Summary of Hamlet by Shakespeare


The square in front of the castle in Elsinore. Guard Marcellus and Bernard, Danish officers. They are later joined by Horatio, a learned friend of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. He came to make sure of the story of the night apparition of a ghost similar to the Danish king, recently deceased. Horatio is inclined to think this is a fantasy. Midnight. And a formidable ghost appears in full military vestments. Horatio is shocked, he tries to talk to him. Horatio, reflecting on what he saw, considers the appearance of the ghost as a sign of “some sort of trouble for the state.” He decides to tell about the night vision of Prince Hamlet, who interrupted his studies in Wittenberg in connection with the sudden death of his father. The grief of Hamlet aggravates the fact that the mother soon after the death of her father married his brother. She, “not wearing shoes without wearing, in which she walked behind the coffin,” rushed into the arms of an unworthy man, ” A

dense clot of meat. “Hamlet’s soul shuddered:” How boring, dull and unnecessary / It seems to me that everything that is in the world! O abomination! “

Horatio told Hamlet about the night ghost. Hamlet does not hesitate: “The spirit of Hamlet is in the gun!” The thing is bad, / There is something hidden here: Hurry up the night! / Endure, soul, evil will rejoice, / Though from the eyes into the underground darkness gone. “

The ghost of Hamlet’s father told of a terrible crime.

When the King peacefully rested in the garden, his brother poured into his ear a deadly bleach juice. “So I’m in a dream from a brotherly hand / I lost my life, a crown and a queen.” The ghost asks Hamlet to avenge him. “Farewell, Farewell, And Remember Me” – with these words the ghost is removed.

The world turned over for Hamlet… He swears to avenge his father. He asks friends to keep this meeting secret and not be surprised at the strangeness of his behavior.

In the meantime, the closest grandee of King Polonius sends his son

Laertes to study in Paris. He gives his brotherly instructions to Ophelia’s sister, and we learn about the feeling of Hamlet, from which Laertes warns Ophelia: “He is a subject of his birth, / He does not cut his own piece to himself / As others, from his choice / Depends life and health of the whole power. “

His words are confirmed by his father – Polonius. He forbids her to spend time with Hamlet. Ophelia tells her father that Prince Hamlet came to her and it was as if he was not himself. Taking her by the hand, “he let out a sigh so mournful and deep, / As if his whole breast broke and extinguished life.” Polonius decides that Hamlet’s strange behavior in recent days is due to the fact that he is “mad with love.” He’s going to tell the king about it.

The king, whose conscience is burdened with murder, is concerned about Hamlet’s behavior. What lies behind him is insanity? Or what else? He calls Rosencrantz and Guildesterna, Hamlet’s friends in the past, and asks them to find out from the Prince his secret. For this he promises “monarchy mercy.” Polonius comes and expresses the supposition that Hamlet’s insanity is caused by love. In support of his words, he shows Hamlet’s letter, taken from Ophelia. Polonius promises to send his daughter to the gallery, where Hamlet often walks to make sure his feelings.

Rosenkrantz and Guildester are trying unsuccessfully to find out the secret of Prince Hamlet. Hamlet understands that they are sent by the king.

Hamlet learns that the actors arrived, the metropolitan tragedies that he liked so much before, and he comes up with the idea of ​​using actors to make sure the king’s guilt. He agrees with the actors that they will play a play about the death of Priam, and he will insert there two or three verses of his composition. The actors agree. Hamlet asks the first actor to read a monologue about the murder of Priam. The actor reads brilliantly. Hamlet is excited. Charging the actors to the cares of Polonius, he is alone thinking. He should know exactly about the crime: “The sight is a loop, to lasso the conscience of the king.”

The king asks Rosencrantz and Guildestern about the success of their mission. They confess that they could not find out anything: “He does not ask for himself / And with the cunning of insanity he slips away…”

They report to the king that stray actors have arrived, and Hamlet invites to the performance of the king and queen.

Hamlet walks alone and says, reflecting, his famous monologue: “To be or not to be – this is the question…” Why are we so clinging to life? In which “the gloom of the century, the oppression of the strong, the mockery of the proud.” And he answers his own question: “The fear of something after death – / The unknown land, from which there is no return / Earthly wanderers” – embarrassed will.

Polonius sends Ophelia to Hamlet. Hamlet quickly realizes that their conversation is being overheard and that Ophelia came at the instigation of the king and father. And he plays the role of a madman, gives her advice to go to the monastery. Straight-hearted Ophelia was killed by Hamlet’s speeches: “Oh, what a proud mind is struck down!” The grandee, / Boy, scientist – look, sword, tongue; / Color and hope of a joyful power, / Chekan of grace, a mirror of taste, / Example of approximate – fell, fell to end! ” The king is making sure that not love is the cause of the prince’s frustration. Hamlet asks Horatio to watch the king during the performance. The presentation begins. Hamlet in the course of the play comments on it. The scene of poisoning he accompanies with the words: “He poisons him in the garden for the sake of his power.” His name is Gonzaga. Now you will see how the murderer relishes the love of Gonzaga’s wife. “

During this scene, the king could not stand it. He got up. The commotion began. Polonius demanded to stop the game. Everyone leaves. Remain Hamlet and Horatio. They are convinced of the crime of the king – he betrayed himself with a head.

Returns Rosencrantz and Guildestern. They explain how the king is upset and how the queen is perplexed about Hamlet’s behavior. Hamlet takes the flute and offers Guildstain to play on it. Guildeister refuses: “I do not own this art.” Hamlet says with anger: “See, what kind of thing are you doing from me? You’re ready to play on me, you think that you know my frets…”

Polonius calls Hamlet to his mother – the queen.

The king is tormented by fear, tormented by an unclean conscience. “Oh, my sin is abominable, it stinks to heaven!” But he has already committed a crime, “his breast is blacker than death.” He kneels, trying to pray.

At this time, Hamlet passes – he goes to the rooms of his mother. But he does not want to kill the despicable king during prayer. “Back, my sword, learn more terrible girth.”

Polonius hides behind a carpet in the queen’s quarters to overhear Hamlet’s conversation with her mother.

Hamlet is full of indignation. The pain that plagues his heart makes his tongue bold. The Queen is frightened and screams. Polonius discovers himself behind the carpet, Hamlet with the cry “Rat, rat,” pierces him with a sword, thinking that it’s the king. The Queen implores Hamlet for mercy: “You directed my eyes straight to the soul, / And I see so many black spots in it / That they can not lead to anything…”

A ghost appears… He demands to spare the queen.

The queen does not see or hear the ghost, it seems to her that Hamlet is talking with emptiness. He looks like a madman.

The queen tells the king that in a fit of insanity Hamlet was killed by Polonius. “He’s crying about what he did.” The king decides to immediately send Hamlet to England, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildester, who will be handed a secret letter to the British about the murder of Hamlet. Polonia, he decides to bury in secret, to avoid rumors.

Hamlet and his traitor friends are rushing to the ship. They meet armed soldiers. Hamlet asks them, whose army and where it goes. It turns out that this is the army of the Norwegian, who goes to war with Poland for a piece of land that “for five ducats” is a pity to rent. Hamlet is amazed that people can not “settle a dispute about this trifle.”

This case for him – an occasion to deep reasoning about what torments him, and his own indecisiveness torments him. Prince Fortinbras “for the whim and foolish glory” sends to death twenty thousand, “as in bed,” since his honor is affected. “So how am I,” exclaims Hamlet, “I, whose father is killed, whose mother is in disgrace” and live, saying “this must be done.” “Oh my thought, from now on you must be bloody, or the dust cost you.”

Upon learning of the death of his father, secretly, Laertes returned from Paris. Another misfortune awaits him: Ophelia, under the burden of grief-the death of her father by the hand of Hamlet-went crazy. Laertes is hungry for revenge. Armed, he breaks into the king’s quarters. The king calls Hamlet the culprit of all the misfortunes of Laertes. At this time the messenger brings the king a letter in which Hamlet announces his return. The king is perplexed, he understands that something has happened. But then he has a new vile plan, in which he involves the quick-tempered, narrow-minded Laertes.

He proposes to arrange a duel between Laertes and Hamlet. And that the murder took place for sure, the end of the sword of Laertes smeared with deadly poison. Laertes agrees.

The Queen with sorrow informs about the death of Ophelia. She “tried to hang their wreaths on branches, the wily bitches broke, she fell into a sobbing stream”.

… Two gravediggers dig a grave. And throw out jokes.

Appear Hamlet and Horatio. Hamlet is talking about the futility of all living things. “Alexander (Macedonian – E. Sh.) Died, Alexander was buried, Alexander turned to dust, dust is the earth, clay is made from the earth, and why can not the beer barrel be shut up with this clay?”

The funeral procession is approaching. King, Queen, Laertes, courtyard. They bury Ophelia. Laertes jumps into the grave and asks to bury him with his sister, Hamlet can not stand the false note. They grasp with Laertes. “I loved her, forty thousand brothers / with all my love with me would not be equalized,” – in these famous words of Hamlet a genuine, deep feeling.

The King separates them. He is not satisfied with an unpredictable duel. He reminds Laertes: “Be patient and remember yesterday, / We will move the matter to a quick end.”

Horatio and Hamlet are alone. Hamlet tells Horatio that he managed to read the letter of the king. It contained a request to immediately execute Hamlet. Providence kept the prince, and, using the seal of his father, he substituted a letter in which he wrote: “The givers immediately kill.” And with this message Rosencrantz and Guildester sail towards their death. The robbers attacked the ship, Hamlet was taken prisoner and was taken to Denmark. Now he is ready for revenge.

Appears Ozrik – the approximate king – and reports that the king betrayed that Hamlet will defeat Laert in the duel. Hamlet agrees to a duel, but his heart is heavy, he anticipates a trap.

Before the fight, he asks for an apology from Laertes: “My act, which touched your honor, nature, feeling, / – I declare it – was insane.”

The king prepared another trap for fidelity – he put a goblet of poisoned wine to give it to Hamlet when he wants to drink. Laertes hurts Hamlet, they change with rapiers, Hamlet injures Laertes. The Queen drinks poisoned wine for Hamlet’s victory. The king could not stop her. The queen dies, but has time to say: “Oh, Hamlet is – drink! I was poisoned.” Laertes confesses to Hamlet in treachery: “King, King is guilty…”

Hamlet with a poisoned blade hits the king, And he himself dies. Horatio wants to drink some poisoned wine to follow the prince. But the dying Hamlet asks: “Breathe in a harsh world, so that mine / Write a story.” Horatio tells Fortinbras and the British ambassadors about the tragedy.

Fortinbras gives the order: “Let Hamlet be raised to the dais as a warrior…”


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Summary of Hamlet by Shakespeare