Hamlet

Title: Hamlet

Author: William Shakespeare
Premiere: c. 1600, English
Setting: Elsinore Castle, Denmark
Main Characters:

• Hamlet (Prince of Denmark, son of the late king)

• Claudius (Hamlet’s uncle, now king)

• Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother and queen)

• Ophelia (daughter of Polonius, Hamlet’s love interest)

• Polonius (chief counselor to the king)

• Laertes (Polonius’s son)

• The Ghost (spirit of Hamlet’s murdered father)

Plot Summary:
After the sudden death of King Hamlet, the Danish court is rocked by the swift marriage of Queen Gertrude to Claudius, the king’s brother. Prince Hamlet is devastated and suspicious. When his father’s ghost appears and claims he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet vows revenge. Feigning madness, he becomes increasingly erratic, alienating Ophelia and arousing suspicion. He stages a play to “catch the conscience of the king,” confirming Claudius’s guilt. But Hamlet delays action, wrestling with philosophical doubts about life, death, and morality. His inaction sets off a fatal chain of events: Ophelia goes mad and drowns, Polonius is accidentally killed, and a fencing match with Laertes ends in a deadly exchange of poison. In the final moments, Hamlet kills Claudius but dies himself, leaving Denmark in the hands of outsiders.

Key Themes & Significance:
Hamlet is a masterwork of introspection, exploring themes of revenge, betrayal, madness, morality, and mortality. Its rich language and psychological complexity have made it Shakespeare’s most quoted and analyzed play. Hamlet’s existential dilemmas remain deeply resonant for modern audiences, making this tragedy a cornerstone of world drama.