Hamlet Summary

Plot overview

Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare that follows the young prince of Denmark as he confronts grief, betrayal, and the moral complexities of revenge. Set largely within Elsinore Castle, the play opens with a ghostly apparition that sets in motion a chain of political and personal crises for the royal household.

After the appearance of his dead father’s spirit, Hamlet is told that the king was murdered and pressed to seek justice. The court is tense: King Claudius has married Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, and assumed the throne; Polonius, the king’s councillor, maneuvers for influence while his children, Laertes and Ophelia, pursue their own concerns; Hamlet’s school friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are summoned to watch him; Horatio remains his level-headed confidant. Hamlet stages a play to test Claudius’s conscience, wrestles with doubt and a famous meditation on existence, and navigates increasingly dangerous confrontations that blur madness and strategy.

The play endures because it examines choices under pressure, the weight of ethical uncertainty, and the ways private wounds collide with public power. Its layered characters, memorable language, and scenes of psychological intensity invite repeated readings and performances that reveal new facets of loyalty, guilt, and the human impulse toward retribution.

Chapter summaries

1. Act 1, Scene 1: A Ghost AppearsSentinels and Horatio encounter the Ghost of the dead king on the castle platform, suggesting a dire omen for Denmark.
2. Act 1, Scene 2: A Royal AudienceKing Claudius addresses the court about state business and his marriage; Hamlet mourns privately and learns the ghost has appeared.
3. Act 1, Scene 3: Advice and WarningsLaertes leaves for France after warning Ophelia about Hamlet; Polonius gives Laertes fatherly precepts and forbids Ophelia from seeing Hamlet.
4. Act 1, Scene 4: The platformHamlet follows the Ghost despite Horatio and Marcellus's warnings, and the men sense something rotten in Denmark.
5. Act 1, Scene 5: The Ghost's RevelationThe Ghost reveals he was murdered by Claudius and charges Hamlet to avenge him, then disappears as dawn approaches.
6. Act 2, Scene 1: Polonius Sends Reynaldo; Hamlet's VisitPolonius instructs Reynaldo to spy on Laertes in Paris, then hears Ophelia describe Hamlet’s strange, disordered visit and decides to tell the King.
7. Act 2, Scene 2: Intrigue and the PlayersRosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive; Polonius reports Ophelia’s letters; players come and Hamlet plans a play to test Claudius.
8. Act 3, Scene 1: Hamlet's 'To Be' SoliloquyHamlet delivers the famous 'To be' soliloquy, then confronts Ophelia; the King and Polonius plan to test him with a play and send him to England if needed.
9. Act 3, Scene 2: The MousetrapHamlet stages a play that mirrors his father's murder to observe Claudius's reaction, then goes to confront his mother.
10. Act 3, Scene 3: Claudius Prays; Hamlet HesitatesClaudius contemplates his guilt while Hamlet finds him praying and decides not to kill him, fearing it would send his soul to heaven.
11. Act 3, Scene 4: Closet Scene with the GhostHamlet confronts his mother about her marriage; he kills Polonius hidden behind the arras, and the Ghost appears to restrain him.
12. Act 4, Scene 1: Polonius's Death RevealedGertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet, in a mad fit, has killed Polonius and hidden the body behind the arras.
13. Act 4, Scene 2: Hamlet and the SpongesRosencrantz and Guildenstern confront Hamlet about the dead body; Hamlet mocks them, refuses to disclose where it is, and demands to see the King.
14. Act 4, Scene 3: Claudius Sends Hamlet to EnglandClaudius questions Hamlet about Polonius, hears Hamlet's macabre wit, and decides to send him at once to England to protect the crown.
15. Act 4, Scene 4: A Plain in DenmarkHamlet encounters Fortinbras's army and resolves to adopt bloody thoughts and decisive action after comparing himself unfavorably to Fortinbras.
16. Act 4, Scene 5: Ophelia's Madness and Laertes' RageOphelia appears lunatic and sings of death; Claudius fears unrest as Laertes storms in demanding revenge for Polonius.
17. Act 4, Scene 6: Horatio Receives a LetterHoratio meets sailors who deliver Hamlet's letter reporting his capture and instructing Horatio to come to him at once.
18. Act 4, Scene 7: Plots and Tragedy RevealedClaudius and Laertes plot Hamlet’s death while Gertrude reports Ophelia’s drowning and Laertes grieves.
19. Act 5, Scene 1: A ChurchyardGravediggers unearth skulls; Hamlet muses over mortality, finds Yorick’s skull, then confronts Laertes at Ophelia’s funeral.
20. Act 5, Scene 2: The Duel and FallHamlet accepts a fenced wager with Laertes; a poisoned cup and blade kill Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet; Fortinbras arrives.

Characters

• HamletProtagonist
• ClaudiusAntagonist
• PoloniusMajor character
• GuildensternMinor character
• HoratioMajor character
• RosencrantzMinor character
• GertrudeMajor character
• LaertesMajor character
• OpheliaMajor character
• FortinbrasMajor character
• The GhostMajor character
• MMarcellusMinor character

All 14 characters ›