

very drab,/ A scullion! (low-ranking servants (or prostitutes)

I have heard/ That guilty creatures sitting at a play/ Have been struck so to the soul, that
presently/ They have proclaimed their malefactions;
Play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle
Show how Hamlet thinks that if he reenacts the murder of his father before Claudius, he will get
a reaction from him if he is guilty and therefore prove him guilty. Relates also to appearance vs.
reality.

The spirit that I have seen may be a devil...and perhaps out of my weakness and
melancholy...abuses me to damn him Hamlet is saying that the ghost he saw might not actually
be his father but the devil who has taken on his father form. Therefore the ghost may be trying
to get Hamlet to commit murder and experience eternal damnation in the afterlife. This relates to
appearance vs. reality and Hamlet is going to use the play in order to get proof of his uncles sin
and disprove the idea that the ghost is the devil trying to trick him.

The plays the thing wherein Ill catch the conscience of the King announce to the audience
that he will use false appearance in order to prove Claudiuss appearance and intentions are
false and show the true reality of events.

Hamlet Soliloquy 4
Act 3 Scene 1: To be, or not to be (Spoken by Hamlet)

Hamlet enters, speaking thoughtfully and agonizingly to himself about the question of
whether to commit suicide to end the pain of experience: To be, or not to be: that is the
question (III.i.58). He says that the miseries of life are such that no one would willingly bear
them, except that they are afraid of something after death (III.i.80). Because we do not know
what to expect in the afterlife, we would rather bear those ills we have, Hamlet says, than fly
to others that we know not of (III.i.8384). In mid-thought, Hamlet sees Ophelia approaching.
Having received her orders from Polonius, she tells him that she wishes to return the tokens of
love he has given her. Angrily, Hamlet denies having given her anything; he laments the
dishonesty of beauty, and claims both to have loved Ophelia once and never to have loved her
at all. Bitterly commenting on the wretchedness of humankind, he urges Ophelia to enter a
nunnery rather than become a breeder of sinners (III.i.122123). He criticizes women for
making men behave like monsters and for contributing to the worlds dishonesty by painting
their faces to appear more beautiful than they are. Working himself into a rage, Hamlet
denounces Ophelia, women, and humankind in general, saying that he wishes to end all
marriages. As he storms out, Ophelia mourns the noble mind that has now lapsed into
apparent madness (III.i.149).

Quotes
To be, or not to be, that is the question

To sleep, perchance to dream

need a quote showing pain and suffering (whip one)

For that sleep of death what dreams may come

thus conscience does make cowards of us all

and lose the name of action

Be all my sins remembered


Hamlet Soliloquy 5
Act 3 Scene 3 : Oh my offence is rank, it smells to heaven (Spoken by Claudius)

Hamlet slips quietly into the room and steels himself to kill the unseeing Claudius. But suddenly
it occurs to him that if he kills Claudius while he is praying, he will end the kings life at the
moment when he was seeking forgiveness for his sins, sending Claudiuss soul to heaven. This
is hardly an adequate revenge, Hamlet thinks, especially since Claudius, by killing Hamlets
father before he had time to make his last confession, ensured that his brother would not go to
heaven. Hamlet decides to wait, resolving to kill Claudius when the king is sinningwhen he is
either drunk, angry, or lustful. He leaves. Claudius rises and declares that he has been unable
to pray sincerely: My words fly up, my thoughts remain below (III.iii.96).

When Claudius prays, the audience is given real certainty that Claudius murdered his brother: a
full, spontaneous confession, even though nobody else hears it. This only heightens our sense
that the climax of the play is due to arrive.

Quotes
My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent

What if this cursed hand were thicker than itself with brothers blood, is there not rain enough in
the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow? (shows his guilt)

Forgive me for my foul murder?

I am still possessed of those effects for which I did the murder my crown, mine own ambition,
and my queen

corrupted currents of this world

Buys out the law. But tis not so above

My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go.

Hamlet Soliloquy 6
Act 3 Scene 3 : Now might I do it pat (Spoken by Hamlet)
Take summary and analysis from previous part. Basically Hamlet sees Claudius praying and get
ready to kill him however he shocks the audience saying that if he kills Claudius now he will go
to heaven (as Claudiu is praying and confessing his sins) and he thinks this is not just. Hamlet
then decides to wait until Claudius has committed a sin in order to kill him so that he may go to
hell. This shows either Hamlets dark side or his procrastination and his mind playing tricks on
him to delay the act of murder (which is inevitable)

Quotes
And now Ill dot...And so am I revenged. That would be scanned I will do it not and enact
revenge, but i need to think it over. This translation of the line shows his delaying and
procrastinating nature. He cannot bring himself to do it, as he is not blinded by rage (unlike the
final scene) the following part is a build up on this procrastination. In my opinion is not really evil
his brain is just tricking him because he know he cannot do the act in fact he is harmless but his
subconscious is giving him reason not to believe it and make it appear as he has something
more sinister planned. Again this is just my opinion.
Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge This is legal payment not punishment
When hi is fit and seasoned for his passage? No. He will not kill him now as he will go to
heaven.
his soul may be as damned and black as hell whereto it goes. Shows he will wait for Claudiu to
commit a crime before he kills him and sends him to hell.



Hamlet Soliloquy 7
Act 4 Scene 4 : How all occasions do inform against me (Spoken by Hamlet)

On a nearby plain in Denmark, young Prince Fortinbras marches at the head of his army,
traveling through Denmark on the way to attack Poland. Fortinbras orders his captain to go and
ask the King of Denmark for permission to travel through his lands. On his way, the captain
encounters Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern on their way to the ship bound for England.
The captain informs them that the Norwegian army rides to fight the Poles. Hamlet asks about
the basis of the conflict, and the man tells him that the armies will fight over a little patch of land
/ That hath in it no profit but the name (IV.iv.9899). Astonished by the thought that a bloody
war could be fought over something so insignificant, Hamlet marvels that human beings are
able to act so violently and purposefully for so little gain. By comparison, Hamlet has a great
deal to gain from seeking his own bloody revenge on Claudius, and yet he still delays and fails
to act toward his purpose. Disgusted with himself for having failed to gain his revenge on
Claudius, Hamlet declares that from this moment on, his thoughts will be bloody.

Hamlet criticise his delay in revenging his fathers death. Is it forgetfulness or too much thought
that stops him? Prompted by his encounter with Fortinbrass army, he resolves to speed to his
revenge

Quotes
To all that fortune, death and danger dare, even for an egg-shell Shows how the Norwegians
will fight and die for nothing yet he (Hamlet) cannot fight or kill Claudius even though he has a
good reason to.
When honours at the stake

How stand I then, that have a father killed, a mother stained, excitements of my reason and my
blood, and let all sleep while to my shame i see the imminent death of twenty thousand men,
that for a fantasy and a trick of fame go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot

Oh from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth