Elizabethan Literature/ Age
DRAMA
Lesson 1: Hamlet by
William Shakespeare
✅ Brief
Introduction (150-200 words):
Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, written between 1600-1601. It is one of Shakespeare’s
greatest
plays, exploring
revenge,
betrayal, madness, morality, and the complex
nature of human existence. The full title of the play is The
Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
The play is set in Denmark and follows Prince Hamlet, whose father, King Hamlet, has been
murdered by his uncle Claudius. Claudius
seizes the throne and marries Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. The
ghost of King Hamlet reveals the truth to his son, who struggles with doubt, moral dilemmas, and indecision in seeking revenge.
Hamlet is famous for its psychological depth, philosophical reflections, and powerful soliloquies like “To
be or not to be.” It addresses questions about life and death, human weakness, and the consequences of revenge.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Comprehensive Act-wise
Summary
✅ ACT I – Exposition: The Ghost’s
Revelation
- The
play begins at Elsinore Castle, Denmark, with guards Marcellus
and Bernardo seeing the Ghost of the
dead King Hamlet.
- Horatio,
Hamlet’s close friend, witnesses the Ghost
and decides to inform Prince Hamlet.
- Meanwhile,
King Claudius (Hamlet’s uncle) has
married Queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s
mother, shortly after King Hamlet’s
death.
- Prince
Hamlet is depressed by his father’s
death and his mother’s
quick remarriage.
- Laertes
and Polonius advise Ophelia to stay away
from Hamlet.
- The
Ghost appears to Hamlet, revealing that Claudius
murdered him by pouring poison into his ear.
- The
Ghost demands revenge, and Hamlet vows to avenge his
father’s death but hesitates about how to
proceed.
✅ ACT II – Rising
Action: Hamlet’s “Antic
Disposition”
- Hamlet
pretends to be mad ("puts
on an antic disposition") to
confuse Claudius and others while planning his next move.
- Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s
childhood friends, are sent by Claudius to spy on him.
- Hamlet
becomes suspicious of everyone, including Polonius, who
believes Hamlet’s madness is
caused by Ophelia’s rejection.
- A
group of players (actors) arrives at
Elsinore. Hamlet plans to use them to stage
a play that mimics King Hamlet’s
murder, to trap Claudius and confirm his guilt.
✅ ACT III – Climax: The Play
within the Play
- Hamlet
delivers his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy,
contemplating life and death.
- The
players perform “The Murder of Gonzago”, which
mirrors King Hamlet’s
murder. Claudius reacts with guilt
and fear, confirming the Ghost’s
story.
- Hamlet
confronts Gertrude in her chamber and accidentally
kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius hiding behind
a curtain.
- Claudius
now sees Hamlet as a real threat and plots to send him to England,
with secret orders for Hamlet to be killed there.
✅ ACT IV – Falling Action: Revenge
Plans and Chaos
- Claudius
sends Hamlet to England, accompanied by Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern (with orders
for Hamlet’s execution).
- Hamlet
escapes and returns to Denmark.
- Ophelia goes
mad with grief over her father’s
death and eventually drowns, either by accident or
suicide.
- Laertes
returns from France, angry over Polonius’s
and Ophelia’s deaths.
- Claudius
and Laertes plot to kill Hamlet using a poisoned
sword during a duel, and a poisoned cup of wine
as a backup.
✅ ACT V – Catastrophe: The Duel
and Death
- In
a graveyard, Hamlet speaks to the gravedigger and
reflects on death and mortality ("Alas, poor Yorick!").
- Ophelia’s funeral takes place. Hamlet confronts Laertes at the
graveside, expressing his grief and love for Ophelia.
- The
duel between Hamlet and Laertes takes place.
- Gertrude
drinks from the poisoned cup and dies.
- Laertes
wounds Hamlet with the poisoned sword, but Hamlet wounds Laertes in return.
- Laertes
confesses Claudius’s plot before
dying.
- Hamlet
kills Claudius by stabbing him and forcing him to drink
the poisoned wine.
- Hamlet,
dying, gives his final speech and names Fortinbras
as the next King of Denmark.
- Horatio
remains alive to tell Hamlet’s
story as Fortinbras arrives.
✅ Summary of Key Points
(Act-wise Recap):
ACT I:
- Introduction
of characters, Ghost’s
revelation, Hamlet’s vow for
revenge.
ACT II:
- Hamlet’s madness, spying, plan for the play.
ACT III:
- “To be or not to be”, the play within a play, Polonius
killed.
ACT IV:
- Ophelia’s madness and death, Hamlet returns,
Laertes’s alliance with Claudius.
ACT V:
- Graveyard scene, duel, multiple deaths (Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, Hamlet), Fortinbras’s
arrival.
---------------
Dr. Noojilla Srinivas
Lecturer in English, Government College
(Autonomous),
Rajahmundry
Phone: 7981862200
