Brief Biography of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in 1564.
His father was a glove-maker and assemblyman in Stratford-upon-Avon, and his
mother was the daughter of a well-to-do landowner. At 18, Shakespeare wed a
woman eight years his senior, Anne Hathaway; just six months after their
marriage, Hathaway gave birth to a daughter. She later bore two more
children—one of whom, Hamnet, died at the age of 11. There is a gap in the
historical record between the birth of Shakespeare’s twins and his first
recorded appearance on the London theater scene in 1592. His theatrical career
likely began in the mid-1580s, and between then and 1613, he composed such
works as Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, The
Henriad, Julius Caesar, Othello,
and many more. In 1609, he published a book of sonnets, and released other long
poems in the mid-1590s when London’s theaters were closed due to the plague.
Shakespeare died in 1616 of a rumored “fever” just a month after creating a
will in which he declared himself to be in good health. His surviving writings
include nearly 40 plays and over 150 sonnets, and his body of work is widely
performed, analyzed, studied, and reinterpreted to this day.
Historical Context of Hamlet
Hamlet is in many ways a product of the Reformation—a
religious revolution in which Protestants broke away from the Catholic
Church—as well as the skeptical humanism of the late Renaissance, which held
that there were limits on human knowledge. Hamlet's constant anxiety about the
difference between appearance and reality, as well as his difficulties with
religion (the sinfulness of suicide, the unfairness that killing a murderer
while the murderer is praying would result in sending the murder to heaven) can
be seen as directly influenced by humanist thought. In the centuries since it
was first written, Hamlet has been staged and set in different
eras of history, from the late Middle Ages to the confines of a modern-day
psych ward. Truncated and full-text versions alike have been produced on stage
and screen, and 20th and 21st-century casts and directors have launched
interpretations of the text which examine Hamlet as an Oedipal figure, as an
individual suffering from mental illness, and even as the illegitimate son of
King Claudius.
Other Books Related
to Hamlet
The story of Hamlet is based on a Danish revenge story
first recorded by Saxo Grammaticus in the 1100s. In these stories, a Danish
prince fakes madness in order to take revenge on his uncle, who had killed the
prince's father and married his mother. Many scholars believe that
Shakespeare was not the first person to adapt this story—Thomas Kyd, one of
Shakespeare’s contemporaries, is largely believed to have written a play known
as the Ur-Hamlet. Though the text has been lost, scholars believe
Shakespeare was directly inspired by Kyd’s work. Tom Stoppard’s 1966 play Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern Are Dead reimagines the world of Hamlet with
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—Hamlet’s doomed courtiers—as the main characters.
Their own existential discussions, which take place “in between” the scenes of
the original text (which are briefly interwoven throughout the play) rival
Hamlet’s discursive monologues. Hailed as an absurdist tragicomedy, Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays of
the 20th century and has been adapted for radio and film, with Gary Oldman and
Tim Roth leading the 1990 movie adaptation.
Key Facts about Hamlet
- Full Title: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
- When Written: Likely between 1599 and 1602
- Where Written: Stratford-upon-Avon or London, England
- When Published: First Quarto printed 1603; Second Quarto printed 1604; First
Folio printed 1623
- Literary
Period: Renaissance
- Genre: Tragic play; revenge play
- Setting: Elsinore Castle, Denmark, during the late Middle Ages
- Climax: After seeing Claudius’s emotional reaction to a play Hamlet
has had staged in order to make Claudius face a fictionalized version of
his own murder plot against the former king, Hamlet resolves to kill the
Claudius without guilt.
- Antagonist: Claudius
- Point of View: Dramatic
Extra Credit for Hamlet
The Role of a Lifetime.
The role of Hamlet is often considered one of the most
challenging theatrical roles ever written, and has been widely interpreted on
stage and screen by famous actors throughout history. Shakespeare is rumored to
have originally written the role for John Burbage, one of the most well-known
actors of the Elizabethan era. Since Shakespeare’s time, actors John Barrymore,
Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellen, Jude Law, Kenneth Branagh, and Ethan Hawke are
just a few actors who have tried their hand at playing the Dane. When Daniel
Day-Lewis took to the stage as Hamlet in London in 1989, he left the stage
mid-performance one night after reportedly seeing the ghost of his real father,
the poet Cecil Day-Lewis, and has not acted in a single live theater production
since.
Shakespeare or Not?
There are some who believe Shakespeare did not actually
write many—or any—of the plays attributed to him. The most common
“Anti-Stratfordian” theory is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote
the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man, as aristocrats were not supposed
to write plays. Others claim Shakespeare’s contemporaries such as Thomas Kyd or
Christopher Marlowe may have authored his works. Most contemporary scholarship,
however, supports the idea that the Bard really did compose the numerous plays
and poems which have established him, in the eyes of many, as the greatest
writer in history.
Hamlet Summary
A ghost resembling the
recently-deceased King of Denmark stalks the ramparts of Elsinore, Denmark’s
royal castle, over the course of several nights, setting all the castle’s
guardsmen on edge. The terrified sentinels Marcellus, Francisco, and Barnardo convince a skeptical
nobleman, Horatio, to watch along with them one
night. When Horatio sees the ghost, he decides they should tell prince Hamlet—his closest friend and the dead
king's son. Hamlet is also the nephew of the present king, Claudius, who not only assumed his dead
brother's crown but also married the king’s widow, Gertrude. Claudius seems to be an able
king, easily handling the threat of the Norwegian prince Fortinbras, who is seeking to take back
the lands his own father lost in battle with Hamlet’s father. Hamlet, however,
cannot accept his uncle’s rule, furious as he is about Gertrude's marriage to
Claudius, and resentful of both his mother and his uncle for besmirching his
father’s memory with their union. Hamlet agrees to meet the ghost, and as he
speaks with it, it claims to be the spirit of his father. The ghost reveals
that he did not die of natural causes, but rather was poisoned by Claudius.
Hamlet, newly enraged, quickly accepts the ghost's command to seek revenge.
As the days go by, however, Hamlet is uncertain if what the ghost said is true,
and struggles to decide whether he should actually kill his uncle. He delays
his revenge and begins to act half-mad, contemplates suicide, and becomes
furious at all women. He tells himself that his madness is a front which will
allow him to investigate his uncle without the king realizing Hamlet is onto
him, but as Hamlet investigates his own existential and moral center, his
thoughts begin to tend toward serious distress, if not full-blown madness. The
king’s obsequious old councilor, Polonius, begins to believe that Hamlet's
behavior is tied to his affections for Ophelia, Polonius’s daughter. Claudius and
Gertrude, unsatisfied with Polonius’s assessment, summon two of Hamlet's old
school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to try to
find out what's wrong with him. As Polonius develops a plot to spy on a meeting
between Hamlet and Ophelia—using Ophelia as a knowing pawn—Hamlet develops a
plot of his own: to have a recently-arrived troupe of actors put on a play that
resembles Claudius’s alleged murder of King Hamlet, and watch Claudius’s
reaction. Hamlet decides that if Claudius reacts in a way that marks him as
truly guilty, he will be able to avenge his father’s death without any moral
doubts—in other words, he’ll have no excuse not to act decisively and kill the
king.
Polonius and Claudius successfully spy
on the meeting between Ophelia and Hamlet, during which Ophelia attempts to
return gifts and letters Hamlet has given her over an undetermined amount of
time—suggesting that Ophelia and Hamlet have had a romantic and perhaps sexual
relationship for a while. Hamlet flies into a rage against women and marriage,
claiming that women only breed sinners and ordering Ophelia to get herself to a
nunnery and hide herself away from men. Claudius concludes Hamlet neither loves
Ophelia, nor is he mad. Seeing Hamlet’s increasing instability as a threat,
Claudius decides to send him away to England, where he will be less of a
nuisance. At the play that night, however, as the actors perform a scene which
mirrors the events of King Hamlet’s murder, Claudius runs from the room and
thus proves his guilt in Hamlet’s eyes. Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, angry with
Hamlet’s embarrassing behavior at the play, summons him to her quarters to talk
to him about what’s going on. Hamlet nearly gets his chance for revenge when,
on the way to see Gertrude, he comes upon Claudius, alone and praying in a
chamber. Hamlet holds off, however—if Claudius is praying as he dies, then his
soul might go to heaven. Even after determining Claudius’s guilt through his
intricate plot, Hamlet is unable to take action. In Gertrude's room, Hamlet
berates his mother for marrying Claudius so aggressively that she thinks he
might kill her. The ghost of Hamlet’s father appears to Hamlet again, but
Gertrude claims not to be able to see it, and cries out that her son is truly
mad. Polonius, who is spying on the meeting from behind a tapestry, calls for
help. Hamlet thinks Polonius is Claudius and stabs him through the tapestry,
killing him.
Claiming that he wants to protect
Hamlet from punishment for killing Polonius, Claudius sends Hamlet to England
with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Claudius’s real motivation, however, is to
have Hamlet killed—he sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern onward with a letter
asking the King of England, Denmark’s ally, to execute Hamlet on sight.
Meanwhile, Polonius’s son, Laertes, returns to Denmark from his
studies in France to avenge his father's death. He finds that his sister,
Ophelia, has gone insane with grief over her father’s death (and Hamlet’s
rejection of her), and watches as she puts on a macabre and yet spellbinding
display of singing old nursery rhymes alongside bawdy barroom songs, all the
while passing out invisible “flowers” to the members of court. Claudius
convinces Laertes that Polonius’s death—and Ophelia’s madness—are both Hamlet's
fault. When news arrives that a pirate attack has allowed Hamlet to escape back
to Denmark, Claudius comes up with a new plot in which a supposedly friendly
duel between Hamlet and Laertes will actually be a trap—Laertes’s rapier will
be poisoned. As a backup, Claudius will also poison some wine that he'll give
to Hamlet if he wins.
Ophelia drowns in an apparent suicide,
and a funeral is arranged for her. Even though suicides are not supposed to be
given proper Christian burials, according to a pair of gravediggers preparing her grave,
Ophelia will be buried with a limited set of rites since she is a noblewoman.
Hamlet arrives back at Elsinore to find the gravediggers at work. As he
observes them doing their morbid tasks merrily, he watches as they casually toss
out the skull of Yorick, his father’s old court jester.
Hamlet’s existentialism—and nihilism—reach new peaks as he looks at the skull,
realizing that all living souls (be they great or common, good or evil) reach
the same ends. When Hamlet realizes that it is Ophelia being buried, he bursts
onto her memorial service, arguing that he loved her best of anyone—even as
Laertes, stricken with grief, throws himself into his sister’s grave.
Back at the castle, Hamlet tells Horatio of his exploits on the ocean, revealing that he discovered Claudius’s plot and forged a letter in Claudius’s handwriting ordering the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instead of him, ensuring that the pair will be killed on sight when they reach England. When a courtier named Osric brings news of Laertes’s challenge to a duel, Hamlet bravely accepts. Horatio warns Hamlet that he has a bad feeling about the match, but Hamlet tells Horatio that he no longer cares whether he lives or dies—he wants to leave his fate up to God. During the match, Gertrude drinks to Hamlet's success from the poisoned glass of wine before Claudius can stop her. Laertes then wounds Hamlet with the poisoned blade, but in the scuffle they exchange swords and Hamlet wounds Laertes. Gertrude falls, saying the wine was poisoned, and dies. Laertes, realizing that he, too, is doomed by his own poison, reveals Claudius’s treachery. Hamlet kills Claudius by stabbing him with the poisoned sword and pouring wine down the man’s throat, poisoning him just as Claudius poisoned Hamlet’s father. Hamlet and Laertes forgive each another just before Laertes collapses and dies. As Hamlet dies, he hears the drums of Fortinbras's army marching through Denmark after a battle with the Polish, and tells Horatio, with his dying breath, that Fortinbras should be the one to ascend to the throne as the next King of Denmark. Looking around at the mess of spilled wine and bloody bodies, Hamlet charges Horatio with telling the world the full truth of Hamlet’s story. He dies, and Horatio bids the “sweet prince” goodbye. Fortinbras enters with a pair of ambassadors from England, who announce that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Horatio begins to tell Hamlet's story, and Fortinbras orders Hamlet's body to be lifted up on a bier and displayed with the due honor and glory of a soldier.
Hamlet: Act 1, Scene 1
(Summary & Analysis)
|
Summary |
Late
at night, on the ramparts of Elsinore, Barnardo arrives to relieve his fellow
sentinel Francisco of his post. As Barnardo approaches Francisco in the dark,
both men are suspicious of one another, even though Francisco assures
Barnardo his watch has been uneventful. As Francisco prepares to leave and go
to bed, Barnardo urges him to tell Marcellus, another sentinel, and Horatio,
a nobleman, to join him at his post. Right at that moment, Horatio and
Marcellus arrive, announcing themselves as they enter as friends of Denmark
and the king. They ask Francisco—slightly jealously—if he’s done for the
night, then bid him goodbye as he exits. |
|
Analysis |
From the very opening moments of the play, Shakespeare
establishes an atmosphere of fear, distrust, and apprehension. It is clear
that the nightly watch has become a fearsome endeavor, and that something—or
someone—is frightening the very men charged with keeping Elsinore secure. |
|
Summary |
Marcellus and Horatio sleepily greet Barnardo before
asking him if the “thing” has “appeared again.” Marcellus says that even
though he and Barnardo have seen the “dreaded sight twice,” Horatio refuses
to believe it’s real. Marcellus explains that’s why he’s brought Horatio
along tonight—to see the “apparition” that has plagued the nightly watch.
Horatio is skeptical that anything will appear, and so Barnardo begins
telling him the story of the ghost. He has barely begun his tale when, surely
enough, the ghost appears. |
|
Analysis |
Hamlet is a play in which ghosts are
real. By establishing that several characters can see the ghost, Shakespeare
shows that it is not a figment of
any one person’s imagination, and should be taken extremely seriously. |
|
Summary |
Marcellus
and Barnardo marvel at the apparition, which is “in the same figure like the
king that’s dead.” Marcellus urges Horatio, an educated “scholar” to speak to
the ghost. Horatio confesses that he is full of “fear and wonder” as he gazes
upon the ghost, which he, too, believes looks just like the dead King of
Denmark. Horatio begins shouting at the apparition, demanding to know who—or
what—it is, and ordering it to speak for itself. The ghost, however, begins
moving away from the men wordlessly. Barnardo and Marcellus lament that
Horatio has offended the ghost. |
|
Analysis |
The fact that the ghost appears to be the recently-deceased King
of Denmark is an ill portent—which all these men immediately recognize. In a
world where the health of the country is tied to the health of its king, the
appearance of an undead monarch predicts decay, unrest, and perhaps even evil
at the heart of Denmark. |
|
Summary |
After
the ghost exits, Barnardo remarks upon how pale Horatio looks, and asks the
man if he’s all right. Horatio admits that he is shaken. He says that if he
hadn’t seen the ghost with his own two eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it. He
is mesmerized and perturbed by how much the ghost looks like the king—even
down to his armor. Horatio says he believes the ghost’s appearance “bodes
some strange eruption to our state.” In other words, he believes something
bad is about to happen in Denmark. |
|
Analysis |
Horatio’s reaction in this passage confirms that the ghost’s
appearance bodes ill for the kingdom of Denmark. This scene foreshadows all
the unrest—both spiritual and political—that will develop over the course of
the play. |
|
Summary |
Marcellus says he agrees with Horatio—he and the other
sentinels have noticed how strict their schedule of nightly watches has
become and have seen the forces within Elsinore building cannons, buying
weapons, and readying ships. Horatio confesses that he has heard rumors
swirling around the castle. He talks of how the deceased King Hamlet killed
the King of Norway, Fortinbras, in a duel—which meant that, according to an
agreement between the kings, Denmark absorbed certain Norwegian lands. Now,
Horatio says, he has heard that Fortinbras’s son—also named Fortinbras—has
gathered up an army and plans to sail for Denmark, retake his father’s lost
lands, and restore glory to Norway. Horatio says that they should all take
the portent of the ghost very seriously and heed its warnings. |
|
Analysis |
Shakespeare introduces in this passage the struggle between
Norway and Denmark—a struggle in which a son, determined to regain his
father’s honor, sets in motion plans and actions to avenge him. Fortinbras’s
journey seems to mirror the one being set up for Hamlet—but of course, as the
play unfolds, Shakespeare will show how Hamlet’s approach to and perspective
on revenge is much more complicated than young Fortinbras’s. |
|
Summary |
Just then, the ghost reappears. As it heads for Horatio,
Horatio orders it to stop. The ghost stops short and spreads his arms wide.
Horatio begs the ghost to use its voice—if it has one—and warn them about
what is to befall Denmark. He asks it to communicate any other unfinished
business it might have, even if it’s not warning the men of war, so that they
might help it achieve peace. A rooster crows, and Marcellus and Barnardo get
worried that the approaching dawn will drive the ghost away. They talk about
how they might stop the ghost from leaving, but their plans are no good—the
ghost departs again. |
|
Analysis |
Though the men are all afraid of the ghost—and what it might
portend—Horatio knows that he must confront it head-on and accept its
presence if he is to appease it. Horatio, like Fortinbras, is a man of
action—and stands in stark contrast to the character of Hamlet, who struggles
to take decisive action and ascertain what’s right. |
|
Summary |
All three men lament having lost the chance to
communicate with the ghost. Horatio urges Marcellus and Barnardo to accompany
him to Hamlet’s quarters to tell the prince of what they’ve seen. Though the
ghost of King Hamlet would not talk to them, Horatio bets it will talk to its
son. |
|
Analysis |
Horatio knows he must get Hamlet involved if the ghost’s presence
is to be resolved—but doesn’t know what kind of journey he’s setting his
friend the prince on just yet. |
Hamlet: Act 1, Scene 2
(Summary & Analysis)
|
Summary |
Inside
the walls of Elsinore, Claudius—the
new king of Denmark—is holding court. With him are his new wife Gertrude,
Hamlet’s mother and the queen; Hamlet himself;
Claudius’s councilor Polonius;
Polonius’s children Laertes and Ophelia;
and several members of court. Claudius delivers a long monologue in which he
laments the death of his brother, King Hamlet—but states that it is high time
to move on and start focusing on the future. In this spirit, Claudius says,
he has married his former sister-in-law Gertrude and become the new king. He
tells the court that he is aware of Fortinbras’s
designs on Denmark but is not planning on kowtowing to the Norwegians’
demands—Claudius is determined to keep Denmark strong. |
|
Analysis |
This scene shows how quickly everyone else at Elsinore has
recovered from the former king’s death—everyone, that is, except for Hamlet.
Claudius’s swift ascension to the throne—which has cut Hamlet’s place in
line, so to speak—is indeed suspicious. Though Claudius has taken to his role
like a fish to water, there’s something almost too perfect about his ease
holding court, engaging in diplomatic matters, and serving as husband to his
brother’s former wife. |
|
Summary |
Two
courtiers, Voltemand and Cornelius,
enter the room to take a letter from Claudius.
Claudius announces that he has written to the new King of Norway—Fortinbras’s
uncle, an “impotent and bedrid” man who has no idea of what his nephew is
planning—to make sure that Fortinbras is put to a stop. Claudius charges
Voltemand and Cornelius with hastily delivering the letter to the King of
Norway. The courtiers leave, promising the demonstrate their loyalty through
the speed of their journey. |
|
Analysis |
Claudius wants to publicly demonstrate how well-prepared he is to
handle any foreign threats—again, because the health of the nation is tied to
the health of the king, Claudius wants to show that compared to “impotent”
foreign leaders, he’s capable, decisive, and strong in body and mind. |
|
Summary |
Claudius says
that he knows Laertes has
a request for him, and tells the young man to ask for anything he wishes—Polonius is
so important to Claudius that Claudius will do whatever Laertes asks.
Laertes asks the king’s permission to return to France. After making sure
that Laertes has his father’s permission, as well, Claudius grants Laertes
leave to go back to France. |
|
Analysis |
There are complicated social codes at court which mirror the
complex codes of religion, honor, and revenge which Hamlet will soon have to
navigate. Themes: Religion, Honor,
and Revenge |
|
Summary |
Claudius then
turns his attention to his “cousin” and “son” Hamlet,
asking why “the clouds [of grief] still hang” on him. Hamlet cheekily retorts
that he is, on the contrary, “too much in the sun.” Gertrude speaks
up and urges Hamlet to stop dressing in black and begin treating Claudius
like a “friend” and father. It is “common,” Gertrude says, for loved ones to
die. Hamlet stonily replies that “it is common.” |
|
Analysis |
This passage introduces Hamlet as sulky and cheeky—but
justifiably so in many ways. His comment that he is “too much in the sun” is
a play on words which demonstrates how unhappy he is about Claudius’s
marriage to his mother. “It is common” is another play on words which implies
his mother’s marriage to Claudius is beneath her. Hamlet is angry that his
mother has stooped so low as to marry her husband’s brother, and furious at
the idea of being called Claudius’s son. He has no proof, at this point, of
any violence or foul play—he has only his disgust for what he perceives as
madness and disorder within his own family. |
|
Summary |
Claudius speaks
up and accuses Hamlet of
mourning out of “impious stubbornness.” Such outward displays of grief,
Claudius says, are “unmanly” and undignified. Claudius echoes Gertrude,
assuring Hamlet that death is normal, and to mourn it so is a kind of crime
against nature. He urges Hamlet to stay in Denmark as a high-ranking member
of court rather than return to Wittenberg to resume his studies. Gertrude,
too, begs Hamlet to stay. Hamlet replies to Gertrude that he will obey her.
Claudius remarks upon how wonderful it is that Hamlet has chosen to stay, and
asks Gertrude to come drink with him in celebration. Claudius, Gertrude, and
the other members of court all exit to go be merry—except Hamlet, who stays
behind. |
|
Analysis |
Everyone wants to move on from the death of the king and walk
forward into a new era—but Hamlet is unable to stop mourning his father, even
as his “new” father tries to tell him how unbecoming (and emasculating) such
persistent sadness is. Hamlet has no interest in revelry or togetherness—he
is completely isolated within his own grief. Hamlet has a depressive,
ruminative personality to begin with—and things are only headed downhill as
he is forced to confront and contemplate issues of mortality, evil, and vengeance. Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Poison, Corruption, Death, Religion, Honor, and Revenge, Action and
Inaction |
|
Summary |
In
a lengthy monologue, Hamlet laments
how “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable” life has become for him since his
father’s death two months ago. He is furious that his mother has remarried so
quickly and deems her new marriage to his father’s brother “incestuous.”
Though Hamlet is tormented by the strange twists and turns his family’s lives
has taken, he knows he must “hold [his] tongue” and not make any trouble. |
|
Analysis |
Hamlet is clearly in a state of agony over what to do. He knows
he cannot submissively accept the current state of affairs, but isn’t sure
how he can change the events that have recently taken place within his
fractured family. Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Poison, Corruption, Death, Action and Inaction |
|
Summary |
Horatio, Marcellus,
and Barnardo enter
and greet Hamlet.
Hamlet clearly hasn’t seen Horatio, his friend from Wittenberg, in a while,
and is surprised and overjoyed at the sight of him. He asks Horatio what he’s
doing in Elsinore, and Horatio replies that he came to attend King Hamlet’s
funeral. Hamlet retorts that if Horatio was here for the funeral, he must
have seen the wedding, too. Hamlet again laments how quickly his mother
remarried, and sadly states that the world will never again see a man like
his father. Horatio states that he saw Hamlet’s father just last night. |
|
Analysis |
Hamlet is eager to voice his displeasure over the current state
of affairs at Elsinore to anyone who will listen. He makes his grievance
known not just to Horatio, but the sentinels as well. Though Hamlet is
indecisive and cannot yet make sense of how he should deal with his
suspicions of Claudius, it’s clear he knows that something must be done to
remedy the injustice of his father’s death. Themes: Poison, Corruption, Death, Action and Inaction |
|
Summary |
Horatio begins
telling Hamlet about
how a ghost which
bears a striking resemblance to Hamlet’s father has appeared to Marcellus and Barnardo three
nights in a row, and assures Hamlet that the men are correct in what they’ve
seen. Hamlet is amazed by the news and asks to know more details about the
ghost. The men tell him that the king was dressed in full armor—but had his
visor up and looked very pale. Hamlet says he wants to join the men on their
watch tonight, and thanks them for their friendship as they exit the room.
Alone, Hamlet wonders what the ghost has to tell him—and whether it will
bring word of “foul play” and “foul deeds.” |
|
Analysis |
The sentinels’ description of the ghost looking “very pale”
further suggests that something is wrong in Denmark. Not only has the ghost
of the king come back—but it is looking ill, even as it is dressed for war.
Its paleness hearkens to the Pale Rider, one of the biblical Four Horsemen of
the apocalypse, who rides the horse of Death and thus serves as a symbolic
omen of darkness and suffering. The ghost’s external appearance of sickness,
then, signals a parallel sense of social disease and political decay within
the kingdom. |
Hamlet: Act 1, Scene 3
(Summary & Analysis)
|
Summary |
As Laertes prepares
to sail back to France, he bids goodbye to his sister, Ophelia,
and warns her not to gamble her “honor” by falling in love with Hamlet—a
broody man bound to the will of his country. Laertes condescendingly advises
Ophelia to mind her reputation, keep her virginity intact, and stay far away
from Hamlet and the “danger of desire.” Ophelia says she’ll keep Laertes’s
words close to her heart—but cheekily urges him to follow his own advice upon
returning to France. |
|
Analysis |
This passage establishes that Ophelia and Hamlet have some sort
of relationship. Though Shakespeare keeps the details of their romantic and
sexual history ambiguous, Laertes’s anxiety about Ophelia losing sight of
herself (and her honor) shows that he believes she is already head over heels
for Hamlet, and establishes her sexual purity as a chief social concern. Themes: Woman, Religion,
Honor, and Revenge |
|
Summary |
Polonius enters
to give Laertes’s
departure his blessing. He gives his son some fatherly advice, warning the
young man to make many new friends—but not to let anyone get too close
without proving their trustworthiness—and also urging him to stay out of
quarrels, to dress well, to never borrow nor lend money, and, “above all: to
thine own self be true.” Laertes bids his father and sister goodbye one final
time, reminding Ophelia to
remember the things he told her before heading down to the docks. |
|
Analysis |
Polonius is submissive and sycophantic when it comes to his
dealings with the monarchy. But with his own children, he spews platitudes
and attempts to appear knowledgeable and self-assured, revealing a gap
between the image he projects to the world and his true inner motivations. Themes: Appearance vs Reality |
|
Summary |
After Laertes leaves, Polonius asks Ophelia what
her brother told her. Ophelia tells him that Laertes gave her some advice
about Hamlet.
Polonius says he’s noticed that Hamlet and Ophelia have been spending a lot
of time together, then asks Ophelia to tell him what’s going on between the
two of them. Ophelia says that Hamlet has “made many tenders of his
affection” to her. Polonius scoffs at Hamlet’s “tenders,” and tells Ophelia
that she would be a fool to believe Hamlet cares for her. Ophelia insists
that Hamlet is true to her, but Polonius warns his daughter that Hamlet is
too young—and has too much freedom—to be true. Polonius urges Ophelia not to
waste any more of her time with the prince. Ophelia promises to obey her
father. |
|
Analysis |
This passage shows that Ophelia is bound to the whims and orders
of the men in her life. Her father and brother attempt to control her very
feelings and sexuality, while she feels tugged in the other direction by
Hamlet’s promises and affections. The fact that so many men are attempting to
govern Ophelia means that, by necessity, she must stifle certain aspects of
herself in order to meet their expectations—a stressful and dishonest way of
living that will cause her to become increasingly unstable as the play moves
forward. Themes: Woman |
Hamlet: Act 1, Scene 4
(Summary & Analysis)
|
Summary |
That
night, Hamlet, Horatio,
and Marcellus stand
on the ramparts of Elsinore in the bitter cold, waiting for the ghost to
appear. Sounds of Claudius and
his courtiers feasting and drinking merrily echo from inside the castle, and
Hamlet tells his friends that Claudius’s constant revelry is “soil[ing]”
Denmark’s reputation, blotting out all that is good in the country. |
|
Analysis |
Hamlet’s suspicion and hatred of his uncle grow with each day as
he bears witness to the king’s obnoxious revelry. It’s clear that Claudius
has quickly gotten over the recent death of his brother, while Hamlet still
mourns him sorrowfully. Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Poison, Corruption, Death |
|
Summary |
The ghost suddenly
appears, and Horatio urges Hamlet to
address it. Hamlet begins speaking to the apparition, begging to know if it
truly is the ghost of his father. He asks the ghost to tell him why it has
chosen to leave its tomb and wander the grounds of Elsinore in full armor. In
response, the ghost motions for Hamlet to follow it. Though Marcellus and
Horatio urge Hamlet not to go with the ghost, Hamlet says he will follow
it—he doesn’t value his life in the first place, he says, and thus has
nothing to lose. |
|
Analysis |
This passage introduces Hamlet’s seemingly suicidal bent. This
casual disregard for his own life persists throughout the play as Hamlet
contemplates suicide, risks execution, and engages in other reckless
behaviors. It seems that losing his father has caused Hamlet to question the
meaning of his own life, since even a powerful, beloved king can be
unceremoniously killed. Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Poison, Corruption, Death |
|
Summary |
Horatio begs Hamlet at
length not to follow the ghost,
as it may have devious designs on Hamlet’s life and might try to lead him
into the sea. When Horatio and Marcellus try
to physically restrain Hamlet, he orders them to unhand him—then draws his
sword when they refuse to listen. He threatens to turn them into ghosts
themselves if they don’t let him follow the apparition where it leads.
Marcellus and Horatio stand down and let Hamlet follow the ghost away—but
resolve to follow close behind just in case danger befalls their prince.
Marcellus remarks that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” |
|
Analysis |
Marcellus and Horatio are frightened of the ghost—they lack
Hamlet’s disregard for his own life, and are actively worried about their
friend getting into danger. The blindness and rage the ghost inspires in
Hamlet furthers Marcellus’s belief that there is something very wrong not
just within the royal family, but in the country as a whole. Themes: Action and Inaction,
Appearance vs Reality, Poison, Corruption, Death |
Hamlet: Act 1, Scene 2
(Summary & Analysis)
|
Summary |
Hamlet follows the ghost as
it leads him along, but soon grows tired. He orders the ghost to speak to
him, refusing to follow it any farther. The ghost assents and turns to speak
to Hamlet. The ghost tells the prince that it is nearly time for it to return
to purgatory, but before it goes, it has something important to say. Hamlet
promises to listen well. The ghost makes Hamlet swear to seek revenge for
what the ghost is about to tell him, and Hamlet urges the ghost to go on. |
|
Analysis |
Before the ghost makes clear its identity or its purpose, even,
it demands vengeance from Hamlet—and Hamlet agrees. This underscores the
important of revenge and honor in Hamlet’s society: it comes before anything
else. Themes: Poison, Corruption, Death, Religion, Honor, and Revenge |
|
Summary |
The ghost tells Hamlet that
it is indeed the spirit of his father. He begins speaking of the horrors of
purgatory, but laments that everything he wants to say cannot be told to
“ears of flesh and blood.” The horrified Hamlet listens, rapt, as the ghost
urges him to seek revenge for the late king’s “foul and most unnatural
murder.” Hamlet urges the ghost to tell the tale of the king’s murder as
quickly as it can, so that he can immediately go and get revenge. |
|
Analysis |
Hamlet seems determined to get vengeance for the ghost of his
father as quickly as he can—an impulse that will soon be flattened as Hamlet
starts actually reckoning with the demands and moral implications of revenge. Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Poison, Corruption, Death, Religion,
Honor, and Revenge, Action and Inaction |
|
Summary |
The ghost tells Hamlet that
though everyone at court has been told that the king died after being bitten
by a serpent while sleeping in the orchard, in reality, “the serpent that did
sting thy father’s life now wears his crown.” In other words, the ghost
confirms that the “incestuous” and “traitorous” Claudius killed
the king by pouring poison in his ears while he slept in the garden. The
ghost begs Hamlet not to let Claudius get away with murder—or turn the throne
of Denmark into “a couch for luxury and damnèd incest.” The ghost charges
Hamlet to avenge him before vanishing. Though the ghost is gone, Hamlet vows
aloud to do all the ghost has asked of him. |
|
Analysis |
The ghost uses strong language as it rails against Claudius’s
lustful and obscene designs on both the throne and Gertrude, wholeheartedly
confirming Claudius’s immorality. It uses an image of a traitorous serpent
which invokes the biblical association of snakes with Satan, thus hinting at
the Christian morality that underpins Elsinore. This religious undertone is
important because it adds deeper context to Hamlet’s struggle to parse out
the morality of revenge throughout the play. Hamlet will parrot this specific
language later on, as his fury with both Claudius and the queen continues to
grow. Themes: Poison, Corruption, Death, Religion, Honor, and Revenge, Woman Literary Devices: Foreshadowing, Metaphors, Motifs, Soliloquy |
|
Summary |
Horatio and Marcellus at
last catch up with Hamlet and
breathlessly ask him what the ghost had to say. Hamlet is reluctant to tell
them, though, for fear that they’ll betray his secret. Hamlet tells Horatio
and Marcellus not to ask him any more about what the ghost said—and not to
tell anyone in Denmark about what they’ve seen the last several nights. Both
men swear their secrecy. Hamlet asks them to swear upon his sword. When
Marcellus protests that they’ve already sworn, the voice of the ghost calls
out, demanding the men swear secrecy again. Horatio and Marcellus hastily
agree to lay their hands upon Hamlet’s sword and swear. |
|
Analysis |
Just as the ghost has demanded blind allegiance and swift action
from Hamlet, so too does Hamlet demand total loyalty and secrecy from his
friends. As the ghost reappears to back up Hamlet’s demands, it becomes clear
that the ghost can show up any time it likes—and wants to reinforce just how
hungry it is for vengeance. Themes: Poison, Corruption, Death, Religion, Honor, and Revenge, Action
and Inaction |
|
Summary |
Hamlet invites Horatio and Marcellus to
touch his sword and swear that no matter how strangely Hamlet acts in the
coming days—and he may, he predicts, begin acting very strangely—they must
not let on that they know anything about the ghost or his visit with
Hamlet. The ghost calls
out again for the men to swear to Hamlet’s demands. Hamlet urges the ghost to
rest, and laments that he must be the one to set his father’s unfinished
business right. Satisfied with Marcellus and Horatio’s vows of loyalty,
Hamlet urges them to follow him back to the castle. |
|
Analysis |
Hamlet’s madness is, and has long been, the subject of much
scrutiny as the play has been studied throughout the years. This passage
shows that Hamlet may already be planning to play up the existential unrest
he’s already feeling in order to disguise his investigation of Claudius and
his hunger for vengeance—proving that Hamlet’s madness begins, at least, as a
cover. Themes: Appearance vs Reality, Poison, Corruption, Death, Religion,
Honor, and Revenge, Action and Inaction |
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