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Shakespeare's Hamlet

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This article provides information about the plot of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The play begins with a ghost being discovered walking down the hallways of a castle. This ghost is the ghost of King Hamlet. The son of King Hamlet, Prince Hamlet is told by a man named Horatio that there have been appearances of a ghost around the castle. Prince Hamlet insists that he sees the ghost of his father himself. The ghost reveals to Prince Hamlet that his brother, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius was the one that murdered him. King Hamlet tells Prince Hamlet that his death must be avenged. Before all of this happens, we get more of a history of what Claudius has done. Very soon after Claudius murdered his brother in order to become king, he marries a woman …show more content…

Ophelia admits that she does have feelings for Prince Hamlet and her father and brother advise her to cut herself off from Hamlet which is what she does. Act II is supposedly later in time and Prince Hamlet has gone mad. Claudius sends two men named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to see what is wrong with Hamlet. Polonius believes that it is because Ophelia turned him down. He tests this theory by putting Hamlet and Ophelia together when they are “alone” and seeing what they discuss. Prince While this is being planned, Hamlet is organizing a play to produce about his father’s death to discover if Claudius is the real murderer and if the ghost can be trusted. Act III begins with Polonius testing his theory. Polonius discovers that Prince Hamlet acted crudely towards Ophelia and that she is not the reason for his madness. Prince Hamlet’s play The Mousetrap is about to be produced. Many people have gathered to watch the play including Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, and Polonius. Claudius becomes upset because he knows what he has done. Claudius decides that he should send Prince Hamlet to …show more content…

Because Prince Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius ships him to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. At some point in time, Hamlet intercepts a letter that orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to kill Hamlet as soon as they arrive. Back home, Ophelia has also become mad due to the death of her father. Laertes returns demanding an explanation of his father’s death. Claudius tells Laertes that it was all Hamlet’s fault. On Hamlet’s ship to England, he is supposedly captured by pirates and returned for a form of payment. When Hamlet returns, Claudius plans a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet in order to kill Hamlet. Claudius poisons the cup that Hamlet will drink out of and also poisons the tip of Laertes’s sword. It is also discovered that Ophelia has drowned. In Act VI, Ophelia’s funeral takes place where Laertes tricks Hamlet into saying how much he grieves the death of Ophelia. A man named Osric informs Hamlet of the duel and Hamlet agrees to it. During the fight, Hamlet will not drink out of the cup. Instead, Gertrude drinks out of the cup and later on

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The next night Hamlet was on lookout for the ghost. The ghost told him that Claudius killed him by putting poison in his ear. Hamlet accidentally killed Polonius thinking it was Claudius; he also killed Laertes (Polonius’s son). Did Hamlet have a reason for his actions? The treatment of Gertrude, treatment of Ophelia, delaying and killing of Claudius is yet to be determined.

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Laertes believes Hamlet is to blame not only for his father’s death, but also for Ophelia’s death because the death of her father is ultimately what drove her to killing herself. Once Laertes returns, he asks King Claudius who is responsible for the death of his father and is informed that Hamlet is the one to blame. Ophelia enters and reveals to everyone that she has gone crazy and ends up killing herself. Hamlet returns to Denmark and is surprised to find out that Ophelia has died. Laertes and Hamlet start fighting at her burial service and Hamlet says he wants to be

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In Shakespeare 's Hamlet, King Hamlet is unexpectedly killed. When King Hamlet 's ghost visits his son, the ghost tells Prince Hamlet, that his death was intentional. Spurred on by his father, he resumes to immediately plan for revenge. Prior to his seek for revenge, King Claudius had wed Hamlet 's mother, Gertrude, causing an already forming animosity between the uncle and nephew, to thicken. Polonius, Claudius ' court advisor, had a daughter, Ophelia, who was to become Hamlet 's love interest.

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However, he doesn’t kill him because he would go to heaven if Claudius killed. He then decides to kill him later. Scene 4: When Hamlet meets with his mother in the chamber, he pulls his mother in front of a mirror, but she thinks that he may want to kill her. Polonius knows the situation and cries out for help at the hidden place, yet Hamlet thinks that the hidden voice belongs to Claudius so he kills Polonius. When, he continues to berate her and describe Claudius in the most hurtful language, Old Hamlet’s ghost appears again.

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During Ophelia’s funeral, the drama between Hamlet and Laertes magnifies which causes more hate between their families. Laertes provokes Hamlet into fighting him by Ophelia’s grave, with their families there to witness, by saying “[t]he devil take thy soul” (V, i, 243). Following this mishap, Laertes is informed by Claudius of a strategy to end Hamlet’s life in the near future. This immoral conflict being conducted in a place that already is commemorating death displays that they are inclined to cause more people to die. This plot to kill Hamlet is not beneficial to Hamlet’s success and only weakens his personal plot to kill Claudius.

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The ghost of Hamlet’s father later appears on the battlements of the castle before a group of guards, who then summon Hamlet to speak with the spirit. The Ghost leads Hamlet away from the guards and informs him that he was murdered by his brother Claudius, the new King. The knowledge imparted from the ghost causes Hamlet to go mad and form a plot to kill the King, “which even in Elizabethan times was not allowed by law or religion…”

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Claudius, as seen in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is both intelligent and clever, two traits that, put together, complement his manipulative and dangerous nature. Due to his cunning nature he portrays the role of a very complex villain. The death of King Hamlet by Claudius results in Prince Hamlet to act out of character, which thus resulted in the tragic death of Polonius and Ophelia. While Hamlet and Gertrude were having conversation, Polonius was hiding behind the huge carpet that was hanging on the wall. Unknowingly, Hamlet stabs Polonius.

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When he learns Claudius is responsible for the death of his father, he intends to reveal this newfound information to not only Gertrude, but the rest of the characters. He is smart enough to know that she will not believe him based solely on his encounter with the ghost, and must create a trap where Claudius will reveal his guilt on his own. When the players arrive at the castle, he alters their script to mimic the king’s murder and “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.567). During the performance, Claudius shows signs of guilt and worry, making Hamlet’s plan a success and proving his

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In the end Hamlet steps up to plate, killing Claudius and putting the fate of Denmark in good

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In the play, “Hamlet,” by William Shakespeare, Prince Hamlet was quite the adventure. In Act I, Prince Hamlet’s friends reveal a ghost who appears to be King Hamlet, his father. Hamlet only has one true friend throughout the play, so many people would argue that, “Hamlet,” is a play of friendship. Others would argue that it is a play of revenge meaning King Hamlet’s ghost wanting his son to kill the new king, Claudius, who is also his uncle. Several events happened to cause the community to think the prince is insane.

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Before the ghost leaves, he said to Hamlet to remember him. After Hamlet had his speech with his dead father, his goal was to avenge the King Hamlet’s death. Hamlet had many chances to kill Claudius and get over with his revenge, but he hesitated most of the times. The first time that Hamlet had the opportunity to kill his dad’s murderer was after the “Mousetrap”, which was the play that presents the true story of a murder carried out in Vienna.

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King Hamlet’s ghost in Hamlet plays a very significant role in Shakespeare’s play even though he only appears briefly in the very beginning and two other times throughout the play. King Hamlet’s ghost furthers the play in many ways. He affects action by setting the play in motion, he affects the theme of revenge, and he helps develop other characters, specifically his son, Hamlet. He sets the play in motion by causing the wheels to spin inside of Prince Hamlet’s head, the ghost is the whole reason for Hamlet trying to extract revenge upon his murderous Uncle Claudius who is now the King of Denmark. The ghost affects the theme of revenge by causing Young Hamlet to be seized by vengeance, the whole play turns into a story of Prince Hamlet trying to avenge his father’s wrongful death.

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Unaware of the role Hamlet is playing, Ophelia feels rejected and hurt. Eventually, Ophelia’s heartache, along with the death of her father, causes her to commit suicide. Next, Claudius and Gertrude’s role play affect their relationship with Hamlet. At the beginning of the play, Claudius takes on the role of a kind, just king; he seems to genuinely care for Hamlet. He often gives him fatherly advice, and shows affection for Hamlet in ways that an uncle would.

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After receiving this news, Hamlet plans an act of madness that puzzles the King and Queen, and those around him. Hamlet knew that it was Claudius's lust for power that drove him to kill his brother and easily manipulate Gertrude to be his wife/lover. Hamlet has a different perspective towards Claudius at this point and turns on his own to fulfill the mission Old Hamlet's ghost sent him to do, which is to kill Claudius and to regain his honor and throne.

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Hamlet meets with his mother, who is in the room with Polonius. Polonius hides, Hamlet then kills him believing he was Claudius. Claudius notices that Hamlet is acting different and wants to send him England and will have him killed as soon as he get there. Polonius son Laertes hears the news and returns to Denmark from France, Laertes and Claudius meet and plan to kill Hamlet with poison. Laertes will challenge Hamlet to a duel and fight with a poisoned blade.

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