Hamlet by William Shakespeare: summary, characters and analysis of the play

Hamlet, prince of Denmark(The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark) is a tragedy of William Shakespeare whose year of publication is around 1603, since the exact date is not known.

The plot of this play revolves around the revenge carried out by Prince Hamlet to vindicate the death of his father, King Hamlet, who has been murdered by his brother Claudius.

As in other tragedies of the author, the protagonist cannot avoid escaping from a catastrophic fate despite all his efforts to avoid it. Likewise, this work explores themes as universal as life and death, reason and its weakness, or insanity.

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First act

At the royal castle of Elsinor in Denmark, guards witness the ghost of the late King Hamlet.

Later, Prince Hamlet, son of the deceased king, finds out what happened thanks to his friend Horace. So, he decides to stay up all night to witness the appearance of his father.

Parallel to this fact, Laertes, son of Polonius, speaks with his sister Ophelia, who is completely in love with Prince Hamlet, and asks her to forget about him. So the young woman promises to follow her advice.

Finally, when night falls, Hamlet manages to see the ghost of his father, who confesses that Claudio, his brother, murdered him while he was sleeping. So the king makes his son promise to avenge his death.

After this fact, the prince doubts if the spirit that he has seen is really that of his father and if what he has told him is true or not.

Second act

Laertes goes to France. Meanwhile, Polonius, his father, asks one of his servants to spy on him.

On the other hand, Ofelia confesses to her father that Hamlet is crazy. Later, Polonio decides to speak with the kings to alert them to the prince's behavior and confesses that his madness may be due to the love he feels for his daughter.

Later, some friends of Prince Hamlet arrive at the palace, after being summoned by the kings to find out what the prince's madness is due to. Also, the guests hire comedians in order to get Hamlet out of his state.

Third act

King Claudius and Polonius want to find out what caused Prince Hamlet's madness, whether or not it is related to his love for Ophelia. Later, they discover that this is not the reason for his behavior.

On the other hand, the comedians represent his work in the palace. Hamlet guides them and transforms the development of events within it. In it, the actors interpret the events that occurred in the palace regarding the death of Hamlet's father, where his brother murders him and later marries his wife.

Claudio is surprised and leaves the place immediately, a fact that shows his guilt. Later, Hamlet wonders whether or not he should murder him.

The prince talks to his mother, who tries to understand the strange behavior of her son. During the conversation, Polonius spies on them hidden behind the curtain. In the dialogue, Hamlet reproaches his mother for the early marriage to her uncle. Immediately afterwards, the prince hears a sound that leads him to kill Polonio by mistaking him for Claudio.

Finally, the spirit of the late king appears in the room, although only Hamlet can see it. After this fact, Gertrudis takes her son for a madman.

Act four

In this act the exile of Hamlet to England takes place, a decision made by King Claudius, who sends him there to assassinate him.

On the other hand, Ofelia loses her mind after the death of her father. Likewise, Laertes returns from France with the intention of avenging the crime.

Faced with what happened, Claudio tries to make Laertes believe that Hamlet is the culprit of Polonius's death. Later, Horacio offers them news of the prince, who returns to Denmark after some problems occurred during his boat trip.

Then, Claudius and Laertes decide to plan the death of Hamlet by means of a duel to which the son of Polonius will assist with the edge of his sword impregnated in poison.

Finally, Gertrudis warns of Ophelia's tragic death in the river.

Fifth act

In this act the burial of Ophelia takes place. At the beginning, two gravediggers prepare the girl's grave. Immediately afterwards, Hamlet and Horacio appear. Then, one of the workers finds the skull of Yorick, a well-known jester with whom the prince was very close when he was a child.

Later, Ophelia's funeral procession enters with Laertes in front of her and Prince Hamlet learns of the young woman's death.

Already in the palace, Hamlet confesses to his friend Horace that he modified Claudio's letter to save his life but, in return, requested the death of his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Later, the duel between Laertes and Hamlet takes place, where the former hurts the latter with the poisoned sword. Despite this, the prince continues to fight and manages to injure Laertes.

On the other hand, Gertrudis dies while drinking from the poisoned wine glass. Act with which Laertes responds regretfully and confesses that Claudio was the one who poured the poison into the glass. Faced with this fact, Hamlet acts full of rage and kills his uncle.

Before dying, Hamlet asks his friend Horacio that Prince Fortimbrás be the future heir to the throne of Denmark.

Finally, he fulfills the prince's last will and Fortrimbrás orders a funeral in his honor.

Hamlet characters

Hamlet

He is the protagonist of this tragedy, the son of the late King Hamlet of Denmark and his wife Gertrude.

The young prince has a good-natured character and often brings everything that happens to him to reflection. Hamlet is intelligent and presents a philosophical profile as he tries to manage his life guided by thought and moral questioning of his actions.

However, at one point in the play, he shows his impulsive nature. This occurs when he mercilessly murders Polonius by mistaking him for his uncle, his Claudius.

King Claudius

He is the uncle of Prince Hamlet, brother of the late king. He marries Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, when she is her widow.

He is the antagonist of the play, the counterpoint to the character of Hamlet.

Unlike his nephew, Claudio presents an ambitious and criminal profile. She is capable of anything, even killing her own brother, in order to come to power. He is not guided by morals or justice since he does not hesitate to commit crimes.

Gertrude

She is the Queen of Denmark and the mother of Prince Hamlet. She was married to the late King Hamlet but, after his death, she marries Claudius, his former brother-in-law.

In the end, Gertrudis has a tragic death when she mistakenly drinks a poisoned cup.

Hamlet's father

The former king, he is the father of Prince Hamlet. In the play he manifests himself as a ghost during the first scenes.

Likewise, he is the trigger for the story, the person responsible for the action to unfold. His goal is to convey to his son the truth about his murder.

Polonium

He is the chamberlain of the kingdom and advisor to the king, he is also the father of Ophelia and Laertes.

She presents a dominant character over her children. At first he does not like that his son goes to France to study and, when he assumes it, he sends his assistant Reinaldo to spy on him.

In the end, Hamlet kills Polonius by mistake while he listens to the conversation that Polonius has with his mother.

Ophelia

She is the daughter of Polonius and lover of Hamlet, with whom she decides to end her relationship at the advice of her father and her brother. She has a sensitive and caring soul.

When Hamlet murders Polonius, Ofelia cannot overcome the loss of her and goes mad, a fact that leads to her own death.

Laertes

He is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. Laertes wants to resume his studies and therefore goes to France.

He has an impulsive nature and it shows when his father is murdered and immediately wishes to avenge his death.

At the end of the play, Laertes dies in a duel against Hamlet.

Horatio

He is Hamlet's best friend since he studied with him at Wittenberg University. Horacio is the representation of reason and sanity within the work. Often he acts as a confidant and good advisor to the prince.

Horacio does not die but he does witness the death of his friend Hamlet.

Fortimbras

Prince and son of the late King of Norway, who was assassinated by the ancient King Hamlet.

Fortimbrás seeks to avenge the death of his father and arrives in Denmark at the end of the play. Before dying, Hamlet requests that this be the next king of Denmark.

Analysis of the work

Structure

The play is made up of five acts, which are divided into scenes at the same time. However, it is not an original structure of the work, but the one established by the editors. Thus, Hamlet raises the following organization:

• Approach: It covers the first act, which revolves around the appearance of the ghost of King Hamlet. Likewise, the background and crime of the current king, Claudio, are released. The trigger for the play is also generated: the revenge of Prince Hamlet.
• Knot: it includes from the second act to the fourth. In this part the action unfolds. It also contains one of the best-known acts in the play, where Hamlet recites the monologue of "To be or not to be."
• Outcome: they take place in the last act. Where revenge takes place and, consequently, death plays a leading role. This part exposes the deaths of Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes and Prince Hamlet.

Language and style

This tragedy is written in verse almost in its entirety, however prose is sometimes present.

Likewise, dialogues and monologues are also part of the work. The former is intended to advance the action. In them there are a variety of registers, depending on each character, they can range from a courtly to a colloquial style.

On the other hand, the soliloquies have a "philosophical" purpose, in them you can see the great reflections of Hamlet. Hamlet's monologue during the third act is a reference within universal literature.

Topics

The revenge

The main subject and catalyst of the work. Revenge becomes Hamlet's great dilemma when he receives a visit from the ghost of his father.

However, he is not the only character considering retaliation. Laertes and Fortimbrás also want to avenge the death of their respective parents.

Hypocrisy

This theme is reflected in the actions of some characters in the play. The greatest example of falsehood is that shown by King Claudius, who with his interventions suggests a feeling of sorrow for the death of his brother.

However, reality is discovered by the ghost of King Hamlet and by the theater performance, when his face changes when he visualizes the scene that simulates the death of his brother.

In Polonio you can also see an example of hypocrisy when he decides to send Reinaldo to France to spy on his son.

In this play, appearances are deceptive and the characters' true faces are often revealed in monologues, where their real intentions are revealed.

Death

Death is the tragic fate of many characters throughout this play. Likewise, he becomes a path to consider to end the agony that torments them. In Hamlet's first soliloquy, the prince deeply wishes for his own death.

Oh! If there is too much solid mass of meat it could soften and dissolve, dissolved in a shower of tears!

On the other hand, betrayal, revenge or madness are some of the reasons that originate the fatal fate of other characters such as Polonio, Ofelia, Claudio, Laertes or Gertrudis. Even the death of Prince Hamlet at the end of the play.

Reason and madness

The dilemma that most worries Hamlet is whether he should act without thinking or, on the contrary, let himself be guided by reason.

Apparently the prince is a rational person. However, at times, he acts impulsively. For example, when he murders Polonius or when he talks to Ophelia.

So is Hamlet insane or not? This is the doubt that appears first among some characters in the work, who try to justify it in some way. But this uncertainty also extends to the reader as the work progresses.

On the other hand, is madness the reason for Ophelia's death? The young woman cannot overcome the death of her father and ends up committing suicide.

Thus, this issue is also important in the work, which after reading it we could even ask ourselves: is madness a threat that looms over human beings?

To be or not to be, that is the question

It is one of the most famous phrases in Hamlet, also in world literature. It is also the quote that best sums up the spirit of this tragedy by William Shakespeare.

This monologue could also provide answers to why the play Hamlet he has managed to pass the time barrier almost intact. And it is that, despite the centuries, this story encompasses internal conflicts of the human being himself, his existence and the doubt about his own actions. Reason versus momentum.

To be or not to be, that is the question.

Just as the dilemmas of the human spirit transcend with the passage of time, Hamlet it is and will be a "living" work as long as we are thinking beings and have to make decisions. Because this Shakespearean play is the eternal representation of human doubt and despair.

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William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet. He is considered one of the most relevant writers of all time.

He was born in the small English town of Stratford-on-Avon, into a wealthy family.

In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he lived in London. There he created different theater companies and worked for the court.

Likewise, Shakespeare wrote innumerable plays, which stand out for their extraordinary command of language. His works have been able to overcome the passage of time and, many of them, continue to be represented successfully.

Among its titles, it is worth mentioning: Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The dream of a nigth of summer, Julius Caesar, The Tempest Y Sonnets, his poetic work.

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