"Hamlet". Brief summary of the acts

Shakespeare's Hamlet, act one - summary

[Cm. full text of act 1.]

Scene one . Danish city of Elsinore. Officers Marcellus and Bernardo take guard in front of the royal castle. Prince Hamlet's friend, the young courtier Horatio, comes to their post: Marcellus and Bernardo told him that last night they saw the ghost of the recently deceased king of Denmark here.

Before their eyes, the ghost appears again. Horatio tries to talk to him, but at that moment the morning rooster crows - and the dead man leaves without having time to answer anything.

Shakespeare. Hamlet. Summary Listen to audiobook

Scene two . After the sudden death of the former sovereign, the Danish throne was taken by his brother, Claudius, who married the widow of the deceased, Queen Gertrude. The morning after the appearance of the ghost, Claudius, the queen, her son from the deceased king, Prince Hamlet, and the courtiers gather in the castle hall. Laertes, the son of the butler Polonius, asks the monarch for permission to return to study in Paris. In the dialogues of this scene, Shakespeare makes it clear to the audience: Prince Hamlet hates his uncle Claudius and is indignant that his mother hastened to enter into a new, almost incestuous marriage, unable to withstand decent mourning for his late father.

When the royal couple leaves, Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo come to Hamlet, informing him about the appearance of a ghost at night. The prince decides to come to the castle post the following night and ask his father why he rose from the grave.

Scene three . Polonius' son, Laertes, says goodbye to his sister, Ophelia, before leaving for Paris. Ophelia tells him that Hamlet has been trying to woo her lately. Laertes points out to Ophelia that the prince is no match for her, and advises his sister to carefully guard her maiden honor. The same advice is given to Ophelia by her father, Polonius.

Ophelia

Scene four . That same night, Hamlet, Horatio and two officers arrive at the post at the castle. The ghost appears near him again. The dead father gives Hamlet a sign to follow him.

On our website you can take a test on the content of “Hamlet” consisting of 17 questions with answers.

Scene five . Having moved away from the witnesses, the deceased king tells his son that he actually did not die a natural death, but was poisoned by the ambitious Claudius: while sleeping in the garden, he poured strong poison into his ear. The murderer took the throne of the murdered man, seduced his wife and married her. Hamlet's father asks him to avenge himself.

Returning to his friends, Hamlet asks them not to tell anyone about what happened and warns that in the future he may behave strangely. In order to more accurately carry out his revenge, the prince decides to pretend to be insane.

Hamlet, Horatio and the Ghost. Illustration for Shakespeare's play by artist G. Fusli. 1796

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

The square in front of the castle in Elsinore. On guard are Marcellus and Bernard, Danish officers. They are later joined by Horatio, the learned friend of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. He came to verify the story about the nightly appearance of a ghost similar to the Danish king who had recently died. Horatio is inclined to consider this a fantasy. Midnight. And a menacing ghost in full military garb appears. Horatio is shocked and tries to talk to him. Horatio, reflecting on what he saw, considers the appearance of the ghost a sign of “some kind of unrest for the state.” He decides to tell Prince Hamlet about the night vision, who interrupted his studies in Wittenberg due to the sudden death of his father. Hamlet's grief is aggravated by the fact that his mother soon after his father's death married his brother. She, “without wearing out the shoes in which she followed the coffin,” threw herself into the arms of an unworthy man, “a dense clot of meat.” Hamlet’s soul shuddered: “How tiresome, dull and unnecessary, / It seems to me, everything that is in the world! O abomination!

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Horatio told Hamlet about the night ghost. Hamlet does not hesitate: “Hamlet’s spirit is in arms! Things are bad; / There's something here. It would be night soon! / Be patient, soul; evil will be revealed, / At least it will go from the eyes into the underground darkness.”

The ghost of Hamlet's father told about a terrible crime.

While the king was resting peacefully in the garden, his brother poured the deadly juice of henbane into his ear. “So in a dream, from a brotherly hand, I lost my life, my crown and my queen.” The ghost asks Hamlet to avenge him. "Bye Bye. And remember about me” - with these words the ghost leaves.

The world has turned upside down for Hamlet... He swears to avenge his father. He asks his friends to keep this meeting secret and not to be surprised at the strangeness of his behavior.

Meanwhile, the king's close nobleman Polonius sends his son Laertes to study in Paris. He gives his brotherly instructions to his sister Ophelia, and we learn about Hamlet’s feelings, from which Laertes warns Ophelia: “He is a citizen of his birth; / He does not cut his own piece, / Like others; The life and health of the entire state depend on his choice.”

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His words are confirmed by his father, Polonius. He forbids her to spend time with Hamlet. Ophelia tells her father that Prince Hamlet came to her and he seemed out of his mind. Taking her hand, “he let out a sigh so mournful and deep, / As if his whole chest had broken and life was extinguished.” Polonius decides that Hamlet's strange behavior in recent days is due to the fact that he is "mad with love." He is going to tell the king about this.

The king, whose conscience is burdened with murder, is concerned about Hamlet's behavior. What lies behind it - madness? Or something else? He calls upon Rosencrantz and Guildestern, Hamlet's former friends, and asks them to find out his secret from the prince. For this he promises “the royal mercy.” Polonius arrives and suggests that Hamlet's madness is caused by love. To confirm his words, he shows Hamlet’s letter, which he took from Ophelia. Polonius promises to send his daughter to the gallery where Hamlet often walks in order to make sure of his feelings.

Rosencrantz and Guildesterne try unsuccessfully to find out the secret of Prince Hamlet. Hamlet understands that they were sent by the king.

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Hamlet learns that actors have arrived, the capital's tragedians, whom he liked so much before, and an idea comes to his mind: to use the actors to make sure of the king's guilt. He agrees with the actors that they will play a play about the death of Priam, and he will insert two or three verses of his composition into it. The actors agree. Hamlet asks the first actor to read a soliloquy about the murder of Priam. The actor reads brilliantly. Hamlet is excited. Entrusting the actors to the care of Polonius, he reflects alone. He must know exactly about the crime: “The spectacle is a noose to lasso the king’s conscience.”

The king questions Rosencrantz and Guildestern about the success of their mission. They admit that they were unable to find out anything: “He does not allow himself to be questioned / And with the cunning of madness he slips away...”

They report to the king that traveling actors have arrived, and Hamlet invites the king and queen to the performance.

Hamlet walks alone and utters, reflecting, his famous soliloquy: “To be or not to be, that is the question...” Why do we hold on to life so much? In which “the mockery of the century, the oppression of the strong, the mockery of the proud.” And he answers his own question: “The fear of something after death - / An unknown land from where there is no return / For earthly wanderers” - confuses the will.

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Polonius sends Ophelia to Hamlet. Hamlet quickly realizes that their conversation is being overheard and that Ophelia has come at the instigation of the king and father. And he plays the role of a madman, gives her advice to go to a monastery. The straightforward Ophelia is killed by Hamlet’s speeches: “Oh, what a proud mind is slain! Nobles, / Fighter, scientist - gaze, sword, tongue; / The color and hope of a joyful power, / An emboss of grace, a mirror of taste, / An exemplary example - fallen, fallen to the end! The king makes sure that love is not the cause of the prince’s upset. Hamlet asks Horatio to watch the king during the play. The show begins. Hamlet comments on it throughout the play. He accompanies the poisoning scene with the words: “He poisons him in the garden for the sake of his power. / His name is Gonzago Now you will see how the murderer wins the love of Gonzaga’s wife.”

During this scene, the king could not stand it. He got up. There was a commotion. Polonius demanded that the game be stopped. Everyone leaves. Hamlet and Horatio remain. They are convinced of the king’s crime - he gave himself away completely.

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Rosencrantz and Guildestern return. They explain how upset the king is and how perplexed the queen is about Hamlet's behavior. Hamlet takes the flute and invites Guildestern to play it. Guildesterne refuses: “I do not master this art.” Hamlet says with anger: “You see what a worthless thing you are making of me? You are ready to play on me, it seems to you that you know my modes...”

Polonius calls Hamlet to his mother, the queen.

The king is tormented by fear and tormented by a bad conscience. “Oh, my sin is vile, it stinks to heaven!” But he has already committed a crime, “his chest is blacker than death.” He kneels down, trying to pray.

At this time Hamlet passes by - he goes to his mother’s chambers. But he does not want to kill the despicable king during prayer. “Back, my sword, find out the terrible girth.”

Polonius hides behind the carpet in the queen's chambers to overhear Hamlet's conversation with his mother.

Hamlet is full of indignation. The pain that torments his heart makes his tongue bold. The Queen gets scared and screams. Polonius finds himself behind the carpet, Hamlet, shouting “Rat, rat,” pierces him with his sword, thinking that it is the king. The Queen begs Hamlet for mercy: “You directed my eyes straight into my soul, / And in it I see so many black spots, / That nothing can remove them...”

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A ghost appears... He demands to spare the queen.

The Queen does not see or hear the ghost; it seems to her that Hamlet is talking to the void. He looks like a madman.

The queen tells the king that in a fit of madness, Hamlet killed Polonius. "He's crying about what he did." The king decides to immediately send Hamlet to England, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildestern, who will be given a secret letter to the Briton about the death of Hamlet. He decides to bury Polonius secretly to avoid rumors.

Hamlet and his traitorous friends rush to the ship. They meet armed soldiers. Hamlet asks them whose army is and where it is going. It turns out that this is the Norwegian army, which is going to fight with Poland for a piece of land, which “for five ducats” it would be a pity to rent. Hamlet is amazed that people cannot “settle the dispute about this trifle.”

For him, this incident is a reason for deep reflections about what is tormenting him, and what is tormenting him is his own indecision. Prince Fortinbras, “for the sake of whim and absurd glory,” sends twenty thousand to death, “as if to bed,” since his honor is hurt. “So what about me,” Hamlet exclaims, “I, whose father is killed, / whose mother is in disgrace,” and I live, repeating “this must be done.” “Oh my thought, from now on you must be bloody, or dust will be your price.”

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Having learned about the death of his father, Laertes secretly returns from Paris. Another misfortune awaits him: Ophelia, under the burden of grief - the death of her father at the hands of Hamlet - has gone crazy. Laertes seeks revenge. Armed, he breaks into the king's chambers. The king calls Hamlet the culprit of all Laertes' misfortunes. At this time, the messenger brings the king a letter in which Hamlet announces his return. The king is at a loss, he understands that something has happened. But then he hatches a new vile plan, in which he involves the hot-tempered, narrow-minded Laertes.

He proposes to arrange a duel between Laertes and Hamlet. And to ensure that the murder takes place, the end of Laertes’ sword should be smeared with deadly poison. Laertes agrees.

The Queen sadly reports the death of Ophelia. She “tried to hang her wreaths on the branches, the treacherous branch broke, she fell into a sobbing stream.”

...Two gravediggers are digging a grave. And they make jokes.

Hamlet and Horatio appear. Hamlet talks about the vanity of all living things. “Alexander (Macedonian - E. Sh.) died, Alexander was buried, Alexander turns to dust; dust is earth; clay is made from earth; and why can’t they plug up a beer barrel with this clay into which he turned?”

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The funeral procession is approaching. King, queen, Laertes, court. Ophelia is buried. Laertes jumps into the grave and asks to be buried with his sister; Hamlet cannot stand the false note. They grapple with Laertes. “I loved her; forty thousand brothers / with all the multitude of their love would not be equal to me,” - in these famous words of Hamlet there is a genuine, deep feeling.

The king separates them. He is not happy with the unpredictable fight. He reminds Laertes: “Be patient and remember yesterday; / We will move things to a quick end.”

Horatio and Hamlet are alone. Hamlet tells Horatio that he managed to read the king's letter. It contained a request to immediately execute Hamlet. Providence protected the prince, and, using his father’s signet, he replaced the letter in which he wrote: “The donors must be killed immediately.” And with this message, Rosencrantz and Guildestern sail towards their doom. The ship was attacked by robbers, Hamlet was captured and taken to Denmark. Now he is ready for revenge.

Osric, a close associate of the king, appears and reports that the king has made a bet that Hamlet will defeat Laertes in a duel. Hamlet agrees to the duel, but his heart is heavy and he anticipates a trap.

Before the duel, he asks for an apology from Laertes: “My act, which hurt your honor, nature, feeling, / - I declare this, - was insane.”

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Shakespeare's Hamlet, act two - summary

[Cm. full text of act 2.]

Scene one . Polonius sends his servant Reynaldo to France to monitor the behavior of the departed Laertes. In the dialogue with the servant, the petty, vain, selfish nature of Polonius is revealed, who does not even trust his own son.

Ophelia enters and tells her father that Prince Hamlet has gone mad: he ran into her with a wild look and behaved like one possessed. Polonius decides that Hamlet’s illness is caused by a love shock: after all, Ophelia, according to the order given to her by her father, has recently almost stopped meeting with the prince.

Scene two . King Claudius and the Queen receive at the castle their school friends Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, whom they have summoned from afar. Claudius is alarmed by Hamlet's unexpected madness. He is overwhelmed by vague premonitions: the prince could find out the secret of his father's murder. The king instructs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out what is troubling Hamlet, and they obsequiously agree to act as spies for their comrade of youth.

Polonius, who entered, suggests: the cause of the prince’s illness is unrequited love for Ophelia. Polonius proposes to confirm his guess by arranging a meeting between Ophelia and Hamlet, which he and the king can secretly observe.

After the king and queen leave, Hamlet appears on stage. In his seemingly incoherent conversation, first with Polonius, and then with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, subtle, clever hints slip through every now and then, which do not go unnoticed by his interlocutors. The Prince realizes that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been assigned to spy on him.

Polonius brings news of the arrival of a traveling theater in Elsinore. Hamlet asks the comedians to perform the play “The Murder of Gonzago” in front of the king and queen tomorrow. The prince is still not sure that the ghost that appeared to him was really his father, and not an insidious devil. To obtain proof of the ghost’s words, he asks the actors to act out a scene in front of Claudius similar to the murder described to him by the dead man. Hamlet wants to see how the new king will perceive her.

Other characters

Ophelia , daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, went crazy after her father’s death and drowned in the river.

Gertrude , the Danish queen, Hamlet's mother, Claudius's wife, died after drinking wine poisoned by the king.

Hamlet's Father's Ghost

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Hamlet's former university friends.

Fortinbras is a Norwegian prince.

Marcellus , Bernardo - officers.

Shakespeare's Hamlet, act three - summary

[Cm. full text of act 3.]

Scene one . Rosencrantz and Guildenstern inform the king and queen that they were unable to find out the reason for Hamlet's madness. Claudius is becoming more and more worried. The calculating Ophelia agrees, as if by chance, to catch the prince’s eye in a place where the king and Polonius can monitor their meeting.

Claudius and Polonius are hiding. Hamlet enters, thoughtfully pronouncing the famous philosophical monologue “To be or not to be.” [Cm. full text of this monologue in Russian and English.]

Ophelia approaches him. Hamlet starts a conversation with her that is outwardly extravagant, but filled with deep hidden meaning. Guessing Ophelia’s treacherous role, the prince advises her to go “to a monastery or marry a fool.”

Claudius, having listened to this conversation, is strengthened in the idea that Hamlet is not mad, but is playing the role of a madman for some hidden purpose. He decides to send the prince “on a diplomatic mission” to England.

Scene two . The actors perform a play about the death of Gonzago in front of the royal couple. Hamlet and Horatio watch how the climax of the play will affect the king.

At the beginning of the performance, the actress portraying the queen swears her eternal love to the actor who plays the king. Then the actors present the murder of Gonzago: on stage, poison is poured into his ear as he sleeps. Claudius jumps up in great excitement and runs out.

Hamlet now has no doubt about his guilt. After the performance, Polonius informs the prince that his mother is calling him.

Scene three . Claudius instructs the same spies, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to accompany Hamlet to England. Polonius informs the king that the prince is going to his mother, and offers to be a spy at this meeting, hiding behind the carpet. Left alone, Claudius tries to pray, but realizes that there is no forgiveness for his grave sins.

Hamlet, passing by, notices him on his knees praying. The prince can stab Claudius with one blow of his sword, but does not want to do this at the moment when the murderer has felt fleeting repentance. He decides to put an end to the king when he is plunged into the abyss of sin - so that Claudius immediately falls head over heels into hell.

Scene four . Hamlet comes to his mother, who previously hides Polonius behind the carpet. Hamlet begins to make bitter reproaches to Gertrude for betraying her father’s memory for the sake of a new insignificant husband.

The explanation becomes so harsh that Polonius tries to come out from behind the carpet. The prince, hearing the rustling, pierces the carpet with his sword and kills Polonius.

Hamlet tells his mother that her ex-husband was poisoned by her current husband, and reproaches Gertrude with even greater fury. Hamlet does not hide from the queen that he is not mad at all. She promises not to hand him over to his uncle. The prince leaves, dragging Polonius' corpse with him.

Shakespeare's Hamlet, act four - summary

[Cm. full text of act 4.]

Scene one . Gertrude tells the king that Hamlet killed Polonius, hiding all the revelations his son made to her. Excited, Claudius decides to send the prince to England with the first ship.

Scene two . Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, sent by Claudius, try to find out from Hamlet where he put Polonius’ body. He answers them with mocking sarcasms.

Scene three . Claudius announces to Hamlet that he must immediately sail to England. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who accompany him, receive from the king a sealed letter to the English authorities. Claudius asks in it that the English execute the prince immediately upon his arrival to them.

Scene four . Before leaving, Hamlet meets the army of the Norwegian prince Fortinbras, going through Denmark to war with the Poles. The soldier's captain explains to him that the war broke out over a worthless piece of land.

The prince admires the courage of Fortinbras and the soldiers, who go into battle not for the sake of greed, but for reasons of honor alone. This example revives his thirst for revenge on Claudius.

Scene five . Ophelia, mentally damaged after the news of her father’s death, gives incoherent speeches to the king and queen. Ophelia's brother, Laertes, who has returned from Paris, bursts into the palace. He threatens to stir up a popular revolt against Claudius if the murderer of Polonius is not named and punished.

Scene six . Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet. The prince reports in it that on the way to England, during a battle with pirates, he jumped onto their ship and managed to return back to Denmark.

Scene seven . Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet killed his father. At this time, a letter is brought in where the prince informs the king of his return to Denmark. Knowing that Laertes is an excellent swordsman, Claudius invites him to challenge Hamlet to a competitive duel with blunt rapiers, but during the fight he quietly replaces his rapier with a sharp one.

In his thirst to avenge his father, Laertes agrees and decides to smear his rapier with poison for greater fidelity. The king also offers to store a poisoned cup, which during the duel the prince will be given as if to refresh himself.

Queen Gertrude enters, telling that Ophelia drowned in the river - she either accidentally fell there from a willow tree, or committed suicide.

Ophelia. Artist John Everett Millais. Illustration for Shakespeare's Hamlet. 1852

Introduction to Plot and Characters

Before studying William Shakespeare's tragedy “Hamlet” in a summary, you need to familiarize yourself with the basis of the plot. Events take place in Elsinore, a royal residence located in Denmark.

Recently, sad news spread throughout the country - the king is dead. The throne is occupied by his brother, Claudius. Before his subjects, the future king makes two statements: about his imminent coronation and his marriage to the queen (the widow of his deceased brother). This news upsets Hamlet, the son of the deceased king. He is angry at how easily his mother and uncle forgot about their grief.

Before considering the plot, it is necessary to get acquainted with the characters of the play. The main characters of Hamlet:

Hamlet is a prince, the son of a former king, and nephew of Claudius. Died at the hands of Laertes. Main character.
Claudius is the king of Denmark. The killer of his brother, the former king. He took Gertrude as his wife and was killed by Hamlet.
Polonius - holds the position of chief royal adviser, died at the hands of Hamlet. Has a daughter, Ophelia, and a son, Laertes.
Laertes is the son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia. Engaged in fencing, killed by Hamlet. Also the one who killed Hamlet.
Horatio is the prince's only true friend.

In addition to the main characters in the play, there are many secondary characters who influence the plot. These include:

Ophelia - went crazy as a result of the death of her father, died by drowning in the river. She is the daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes.
Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, married Claudius, and is the mother of the prince. After drinking wine that was poisoned by the king, she died.
Ghost of the former king.
Guildenstern, Rosencrantz - studied with the main character at the same university, were his comrades and died through his fault.
Fortinbras is a prince from Norway.
Marcellus, Bernardo - perform officer service.