Summary of Hamlet

As Christina Autiero asserts in a paper given at a conference held in Westchester - Putnam School, “Blinded by [his] passions,...Hamlet indirectly causes the death of Ophelia and his mother...revenge and Hamlet’s method of madness primarily cause his death and actions. Unfortunately, the only approach [he] felt would vindicate [his] honorable name essentially destroyed [him]” (Autiero 53). Young Hamlet believed that the only choice to redeem his father was to murdering the murderer. In doing so, however, Hamlet became mad, and struck out at any and all who crossed his path. At one point in the play, Hamlet stabs Polonius, believing him to be King Claudius.

    Shakespeare uses the revenge plot to create conflict between Laertes and Hamlet by having Laertes avenge his father's and sister's death which Hamlet is responsible for. After learning of his fathers unnatural death, Hamlet decides that he can no longer trust anyone, except for Horatio. While acting out his madness, he visited Ophelia and cut off his ties with her because of his distrust for everyone. In Act III, when Hamlet talks with his mother, he notices that he is being spied upon. Thinking that it is the king, Hamlet mistakingly kills Polonius who was hiding behind a big rug, which for some medeval reason, was hung on the wall.

The first motivation, is Prince Hamlet to King Claudius to revenge his father and to find out if Claudius is guilty of killing late King Hamlet and to prove it Hamlet uses a theater play to testify his theory. The second motivation; King Claudius is against Prince Hamlet. Claudius found out that Hamlet knew he was the cause of his father’s death and is plotting against him to avenge the late King Hamlet, so now Claudius is coming up with plans to end his life without having the people of Denmark questioning Hamlet’s death. Claudius against late King Hamlet, because Claudius became jealous over his own brother and killed him making the late King Hamlet’s ghost appear to Prince Hamlet for revenge. These three motivations contain the same similarities, because they both have the same motivation to kill each other and the same outcome of death.

Shakespeare lived during the Renaissance period, and was one of the most influential playwrights of his time. Hamlet is set in medieval times and relates the story of Hamlet, who is the son of the dead King of Denmark, which appears as a ghost. The ghost appears at midnight and hints to Hamlet and his two friends Horatio and Marcellus about his murder. Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, quickly marries Hamlet’s Uncle Claudius barely before the King’s body is even cold. Hamlet finds out that Claudius poisoned his father while he was sleeping to gain control of the throne.

Hamlet is a Shakespearean play written at the end of the sixteenth century. Throughout this tragedy, the life of the prince of Denmark, named Hamlet, is closely followed after the death of his father. Hamlet eventually discovers that his father has been murdered by his own brother and Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, who has already wed Hamlet’s mother. Furthermore, Claudius crowned himself as king, even though Hamlet was the successor to the throne. After Hamlet is confronted by his father 's ghost, he vows revenge on Claudius.

In Act 3, scene 4 lines 52 through 93, Hamlet confronts his mother, Gertrude and explains his suspicions about his uncle, Claudius, being a poison that infected and ruined his mother’s soul. The passage gives readers a deep insight into both Hamlet and Gertrude Hamlet’s true feelings for his mother are exposed in a verbal attack as he explains Claudius is an unworthy man who seduced his mother and murdered his father. The conversation is important to the storyline of Hamlet because Gertrude’s character becomes more defined through her interactions with her son and greatly impacts how the tragedy plays out as she refuses to believe Hamlet when he explains Claudius is a villian. Hamlet feels very angry and feels his mother has abandoned and betrayed King Hamlet and himself. His ideas about her being a good pure Queen are proved false as she turns her back on her husband and marries his brother.

Polonius death is some what a butterfly affect. Once Hamlet kills Polonius is when the whole play shifts and Hamlet truly does seem mad. After Polonius death Ophelia goes mad herself expect she’s is not acting but is truly mad. Her madness eventually leads to her death by suicide in the river. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent by the king to England with Hamlet to have Hamlet killed because he has killed Polonius.

Hamlet is motivated by the ghost to seek revenge on his uncle, who married his mother and murderer his father King Hamlet. Even before the play begins King Hamlet has been poisoned, since this scene Hamlet has been feeling mad and sad “Is delineated as one under the dominion of melancholy” (Mackenzie). Hamlet finds that his mother has married his uncle Claudius two months after his father death, Hamlet is in a state of confusion and anger “Hamlet finds himself at the center of this drama following the death of his father, the King of Denmark, whom Hamlet believes has been murderer by the king’s own brother, Claudius” (Rapparport). Even though Hamlet wants revenge is mad and confused because of everything that is happening in the state of Denmark “Hamlet’s character, including feeling of honor and nobility, thoughts of cowardice and suicide, and the desire of revenge” (Skulsky). With the apparition of the ghost Hamlet knows what happened and who poisoned his father.

Polonius was slain by Hamlet who had mistaken him for Claudius. His pretense of madness drove Ophelia to her death. All of these incidents show that its Hamlet’s great ambition to uncover the truth that gets himself in difficult positions. Hamlet would not show mercy even when confronted by his best friends from his childhood. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were sent by the King and Queen to spy on Hamlet to discover the reason for his disturbing behavior.

Before Ophelia dies, in act four, Claudius wishes to know where Hamlet put the dead body of Polonius. Hamlet refuses to tell him, and says for his uncle to go to hell. This is when Claudius tells Hamlet he is going to be sent to England to be executed. Right before Hamlet kills Polonius and speaks with his mother, Hamlet and Ophelia get into a huge argument. Polonius and the King set up a scam to see if Hamlet’s “madness” is caused by Hamlet’s love for Ophelia.