English Literature books summary

died, is accompanied by Queen Gertrude and other lords and attendants in

Elsinore Castle. He addresses the people, telling them that although his

brother's death is fresh in their minds, it is time for them to celebrate

his royal marriage to Queen Gertrude, who was also his brother's former

wife. He further informs the people that young Fortinbras of Norway has

assembled armies against Denmark. In response to this threat, Claudius

sends two men, Valtemand and Cornelius, as messengers to the uncle of young

Fortinbras with a letter in which he asks the older uncle to stop young

Fortinbras from attempting to attack Denmark.

Claudius next asks a young nobleman named Laertes why he has requested an

audience. Laertes informs him that although he has been fulfilled his

duties and attended the coronation in Denmark, he would rather return to

France. Claudius asks Polonius, Laertes' father, if he has given permission

for his son to go. Polonius assents, and Laertes is allowed to leave

Denmark.

Turning to Hamlet, Claudius asks his nephew why he is still in mourning for

his father's death, hinting that Hamlet might only be pretending to be

grief-stricken. Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude, also asks him why he still

dresses in black clothing. Hamlet replies that his grief is quite real and

that he will continue grieving. Claudius tells him it is unnatural for a

man to remain sorrowful for such a long time. Both Claudius and Gertrude

then beg Hamlet to stay with them in Denmark instead of returning to

Wittenberg where his university is located. Hamlet agrees to stay, and

watches as everyone leaves the hall to celebrate his uncle's and his

mother's marriage.

He is upset about the fact that his mother married Claudius within less

than two months after the death of King Hamlet. Hamlet says, "O most wicked

speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!" (1.2.157). He

is interrupted by the arrival of Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus, who have

come to tell him about the ghost they have seen.

Horatio tells Hamlet about seeing the ghost of King Hamlet. Hamlet asks

them if they have the watch again that night, and Barnardo says they do. At

this information, Hamlet agrees to join them that night in order to see the

ghost and hopefully to speak with it.

Act One, Scene Three

Laertes, about to leave for France, says farewell to his sister Ophelia. He

warns her to beware of Hamlet, whom he tells her is insincere. "For Hamlet

and the trifling of his favour, / Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, /

...sweet not lasting" (1.3.5-6, 8). Laertes then lectures Ophelia, telling

her that Hamlet will say anything to win her heart. He tells her to hold

off, and if Hamlet still loves her after he has been made king, only then

should she consider marrying him. Ophelia agrees to remember what he has

told her.

Polonius then arrives and tells Laertes to hurry up and catch his ship

before it leaves the harbor. As he walks Laertes towards the ship, Polonius

gives his son fatherly advice. "Be thou familiar but by no means vulgar. /

The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, / Grapple them to thy soul

with hoops of steel" (1.3.61-63). Laertes promises to obey his father, and

leaves after he reminds Ophelia to remember what he has said.

Polonius asks Ophelia what advice Laertes gave her. Ophelia tells him, and

Polonius gets mad at her for believing what Hamlet has told her. He orders

her to give less of her time to Hamlet in the future, saying, "From this

time, daughter, / Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence" (1.3.120-

121). Ophelia tells her father she will do what he commands: "I shall obey,

my lord" (1.3.136).

Act One, Scene Four

Hamlet and Horatio are outside waiting for the ghost to arrive. They hear a

cannon go off, and Hamlet tells Horatio that the cannon is fired whenever

the king empties a draught of Rhenish wine. Hamlet is upset about the

custom, because he thinks it makes Denmark appear to be a land of

drunkards. The ghost arrives and Hamlet tries to speak to it, but it only

beckons him to follow it. Horatio and Marcellus try to make him stay, but

Hamlet tells them to let go of him. Marcellus and Horatio watch him leave

and decide to follow him. Marcellus remarks, "Something is rotten in the

state of Denmark" (1.4.67).

Act One, Scene Five

Hamlet follows the ghost, who finally speaks and informs Hamlet that he is

the spirit of Old Hamlet, Hamlet's father. The ghost indicates that he is

in purgatory, "I am thy father's spirit, / Doomed for a certain term to

walk the night / And for the day confined to fast in fires / Till the foul

crimes done in my days of nature / Are burned and purged away" (1.5.9-13).

The ghost then tells Hamlet to listen to him closely.

Old Hamlet orders his son to revenge his murder. Hamlet is confused, not

understanding what the ghost is speaking about. The ghost tells him that

"sleeping in mine orchard, / A serpent stung me" (1.5.35-36), alluding to

the fact that he was murdered. He goes on to say that the serpent is his

brother, Claudius, who entered the garden where he was sleeping and poured

poison into his ear. He died without having a chance to confess his sins,

and is therefore forced to suffer in Purgatory until his sins are burned

away.

The ghost leaves Hamlet with the words, "Adieu, adieu, Hamlet. Remember me"

(1.5.91). Hamlet wonders about what he has heard, and decides that he

believes the ghost. He makes Marcellus and Horatio swear to never reveal

what they have seen. He then makes them swear a second time, this time on

his dagger which is shaped like a cross. He tells Horatio, "There are more

things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in our

philosophy" (1.5.168-169). They all swear yet again and return to the

castle.

Act Two, Scene One

Polonius is in his apartments with his servant Reynaldo. He is sending

Reynaldo to France with instructions to keep tabs on the behavior of

Laertes. Polonius tells Reynaldo to first inquire what other Danes are in

the area, and then to tell them that he knows Laertes. He wants Reynaldo to

hint to the other Danes that Laertes has a reputation for gambling,

drinking, or whoring. The purpose of this lie is to see if the other Danes

agree with Reynaldo and tell him about real things that Laertes has done.

Polonius is careful to insist that Reynaldo does not harm his son's honor

in the process, saying, "none so rank / As may dishonour him, take heed of

that" (2.1.20-21). Reynaldo leaves the room to depart for France.

Ophelia arrives and tells Polonius that she thinks Hamlet has gone mad. She

claims that while she was sowing he came to her looking completely

disheveled. Hamlet took her by the wrist and looked at her for a long time.

He then turned to walk away, all the while keeping his eyes on Ophelia and

even walking through the doors without averting his gaze. Polonius is upset

when he hears this, and he concludes that her refusal to see Hamlet anymore

has driven the young prince mad. Polonius takes Ophelia to go see King

Claudius and tell him what has happened.

Act Two, Scene Two

Claudius and Gertrude meet with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two former

friends of Hamlet. Claudius informs them that he has summoned them to

Denmark due to Hamlet's madness. He wants them to spend time with Hamlet

and find out what the reason for the madness is. They both agree to do

this, and leave to find Hamlet.

Polonius arrives and informs Claudius that the ambassadors he sent to

Norway have returned. Claudius tells him that he always brings good news.

Polonius, delighted by the compliment, further tells him that he thinks he

knows the cause of "Hamlet's lunacy" (2.2.49). Claudius is excited by this

news as well, but orders the ambassadors to enter first.

Valtemand, one of the ambassadors, tells Claudius that Old Norway, the

uncle of Fortinbras, was unaware that his nephew was raising an army

against Denmark. He informs Claudius that Old Norway summoned Fortinbras to

meet him as soon as he heard about his nephew's plans. Fortinbras complied

with the summons and was forced to vow to never attack Denmark. His uncle,

believing him, immediately gave him an annual income of three thousand

crowns and also gave him permission to attack Poland instead. Old Norway

further wrote a letter to Claudius asking him to allow Fortinbras a safe

passage through Denmark on the way Poland.

Claudius is very pleased with the way things appear to have turned out, and

heartily agrees to allow Fortinbras to march through Denmark. After the

ambassadors leave, Polonius turns to Claudius and Gertrude and tells them

that Hamlet is mad. They both become impatient to hear what he is saying,

and Polonius finally produces a letter from Hamlet to Ophelia in which

Hamlet professes his love to her. Gertrude then asks Polonius how Ophelia

received Hamlet's overtures of love. Polonius is forced to tell them that

at his request she ignored Hamlet or rebuked his love. Claudius is not

completely convinced that this is the full cause of Hamlet's insanity. He

and Polonius decide to put Ophelia into the hall where Hamlet is known to

spend hours pacing each day. They plan to hide behind a tapestry and watch

what happens.

Hamlet arrives at this moment dressed as if he is mad and reading a book.

Polonius asks the king and queen to leave so that he may speak with Hamlet

alone. Hamlet pretends not to recognize Polonius, whom he calls a

fishmonger. He then asks Polonius if he has a daughter, and tells him to

keep her out of the sun. When Polonius, thoroughly convinced that Hamlet is

deranged, asks what he is reading, Hamlet tells him, "Words, words, words"

(2.2.192). Polonius gives up trying to reason with Hamlet and leaves.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive and are greeted warmly by Hamlet who

immediately drops all pretense of madness. He recognizes them and asks them

what brings them to Denmark, referring to it as a "prison". They refuse to

give him a straight answer, and Hamlet infers from this that "you were sent

for, / and there is a kind of confession in your looks which your modesties

have not craft enough to colour" (2.2.271-272). Guildenstern finally admits

that Hamlet is correct in his assumption that they were sent for. Hamlet

tells them that he has been extremely melancholy during the past few

months.

The two friends of Hamlet inform him that some players, a theatrical group,

arrived in Denmark with them that day. Hamlet discusses the actors with

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern until a trumpet announces the arrival of the

performers. He then personally goes to greet them and welcome them to

Denmark. Polonius arrives at that moment and, still thinking that Hamlet is

mad, tells Hamlet that the best actors in the world have arrived. Hamlet

plays word games with Polonius until he starts to ignore him.

Hamlet asks one of the players to perform a speech for him. The player asks

him which speech he is so keen to hear, and Hamlet begins to recite lines

from Dido and Aeneas, taken from Virgil's Aeneid. Finally he stops and asks

the actor to continue the speech. The man does, describing how Pyrrhus

kills Priam (the king of Troy). Polonius starts to get bored and soon

Hamlet is forced to stop the actor. He orders Polonius to take care of the

actors and ensure their comfort for the night. Hamlet also asks the actors

whether they can perform a play about the murder of Gonzago. They tell him

they can, and he then asks them whether they can also perform some lines he

wishes to write for them. They agree to do this as well and then leave,

following Polonius. Hamlet tells Guildenstern and Rosencrantz that he will

see them that night.

Left alone onstage, Hamlet speaks to himself. He wishes that he were able

to act as eloquently as the actor who performed the speech. Hamlet is still

torn with indecision about revenging the murder of his father on Claudius

or keeping silent due to uncertainty about whether Claudius really killed

his father. He decides to try and make the player's enact the murder scene

as it was described to him by the ghost. Hamlet is hoping that Claudius,

when he sees the scene, will reveal himself as the true murderer of King

Hamlet. "I have heard that guilty creatures sitting at a play / Have by the

very cunning of the scene / Been struck so to the soul that presently / The

have proclaimed their malefactions" (2.2.566-569). By watching Claudius

when the actors perform this scene, Hamlet expects to discover whether the

ghost told him the truth.

Act Three, Scene One

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are reporting to Claudius and Gertrude what

they have noticed about Hamlet. They tell the king and queen that Hamlet

has not revealed to them why he acts mad some of the time, but that he also

seems distracted. They mention that Hamlet seemed much happier when the

actors arrived and that he ordered them to perform for the court that very

night. Polonius interrupts and mentions that Hamlet had asked him to invite

Claudius and Gertrude to the evening's performance. Claudius happily

accepts the invitation.

Claudius then asks Gertrude to leave, telling her that they will put

Ophelia alone in the room so that she and Hamlet may "accidentally" meet.

She agrees to depart and wishes Ophelia luck in bringing Hamlet out of his

supposed madness. Claudius and Polonius proceed to hide themselves behind a

curtain or tapestry in order to spy.

Hamlet enters the room giving his famous soliloquy, "To be, or not to be;

that is the question" (3.1.58). He is grappling with the difficulty of

taking action against Claudius and the fact that he has not been able to

revenge his father's murder yet. Hamlet's introspective commentary is

interrupted when he sees Ophelia.

Ophelia greets Hamlet and tries to hand him back some of the tokens of his

affection he previously gave her. Hamlet tells her that she should never

have believed him when he told her he loved her, and that she was deceived.

He tells her, "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of

sinners?" (3.1.122). Hamlet then says that women are liars and should not

be allowed to marry, unless the men they marry are fools. He is likely

alluding to the fact that Ophelia rejected him after he proclaimed his love

for her.

Ophelia is upset by his reactions, and says, "O what a noble mind is here

o'erthrown!" (3.1.149). Claudius and Polonius emerge from their hiding-

place and tell her they heard everything. Polonius still thinks the cause

of Hamlet's misery is Ophelia's rejection of his love. Claudius, however,

is convinced that Hamlet is not mad, merely deeply depressed and possibly

dangerous. He tells Polonius that he will send Hamlet to England as soon as

possible.

Act Three, Scene Two

Hamlet has written a scene for the actors and he is instructing them on how

to perform it. He tells them not to be overdramatic, but also "Be not too

tame, neither" (3.2.15). The actors tell him they can perform it exactly as

he desires it to be.

Polonius, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz arrive and Hamlet sends them all to

make the actors hurry up and get ready. Horatio soon shows up and Hamlet

tells him that one scene in the play that night directly mimics the murder

of his father. He asks Horatio to, "observe mine uncle" (3.2.73) in order

to determine whether the ghost was lying or not. They plan to meet

afterwards and compare their separate judgments as to what the reaction of

Claudius means.

Horatio goes to find a seat, and Claudius enters along with the rest of the

court. He greets Hamlet and asks him how he is. Hamlet gives a nonsensical

answer and then asks Polonius if he was an actor during his university

days. Polonius says he was a good actor, and that he played Julius Caesar.

Gertrude asks Hamlet to sit by her, but he says, "No, good-mother, here's

mettle more attractive" (3.2.99) and sits next to Ophelia instead. He

proceeds to make bawdy comments to her, all of which Ophelia tries to

respond to appropriately.

The actors come out onto the stage and proceed to perform a dumb show, a

silent scene in which they enact the murder of a king through poisoning.

Ophelia is confused by the show, but assumes it foretells the actual plot.

The players emerge a second time and start to perform the actual play. They

pretend to be a king and queen. The queen protests her love for the king,

telling him that she will never consider marrying a second man. The king

tells her that such vows are quickly forgotten, but the queen continues to

swear she will never marry a second time.

Hamlet turns to Queen Gertrude and asks her what she thinks of the play.

Gertrude tells him that the queen "protests too much" (3.2.210). Claudius

is worried that the play may be offensive, and asks Hamlet what the play is

called. Hamlet says, "The Mousetrap" (3.2.217), alluding to the fact that

he wants to catch Claudius.

An actor named Lucianus arrives onstage, and Hamlet tells them that he is

meant to portray the nephew of the king. Lucianus pours poison in the

king's ears, and Hamlet comments that he kills the king in order to steal

his estate. Ophelia informs Hamlet that Claudius has stood up out of rage,

thereby stopping the performance. Hamlet happily replies, "What, frighted

with false fire?" (3.2.244). Claudius demands light to shone on him and

leaves the room, followed by everyone except Hamlet and Horatio.

The two friends remain behind and Hamlet gleefully tells Horatio, "O good

Horatio, I'll take the Ghost's word for a thousand pound" (3.2.263-264).

Horatio agrees with him that Claudius is guilty. Rosencrantz and

Guildenstern arrive and tell Hamlet that the king is in a terrible mood and

that Gertrude has sent for him. He agrees to meet with his mother soon, but

they continue to ask him why he is so "distempered" (3.2.308). Hamlet gets

mad at them for their insistence and grabs a recorder from one of the

actors. He shows it to them and demands that Guildenstern play it. When he

refuses, saying he does not know how, Hamlet says,

Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon

me, you would seem to know my stops...do you think I am easier to be played

on than a pipe?" (3.2.334-335,339-340).

Polonius enters and Hamlet immediately pretends to be crazy again. Polonius

also tells Hamlet that his mother wants to see him in her private chamber.

Hamlet plays with him a little, pointing to the clouds and pretending to

see various animals. Finally he makes Polonius leave, and tells Rosencrantz

and Guildenstern to depart as well. In a soliloquy, Hamlet indicates that

he will be "cruel, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use

none" (3.2.365-366). He wants to make his mother aware of the fact that

Claudius murdered her former husband, but not physically harm her in the

process.

Act Three, Scene Three

Claudius meets with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. He tells them that Hamlet

has become too dangerous to keep in Denmark, and that he is therefore

sending him to England. He orders the two young men to prepare to accompany

Hamlet on the voyage, to which they readily assent.

Polonius informs Claudius that Hamlet will meet with his mother in her

private chamber. Polonius decides to conceal himself behind a tapestry in

order to overhear their conversation. He promises to tell Claudius

everything that happens.

Claudius, finally alone, states, "O, my offense is rank! It smells to

heaven" (3.3.36). He then admits to killing his brother and laments the

fact that he cannot repent his crime. He prays to the angels to help him.

Hamlet enters behind him and draws his sword, preparing to kill Claudius.

However, when he realizes that Claudius has been praying, and therefore

would be absolved of all his sins, he decides not to kill him. "A villain

kills my father, and for that / I, his sole son, do this same villain send

to heaven.../ When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage.../ At gaming,

swearing, or about some act / That has no relish of salvation in't, / And

that his soul may be as damned and black / As hell whereto it goes" (3.3.76-

78,89,91-92,94-95). Hamlet chooses to wait and kill Claudius when he is

sure that Claudius will be sent to hell.

Act Three, Scene Four

Polonius admonishes Gertrude to rebuke Hamlet for the way he has acted. He

quickly hides himself as soon as he hears Hamlet coming. Hamlet arrives and

is immediately rude to his mother; he mentions her incestuous marriage to

Claudius and tells her she has offended his father. He promises to hold up

a mirror to her face so that she can see what she has become. "You go not

till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you"

(3.4.19-20). Queen Gertrude becomes afraid of her life and cries for help,

a cry that Polonius foolishly answers.

Hamlet, having heard Polonius make a sound behind the curtain, pulls out

his sword and thrusts it through the curtains, killing him. Hamlet asks

Gertrude if it is the king, but then realizes he has instead killed

Polonius. Gertrude is upset, but Hamlet comments that his act is, "A bloody

deed - almost as bad, good-mother, / As kill a king and marry with his

brother" (3.4.27-28). Gertrude does not understand what Hamlet means, and

he is forced to explain to her. He pulls out two miniatures of King Hamlet

and Claudius and compares them for her, telling her that Claudius killed

King Hamlet in order to seize the throne.

Gertrude is upset and confused, struggling to believe Hamlet. The ghost

reappears at that moment and Hamlet speaks to it, saying, "What would you,

gracious figure?" (3.4.95). Gertrude, who is unable to see the ghost,

believes that Hamlet has gone completely mad. The ghost tells Hamlet to

keep speaking to Gertrude and to convince her, but she becomes even more

convinced that Hamlet is mad as she watches him speak to empty air. Hamlet

points to his father and urges her to look, but she cannot see anything and

finally exclaims, "this is the very coinage of your brain" (3.4.128).

Hamlet shows her that his pulse is constant, convincing her that it is not

a hallucination. She finally asks him what she must do. Hamlet tells

Gertrude to go to bed that night, but to avoid sleeping with Claudius. He

further tells her to let Claudius know that he is not mad, but rather

merely cunning. Hamlet then leaves to get ready to go to England, tugging

Polonius out of the room behind him.

Act Four, Scene One

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