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Plot Summary of Hamlet by Shakespeare

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Copyright © 1995-1996, 2006, 2008 by Zack T. Smith.
All rights reserved.

This is a plot summary of Shakespeare's Hamlet that I created some years ago. Rather than keep it to myself, I've put it on the Web so that students and experts can make use of it.

HAMLET

  • I.1
    • Guards see the ghost of former King.
      • Audience sees evidence that something is wrong.
  • I.2
    • King+Queen let Laertes go to France and counsel Hamlet to get over his fathers death and to not return to school.
    • King tells H that he is next in line to the throne.
    • H is troubled by how quick K+Q married after his fathers funeral.
    • Guards arrive to tell H about the ghost. H agrees to watch for ghost w/them later.
    • Outcomes:
      • Killer whose guilt is not known tries to get concerned party to get over it.
      • Concerned party of a killing enters path of discovery.
      • Audience learns of character's departure.
  • I.3
    • Laertes counsels his sister Ophelia to differentiate between desire and love in her dealings with Hamlet.
    • Polonius instructs O to set her prices higher from now on when dealing with Hamlet because his promises and affections are most likely used only to get sex.
    • He tells her she should look for more of a committment.
    • Outcomes:
      • Audience learns of 2 important relationships.
  • I.4
    • Hamlet and guards wait for the ghost.
    • It appears and gestures for H to follow.
    • Guards warn H that the ghost might be a demon in disguise but H follows anyway. H threatens guards not to follow.
    • Outcomes:
      • Concerned party of a killing continues path of discovery.
  • I.5 (Ghost encounter continued:)
    • Hamlet demands that the ghost stop and speak. It does. It identifies itself as his father.
    • It describes his own murder and his predicament in the afterlife. It tells H that H must kill K in order to right the situation. It asks H to swear that he will do it.
    • Guards enter as the ghost disappears; they seek info but H will not tell and H makes them swear their silence on the matter. The ghost then bellows out "swear" a few times but it is not apparent that guards hear this. But they do swear.
    • Outcomes:
      • Concerned party of a killing finishes path to discovery of who is murderer.
      • Concerned party of a killing swears to get revenge for the dead.
  • II.1
    • Polonius sends someone to give funds to Laertes as well as to both find out w/whom he is hanging out in France and to spread a few minor rumors about L so as to drive him away from there.
    • Ophelia reports that H came to her pale and severely disturbed and that H then departed from her.
    • P incorrectly infers that this event was cause by Ophelia having played hard to get and tells O of this theory.
    • Outcomes:
      • Audience (& character) see evidence that Concerned Party has begun on the path to revenge. (To character it is mysterious.)
      • Audience learns of character's return.
  • II.2
    • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive are greeted by K+Q amicably and are asked to stay in Elsinore awhile.
    • P arrives and offers his theory of the strange behavior of Hamlet.
    • Ambassadors arrives and K allows them to interrupt P and tell K about the Norwegians and Fortinbras. P reads aloud a letter from H to O.
    • P then explains the series of events leading to Ophelias recent experience w/H.
    • P proposes that K+Polonius secretly observe a forced encounter between O and H wherein Hamlets love for O will be tested.
    • H enters.
    • P tries to talk with him but H mocks him.
    • R+G arrive and try to cheer up H.
    • Skeptical H immediately asks why they are here and who sent for them; they admit it was King and Queens doing.
    • Then when H is about to get angry R+G announce the arrival of players (P arrives also) who then put on a piece.
    • H asks the players if they will put on a play of his own design tomorrow night; they accept the assignment.
    • H who is troubled by his own inaction and overpensiveness decides he will use the play to confirm Kings guilt.
    • Outcomes:
      • Audience learns of a desire to ascertain H's desire for O, which is also a step in K's process of removing/killing H.
      • Audience learns of H's desire to ascertain K's guilt. Thus Concerned Party enters the path of confirmation of guilt via his plan to trick K.
  • III.1
    • K interrogates R+G to find out what is causing Hamlets "madness".
    • H laments.
    • K+P watch as H rejects poor Ophelia.
    • P suggests to K that he let Queen try to sway Hamlet and that if that does not work then that K should send H to England.
    • Outcomes:
      • K pretends to be innocent and unknowing.
      • Concerned Party rejects vulnerable loved-one to protect her.
      • K makes another step in the process of removing/killing H.
  • III.2
    • H instructs players on how to act.
    • H tells R+G to help the players.
    • H tells Horatio to watch Kings face during the play.
    • H talks a bit w/Ophelia before the play; venting his anger by jesting with her.
    • Play occurs: Brother of a king kills the king and takes queen as wife.
    • Ophelia asks what it is about.
    • Play continues; ends.
    • King et al want an explanation; H says it is about events in Vienna.
    • K suddenly needs light and air: as if going into shock.
    • K exits. P+Q+R+G follow.
    • R+G come back; they tell H that K is very angry and that Queen wants to speak with Hamlet.
    • H who is tired of R+G demands to know why they seem to think they can manipulate him.
    • H threatens them in soft cryptic terms.
    • P arrives and asks H to go speak with Q; H agrees to.
    • Outcomes:
      • K continues to pretend to be innocent, which in the face of a public accusation requires an engry reaction.
      • Concerned Party and friend Horatio see proof the Kings guilt. Thus Concerned Party finishes the path of confirmation of guilt via his plan to trick K.
  • III.3
    • King tells R+G that he will have them take H to England. R+G agree that H is a source of trouble and thereby accept the assignment.
    • P tells K that H will go to see Q.
    • K starts praying.
    • H enters.
    • H sees K praying but decides that he will not kill K now as H thinks/fears that to kill him while he is praying will send King to heaven.
    • H also feels that to kill K now would not be a sufficiently losing revenge.
    • So Hamlet leaves.
    • K gives up praying. He admits it was insincere.
    • Outcomes:
      • Audience learns that K only fakes piousness.
      • Audience learns that K will kill again to protect himself from Concerned Party of the killing. Therefore audience deduces K is evil.
  • III.4
    • H goes to speak with Queen and right away expresses his anger.
    • This causes P (who is hiding) to say something.
    • H hears P and stabs the spying P.
    • P who falls and H+Q see him.
    • H then makes a long and confusing speech to Q.
    • Ghost appears and counsels H. Q does not see the ghost and thinks H mad.
    • H orders Q to keep away from K tonight as if H planned on slaying K in bed.
    • H tells Q he agrees to go to England.
    • H drags body of Polonius away.
    • Outcomes:
      • Audience observes the destructive influence of the situation on H, who is weak but bold. He has become paranoid and reckless. This is a step in K's expulsion of H.
      • Tragedy and downfall for Concerned Party H.
  • IV.1
    • K inquires as to why Q seems upset.
    • Q tells K that H killed P.
    • K reflects that H should have been more strongly controlled.
    • K announces a promise that H will soon be sent away.
    • K gets the idea of spreading the word about Hamlets act of killing. Here K begins his use of Hamlets mistake in the effort to get rid of H.
    • Outcomes:
      • K reaps an unexpected benefit in his effort to expel H. to Hamlets Concerned Party i.e. Q.
      • K makes another step in expelling H, namely announcing the plan to Hamlets Concerned Party i.e. Q.
  • IV.2
    • H hides body of Polonius.
    • R+G come to get H and body.
    • H insults them and refuses to give the body. But H goes with them.
    • Outcomes:
      • K makes another step in expelling H, namely the formal summoning of H to tell him.
  • IV.3
    • K reflects to himself that H is well loved by the people because of his looks but that Hamlets crime of killing P must be punished. (His own crime somehow doesnot occur to him presently.)
    • R+G arrive with H and report that H did not tell them where the body is. H confirms it.
    • K orders H to go to England.
    • H does not put up a fuss.
    • K tells R+G to make sure that H gets on the boat.
    • Outcomes:
      • The audience is given confirmation of K's true intent, to kill H.
      • K makes another step in expelling H, namely the formal order to leave.
  • IV.4
    • Fortinbras arrives seeking to cross Denmark.
    • Hamlet asks one of the men with Fortinbras who he is. He is his captain.
    • Hamlet reflects on the beastliness of human existence or the beastliness in his life anyway.
  • IV.5
    • Horatio brings Ophelia but Queen does not want to see her.
    • Horatio shows her in anyway; O is speaking and singing "nonsense" as if "mad".
    • K arrives and O sings/speaks much more nonsense to K/Q/Horatio.
    • O leaves and K orders Horatio to follow.
    • K conveniently reflects to O that H is evil and that all is unwell because of him.
    • Laertes arrives with a mob that is chanting "Laertes the King". L wants blood.
    • K+Q stop Laertes. They deny any guilt yet probe to uncover his intentions.
    • O comes along singing.
    • L agrees to ally himself with K and pledges to kill H; K+L exit.
    • Outcomes:
      • L is Concerned Party of P's death, and begins the process of getting revenge on H.
      • Audience observes the tragedy of the K-H conflict.
      • K sabotages H-O relationship, taking advantage of O's sickness.
  • IV.6
    • Horatio (who is without O) receives a letter via sailors from H.
    • In the letter Hamlet asks Horatio to send the other letters.
    • Outcomes:
      • Audience learns that H is alive, and that H trusts Horatio.
  • IV.7
    • K+L are talking-- L wants to know why K did not act against H.
    • After all Hamlet did murder Polonius.
    • K explains that the love of the Queen and the people for Hamlet prevented that.
    • Thus:
      • L continues in his revenge, here sizing up who is responsible. Thus this is a step toward discovery.
    • Messenger brings letters from H-- one for K and one for Q.
    • K reads his. It simply says that H will return. (Q exits.)
    • K+L agree to kill Hamlet when he returns; L volunteers to be the primary killer.
    • Thus:
      • K continues in his attack on H, finding someone else to kill H.
      • L continues in his revenge, here confirming he will kill the killer.
    • K reports that he heard a Norman praised Laertes use of the rapier; this pleases and emboldens L.
    • K asks L if he loved P since if so he asks what would Laertes do for revenge?
    • L says he will kill the killer.
    • K invents a plan: L+H will be brought together to fight.
    • L offers to dip is blade in poison.
    • K presents specific plan to for L to kill H.
    • K offers to poison Hamlets drink so that when H gets tired and thirsty he will drink poison.
    • Q arrives and announces that O has drowned.
    • L is shocked.
    • Q explains that O fell in a pond after her flowers fell in but she let herself sink.
    • L puts off being sorrowful since he wants to focus on revenge; he exits.
    • K announces to Q that Ophelias death puts his self-control in jeopardy.
    • They follow L.
    • Outcomes:
      • K uses O's death as a means of justifying future rash actions.
  • V.1
    • Two gravediggers joke around the new grave that will be for Ophelia.
    • One looses a bet and leaves to buy liquor.
    • Hamlet and Horatio arrive; they do not introduce themselves but joke with the diggers:
    • They asks whose grave is this but are told of the former occupant: the old court jester that H knew.
    • H laments the passing of the jester.
    • A funeral procession (L+K+Q+priest) approaches therefore Hamlet and Horatio hide.
    • Laertes is disappointed w/the priests speech.
    • He jumps into Ophelias grave and makes his own.
    • H is devastated by death of Ophelia. Feeling strangely forgotten and upstaged H jumps in after L and makes his own speech while L tries to grab aggressively at him.
    • Everyone is yelling; H who is angered by the aggressiveness of L pledges to fight him.
  • V.2
    • Hamlet revels in the fighting and grand changes to come.
    • Hamlet tells Horatio of the letter ordering Hamlets death and gives it to him.
    • H explains that he had a royal seal w/him so he used it to forge a new writ.
    • When the pirates attacked the ship H left the forged writ in the originals place.
    • Horatio balks; but H explains that K killed Hamlets father; K whored his mother; etc.
    • H says he regrets killing P.
    • Osric -- a favored land-owner -- relays a msg from K to H: that K has placed a wager on H. Osric praises L in an effort to warn H of Laertes fighting skills. Finally Osric just says it plainly: L is skilled.
    • H asks what weapons L is good at.
    • Osric tells him and tells what L stands to gain if H loses; and what L must do (a few hits here or there) if he will be considered successful. H must accept and does. Osric goes to relay the msg to K.
    • A lord comes to find out how much longer H will be since everyone is assembling; the lord tells H that Q suggests H be friendly to L before they fight.
    • Horatio tells H that he thinks H will lose; Hamlet who is suspecting nothing says he thinks this will be a minor fight and that since H has been practicing he may even win.
    • K/Q/L and everyone else (lords etc.) arrive.
    • Hamlet announces that he is innocent of killing Polonius since it was his madness that did it. L says he is satisfied with the use of the fight to solve the situation.
    • H+L take their foils but L complains that his is too heavy and take a different one.
    • K says he will drink to Hamlet and is given two prepared cups.
    • H+L fight; H makes a hit on L; K drinks to H. Queen drinks despite K telling her not to. K knows the drink is poisoned.
    • H+L continue; each is wounded.
    • Queen now looks ill. K makes an excuse for it but Q says she has been poisoned.
    • H hears this and has the doors locked.
    • L admits that H has been poisoned too.
    • Hamlet kills King.
    • L asks H for forgiveness and then dies.
    • H laments and reflects upon his own imminent death and asks Horatio to tell the story of all of this well; H hears the sound of someone arriving and then dies.
    • The Norwegian Fortinbras arrives with English ambassadors; Horatio prepares to tell them what has happened.
Exuent.

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