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Hamlet is the prince of Denmark. His father was , but he died before the play begins. Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, has taken over as king and Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude.
At the beginning of the play, a ghost appears to some soldiers. He looks just like Hamlet’s father, the dead king. agree to tell Hamlet about it.
Claudius tells Hamlet he has to stop acting so sad about his father’s death. Hamlet says he will. When he’s by himself, he says that his mother married Claudius.
Hamlet’s girlfriend is Ophelia. Her father, Polonius, and her brother, Laertes, try to convince her that Hamlet doesn’t love her. They point out that because he’s a prince, he whoever he wants. They think he’s more likely to seduce her than marry her. Ophelia agrees not to talk to Hamlet anymore.
Hamlet sees the ghost, who says he is Hamlet’s father. He also says that Claudius him by pouring poison in his ear. Hamlet swears to take revenge. He mentions to the soldiers that in the future he may find it useful to act as if .
Ophelia tells her father that Hamlet came to see her after she returned his love letters, and he seemed insane. His clothes were messed up, he was trembling and pale, and he looked scared. Polonius now thinks Hamlet did love Ophelia, and he’s gone mad because she him.
Claudius and Gertrude ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, some friends of Hamlet’s from school, to with him and try to find out why he’s been acting crazy.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to cheer Hamlet up by telling him that a group of actors has arrived at the castle. Hamlet decides he’ll have the actors that mimics the murder of his father. He wants to see if Claudius reacts to it and shows his guilt. He says the ghost might actually be a lying . Claudius’s reaction to the play will clear up the mystery.
Claudius, Gertrude, and Polonius want to test the theory that Hamlet is acting crazy because he’s lovesick, so they spy on a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet is very nasty to Ophelia and tells her she should . After hearing this, Claudius decides Hamlet is not in love. He does think Hamlet’s obsessed with something, and since he thinks Hamlet poses a threat to him, he decides to England.
That evening, the actors perform the play Hamlet requested. When Claudius sees a scene where a king is murdered by having poison poured in his ear, he becomes that he gets up and leaves. Hamlet sees this reaction as proof that Claudius did indeed murder his father.
When Claudius is by himself, he admits he murdered Hamlet’s father. He for forgiveness, but he can’t seem to make himself do it. Hamlet comes into the room behind him with a sword, but he decides not to kill him, because he thinks Claudius will go straight if he dies while he’s praying, and he wants him to go to hell.
Hamlet goes to see his mother, not knowing that she has given Polonius permission to hide behind a tapestry and listen to their conversation. Hamlet makes her sit down and tells her she’s not leaving until he shows her how bad she really is. Gertrudeand calls out for help. Hearing her, Polonius calls out for help too, and Hamlet, thinking it’s Claudius behind the tapestry, stabs Polonius through the cloth and kills him.
Hamlet tells his mother how awful it is that with Claudius. He doesn’t come right out and say that Claudius murdered King Hamlet, or that he thinks Gertrude knew about it. He focuses more on how his father was than Claudius, and tries to make his mother promise not to sleep with Claudius anymore. She tells Hamlet that he’s making her feel guilty.
The ghost enters and scolds Hamlet for taking so long . Hamlet sees the ghost, but his mother doesn’t, and she thinks he’s crazy. Hamlet leaves, hauling away Polonius’s body.
Claudius sends Hamlet to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. When he’s by himself, he says he’s given Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sealed letters ordering the king of England to put Hamlet immediately after opening the letter.Ophelia loses her mind following her father’s death. Laertes returns to Denmark, leading a noisy crowd of supporters. He blames Claudius for his father’s death and his , and threatens to overthrow him. Claudius manages to persuade Laertes that Hamlet is really to blame.
Horatio gets a letter from Hamlet saying that the ship he was on was attacked by a . Hamlet was taken prisoner by himself and brought back to Denmark. Claudius and Laertes also receive a letter from Hamlet in which he says he’s arrived back to Denmark alone and will come to see Claudius the next day. Now that they know Hamlet didn’t die in England, they start a new way to kill him that will look like an accident. Gertrude brings the news that Ophelia drowned in a stream.Two gravediggers talk and joke while digging Ophelia’s grave. Hamlet gets into a conversation with one of them. He doesn’t know yet that Ophelia is dead. Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes arrive to Ophelia. They lay her in the ground, but before they can throw earth on her, Laertes leaps into the grave one more time. Hamlet inally realizes who they’re burying and starts swearing that no one loved Ophelia more than he did. He jumps into the grave too, and he and Laertes fight until they’re pulled apart.
Hamlet tells Horatio that on the way to England, he the letter that would have sentenced him to death, and wrote a replacement letter telling the king of England to put Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to death. He managed during the pirate attack, and then he returned to Denmark. A courtier named Osric interrupts them to invite Hamlet to a fencing match with Laertes, to be held in front of the king and queen. Hamlet agrees. Before the match, Laertes the tip of his sword, and Claudius poisons a cup of wine. Hamlet gets the first hit, and Claudius says he’s going to give him a precious pearl as a reward. Then he drops the pearl in the poisoned cup and offers it to Hamlet. But Hamlet says he’s not ready to drink yet.Hamlet gets the second hit. Gertrude picks up the poisoned cup and drinks from it before Claudius her. Laertes finally gets a hit, wounding Hamlet with the poisoned sword, and they both and start grappling with each other. In the scuffle they exchange swords, and Hamlet wounds Laertes with the poisoned one. Gertrude collapses and says she’s. Laertes confesses to Hamlet that he poisoned the sword and says they’re both going to die. He blames Claudius for the scheme. Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink from the poisoned cup. Claudius Then Laertes dies, asking Hamlet for forgiveness as he expires. Hamlet dies after telling Horatio to remain behind and tell the truth about everything that happened. Fortinbras, a prince of Norway, arrives with his army on a visit to Claudius. When he sees that the whole royal family is dead, he claims for himself. | 
