Bernardo
maleGuard who relieves Francisco and sees the ghost.
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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23 chapters1599en
Summary•EnglishSynopsis
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A ghost resembling the murdered King of Denmark appears on the battlements of Elsinore, prompting Prince Hamlet to learn that his uncle Claudius has poisoned his father and to vow revenge while feigning madness. Hamlet stages a play that reenacts the regicide, exposing Claudius’s guilt, but the ensuing intrigue leads him to accidentally kill the meddling Polonius, driving Ophelia to madness and Laertes into a vengeful fury. Manipulated by Claudius, Hamlet is sent to England with a deadly passport, yet he thwarts the plot and returns to Denmark, where Fortinbras’s approaching army underscores the kingdom’s turmoil. In a final poisoned duel arranged by Claudius and Laertes, Gertrude drinks the toxin, Laertes is mortally wounded, and both Claudius and Hamlet succumb to the poison, leaving Horatio as the sole survivor to recount the tragedy. Fortinbras arrives to claim the throne, ordering a military funeral for the fallen prince.
Bibliographic Details
Details from the uploaded book file.
Primary Author
William Shakespeare
Source Title
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Publisher
Anncona Media AB
Language
en
Summary Language
English
Published Date
1599-01-01
Published Year
1599
Rights
Not available
Contributors
William Shakespeare (Author)
Identifiers
No identifiers provided.
Description
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, who is Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king's widow and Prince Hamlet's mother. The play vividly portrays both true and feigned madness—from overwhelming grief to seething rage - and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in English literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others." The play was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime and still ranks among his most-performed, topping the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance list since 1879. It has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch, and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella". Shakespeare based Hamlet on the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. He may also have drawn on or perhaps written an earlier (hypothetical) Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet. He almost certainly created the title role for Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time. In the 400 years since, the role has been performed by highly acclaimed actors from each successive age. The play's structure and depth of characterisation have inspired much critical scrutiny. One such example is the centuries-old debate about Hamlet's hesitation to kill his uncle, which some see as a mere plot device to prolong the action, but which others argue is a dramatization of the complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder, calculated revenge, and thwarted desire. More recently, psychoanalytic critics have examined Hamlet's unconscious desires, and feminist critics have re-evaluated and rehabilitated the often maligned characters of Ophelia and Gertrude.
Characters
Character directory for this processed book.
Francisco
maleFirst guard on watch at Elsinore.
Ghost of King Hamlet
maleSpectral figure resembling the deceased king appears. The Ghost appears on the platform, beckons Hamlet, and vanishes with him. Ghost provides details of his murder and demands revenge
Horatio
maleFriend of Prince Hamlet, scholar brought to watch.
Marcellus
maleGuard who helps coordinate the watch and discusses the ghost.
Laertes
maleLaertes appears, planning to leave for France and warning Ophelia about Hamlet's love.
Ophelia
femaleOphelia, sister of Laertes, discusses Hamlet's recent advances and agrees to heed her father's warning. Confronts Hamlet, receives his bitter rejection, and exits distressed.
Polonius
malePolonius gives Laertes moral advice and cautions Ophelia against trusting Hamlet's vows. Attributes Hamlet's madness to love for Ophelia and supports sending Hamlet to England.
Hamlet
maleHamlet attempts to follow the Ghost despite warnings and delivers a bitter critique of court revels. Hamlet vows revenge and to feign madness Delivers 'To be, or not to be' soliloquy and harshly rejects Ophelia, urging her to go to a nunnery.
Claudius
maleNewly identified as the murderer of King Hamlet Orders Hamlet to be sent to England after the play and continues spying on him through Ophelia.
First Player
maleThe lead actor of a traveling troupe arrives at Elsinore and offers Hamlet a speech about a king murdered by poison.
Gertrude
femaleQueen Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, appears discussing Hamlet's odd behavior with Claudius.
Guildenstern
maleGuildenstern, another school friend of Hamlet, is sent together with Rosencrantz to spy on Hamlet for the King.
Reynaldo
maleReynaldo, Polonius's servant, is tasked with spying on Laertes while he is in France.
Rosencrantz
maleRosencrantz, a childhood friend of Hamlet, is summoned by Claudius to discover the cause of Hamlet's madness.
Lucianus
maleLucianus appears as the nephew of the king in the Murder of Gonzago play, the poisoner who kills the king.
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