Whole book summary of Hamlet, provides details about language, setting, themes, but also gives easy and short summary on the story in each act separately, so it is easy to understand. Document can be used as study material for upcoming test or for essay on Hamlet. It does not include personal opini...
author:William Shakespeare- is an english playwright,actor and poet,born in Stratford-upon-
Avon. During his life, he lived in London where he performed in Globe-theatre and wrote
plays and soon became favourite playwright of queen Elizabeth I.,who often visited this
theatre. Through his life, he wrote many plays, Romeo and Juliet,Macbeth,Othello,Merchant
of Venice,King Lear and wrote over 100 sonnets. He died in his hometown at the age of 52.
Genre:drama,tragedy
Setting: Elsinore fortress, in Denmark, during Shakespeare’s lifetime
Composition: The play consists of 5 acts
Characters:
● Hamlet- main character of the story, his character is interesting thanks to being
enigmatic and unpredictable,which makes him one of Shakespeare’s most interesting
characters, he is also philosophical, in the beginning he is just minding his life but
later learns about his father’s death he is reasonably trying to prove who is the killer,
but he can also act impulsive sometimes and can easily turn into a madman
● Claudius - uncle of Hamlet, major antagonist of the story, who killed Hamlet’s father,
the king, unlike other characters who are preoccupied with ideas of justice and
honour, Claudius only cares about maintaining his own power, he is a skilled
politician and manipulator.
● Gertrude- queen of Denmark, one of the characters which resolves many questions
for the reader- if she loved the king, was she involved in the murder? Her character is
surrounded with a certain mystery, but through the play, her intentions and questions
reveal, the reader finds out that she is an elegant woman with intelligence,but
because of her gender,she is dependent on men surrounding her,so she must use
her charm to keep her status.
● Ophelia- daughter of Polonius,since the beginning of the play,she is romantically
involved with Hamlet,her father and brother Laertes warn her about Hamlet’s
intentions but they believe in her making decisions and later her father forces her to
return all Hamlet’s letters and give up on their love, which causes Hamlet to act
impulsively and he accidentally kills Polonius,which causes Ophelia to grieve for her
father’s death and she later spirals into madness and dies.
● Polonius- father of Ophelia and Laertes,chief counsellor to the king, concerned
father, after his death, his son seeks revenge while Ophelia drowns in grief
● Laertes- son of Polonius and Ophelia’s brother, loyal to his family and has clear
priorities and honour, after the murder of his father,Laertes shows darker side of his
protectiveness and seeks for revenge
● The Ghost- ghost of Hamlet’s father, the king, who was considered a good and
honourable man,but after he dies, his character of ghost gains more mystery and
darker side, he usually appears around Hamlet and reveals him who killed him and
Hamlet is the only character that he talks to, his wife, Gertrude can’t even see him
Full play summary:
Act 1
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