Hamlet Summary

le: Hamlet

Author: William Shakespeare

Main Characters (Protagonist/Antagonist), Title, & Traits:

Hamlet: The prince of Denmark and also the protagonist of the play.

Claudius: Claudius is the antagonist of the play. Hamlet’s uncle who becomes king and marries his late brother’s wife at the beginning of the play.

Gertrude: Hamlet’s mother who married her late husband’s brother quickly after his untimely death.

Ophelia: Hamlet’s love interest. She is deeply in love with Hamlet even though society says that cannot be together.

Setting: The play is set in Denmark during the late medieval time period.

Summary: The play begins with two watchmen and Horatio guarding the Elsinore Castle in Denmark when a ghost appears. Horatio goes to get

The ghost then orders Hamlet to seek revenge on Claudius for what he has done. Hamlet then devotes himself to revenge on his uncle and schemes to be entering melancholy and sadness. Claudius and Gertrude who are worried about Hamlet’s behavior employ his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch him. When Polonius suggests that Hamlet is in love with his daughter, Ophelia, Claudius says he will spy on them in conversation. Hamlet doesn’t seem to love Ophelia, he declares he wants to ban marriages and tells her to go to a nunnery. Hamlet decides to put on a play that will tell the story of which Hamlet believes Claudius to have killed his father. If Claudius reacts, then he will be proven guilty. When the murderer enters the scene, Claudius gets up and walks out. Horatio and Hamlet say this proves his guilt and Hamlet decides to kill Claudius. However, when he goes to kill Claudius, he finds Claudius praying and decides to wait. Claudius fears for his own safety and decides to send Hamlet to England. Hamlet goes to confront his mother, and ends up killing Polonius because he was hiding behind the curtains and Hamlet thought he was Claudius. For this

All of sudden, Hamlet is not afraid to die and he becomes willing to do anything to revenge the death of his beloved father. This is true moment of realization that leads Hamlet to become brave and accept the truth that he might die but he should try his best to avenge his father’s untimely death.

Archetypes:

Love & Heartbreak: The play involves the tragedy of Hamlet and Ophelia’s love. They truly did love each other, but Hamlet’s circumstances and attitude led them to their breakup and eventual deaths. This emotional rollercoaster of love and loss is something that everyone can relate to regardless of the time period.

Instinctive Revenge: Hamlet’s need to seek revenge on his uncle for his father’s death is the main plot of the play. This instinctive revenge is an archetype because almost everybody would want seek revenge on the person who killed somebody they loved. It is just the natural habit of human nature to fight and believe in something they care about.

Conflicts/Issues Highlighted:

Hamlet/Claudius: Hamlet and Claudius are the main conflict throughout the whole play. Claudius is trying to be sneaky and get what he desires through manipulation. Hamlet just wants revenge on him for his