Hamlet

***The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark*** is a tragedy play by William Shakespeare. It is one of his best-known plays, and many lines have become famous. The play is often just called ***Hamlet***.

_Hamlet_ was written between 1600 and 1602, and first printed in 1603. With 4042 lines and 29551 words, Hamlet is the longest Shakespearean play. The play was based on another play also named _Hamlet_, which is now lost. It’s also based on a story called Amleth by Saxo Grammaticus.

## Plot

**Act One**

Hamlet is a young prince in Denmark who was supposed to become king when his father (also named Hamlet) died. Instead, Hamlet's uncle Claudius took the throne for himself and married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Before he died, King Hamlet killed the King of Norway, Fortinbras. His son (also named Fortinbras) is planning to invade Norway soon.

Two soldiers of the castle and Hamlet's friend Horatio see the ghost of Hamlet's father. However, it says nothing to them. They agree to tell Hamlet what they have seen. The next day, King Claudius' court meet. All three people who saw the ghost tell the surprised Hamlet. As Polonius' son Laertes gets ready to go to school in France, Polonius gives him advice. The most famous piece of advice Polonius gives is "to thine own self be true." Ophelia, Polonius' daughter, tells him she loves Hamlet, which Polonius tells her is a bad idea. That night, Hamlet meets the ghost of his dead father, who tells him that he was poisoned by Claudius. The ghost tells Hamlet to kill Claudius in revenge.

**Act Two**

Ophelia tells her father that Hamlet is acting crazy. Polonius blames love for Hamlet's madness. The King and Queen welcome Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, old friends of Hamlet. The two of them ask the old friends to look into the cause Hamlet's weird actions and emotions. Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude his explanation, then talks to Hamlet to try and learn more. Hamlet pretends he is mad to hide his plan for revenge. As the play goes on, it becomes hard to tell if Hamlet is actually mad or still just pretending. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Hamlet they brought a group of actors. Hamlet asks if they can act out the play, _The Murder of Gonzago,_ which includes a death like his father's murder, to see how Claudius reacts.

**Act Three**

Polonius and Claudius watch Hamlet in secret. Hamlet says the most famous words in English, "to be or not to be." He is thinking about if he should live or die. Ophelia enters and Hamlet is upset at her. This makes Claudius feel that Hamlet is not mad because of his love. The King's court watches the play, but Claudius leaves early. This makes Hamlet think Claudius is guilty of his father's murder. Claudius goes to the castle chapel and tries to repent on his knees, but it feels impossible. Hamlet sneaks behind him and almost kills him. However, he thinks that if Claudius dies while praying, he will go to heaven. Hamlet and Gertrude argue about the play. Someone watching the conversation in secret behind a tapestry, calls for help because he believes Hamlet is going to kill Gertrude. Hamlet thinks the spy is Claudius, so he stabs and kills him. However, Hamlet moves the curtain and sees it is only Polonius. The ghost enters and gets mad at Hamlet. Only Hamlet can hear it, so Gertrude takes it as evidence of Hamlet's madness. Hamlet tells Gertrude to stop sleeping with Claudius and drags the body away.

**Act Four**

Claudius orders Hamlet to be exiled to England. He sets up a plot to have Hamlet killed. Ophelia, sad about her father's death, wanders around the city. Laertes returns from France and is angry about his father's death and his sister's madness. Claudius blames Hamlet. The King's plan does not work because he gets a letter saying Hamlet has returned to Denmark. Claudius changes his plan and suggests a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet. Laertes will use a sword with poison on the blade. If that does not work, Claudius will give Hamlet poisoned wine as a prize. Then, Gertrude enters and says Ophelia has drowned. Sadly, nobody knows if it was an accident or on purpose.

**Act Five**

Hamlet and Horatio reunite. Two gravediggers debate if Ophelia's death was a suicide while digging her grave. Laertes and Hamlet fight at Ophelia's funeral, but they are broken up. Hamlet agrees to the swordfight. The swordfight begins. After some fighting, Laertes wounds Hamlet and poisons him. After more fighting, they drop their swords and Hamlet ends up fighting and wounding Laertes with the poisoned sword. Laertes shows regret for what he has done and tells Hamlet about the poison as he dies. Meanwhile, Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine by mistake and dies. Realising that he is also dying, Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink the rest of the wine. In his last moments, Hamlet tells his friend Horatio that Fortinbras should be named as the next King of Denmark. Fortinbras enters, takes the crown for himself, and orders a military funeral to honor Hamlet.

## Characters

The characters in the story are:
- Hamlet, the prince of Denmark
- Ghost, the ghost of king Hamlet
- Gertrude, the Queen, prince Hamlet's mother
- Claudius, the King, brother of dead King Hamlet and now married to Gertrude
- Horatio, Hamlet's trusted friend
- Polonius, the royal advisor
- Laertes, the son of Polonius
- Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius and Hamlet's past lover
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two members of Claudius' royal court, who spy on Hamlet for Claudius

## Acting Hamlet

Hamlet is one of the hardest parts for an actor to perform. It is one of the largest roles written by Shakespeare. Many people disagree about what Hamlet is really thinking. For many actors, playing Hamlet is one of the most important parts of their career.

## Hamlet in movies

There have been many movies made of the play. Most of them show only part of the play, because the entire play is very long. Some of the most famous movies include:
- 1948 Hamlet played by Laurence Olivier. Directed by Laurence Olivier.
- 1960 A version made for German television. This version was later an episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.
- 1964 Hamlet played by Richard Burton. Directed by John Gielgud. This is a filmed Broadway production.
- 1990 Hamlet played by Mel Gibson. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli.
- 1996 Hamlet played by Kenneth Branagh. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Unlike most movies, Branagh's _Hamlet_ did not leave out any of the play to make the movie shorter.
- 2009 Hamlet played by David Tennant. Directed by Gregory Doran, a three and a half hour Television adaptation for the BBC. An adaptation of the folio text with changes from the first and later quarto's to fit the dramatisation.
- 2014 Bollywood movie "Haider" directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, where role of Hamlet played by Shahid Kapoor.

## Other websites

- HyperHamlet - research project at the University of Basel
- BBC production of Hamlet in 2009

## Infobox (play)

- **name**: Hamlet
- **image**: Hamlet.jpg
- **writer**: William Shakespeare
- **characters**: Hamlet
Ghost of the dead King
Gertrude
Claudius
- **orig lang**: English
- **subject**: Revenge
- **genre**: Tragedy