Hamlet

Hamlet, tragedy written by William Shakespeare c. 1601, perhaps his most famous work.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is profoundly upset by the death of his father and the hasty re-marriage of Gertrude (his mother, the queen) to his uncle Claudius, who through the marriage becomes king. Hamlet sees his father's ghost, who accuses Claudius of having murdered him, and calls for revenge. Hamlet pretends to be mad. Polonius, the king's Lord Chamberlain, thinks the prince is lovesick for his daughter, Ophelia, until Hamlet violently rejects her, shouting 'Get thee to a nunnery…” Convinced of Claudius's guilt when the king stops a performance of The Murder of Gonzago, Hamlet still procrastinates. Then the prince kills Polonius in Queen Gertrude's bedchamber, mistaking him for the king. Banished to England, Hamlet discovers that Claudius has ordered his execution. With uncharacteristic decisiveness, he escapes back to Denmark.

Ophelia goes insane and drowns herself. Claudius and Laertes, Polonius's son, plan a fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes (who will carry a poisoned foil). The prince accepts the challenge. Winning the first bout, Hamlet is offered poisoned wine but declines; Gertrude drinks it instead. Laertes hits Hamlet, loses his foil, and is struck with the poisoned tip himself. As the queen dies, Laertes reveals the king's plot. Hamlet stabs Claudius with Laertes's foil, and forces him to drink the wine. Laertes and Hamlet are reconciled, then die.