Hamlet is set in Denmark, around the royal castle in Elsinore, during the late Middle Ages.

The story begins with the death of Hamlet’s father, the king, who has only been dead for two
months. His brother, Claudius, quickly marries Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, and takes the
throne. Hamlet is disturbed by these events and is soon visited by his father’s ghost, which
reveals that Claudius murdered him to seize the throne. Hamlet delivers his famous “To be
or not to be” soliloquy and confronts his mother. During their argument, Hamlet accidentally
kills Polonius, the king’s counselor, who is hiding behind a curtain. Claudius, fearing for
Hamlet’s safety, sends him to England, where he is secretly ordered to be killed. Ophelia,
Polonius’s daughter, goes mad with grief, and her brother, Laertes, seeks revenge on
Hamlet. Claudius, now plotting Hamlet’s death, arranges a duel between Hamlet and
Laertes. In Act V, Hamlet returns, and during the duel, both Hamlet and Laertes are
wounded. The queen accidentally drinks poisoned wine meant for Hamlet and dies. Laertes
reveals that Claudius is responsible for the deaths of both Hamlet’s father and the queen.
Hamlet kills Claudius before dying from his own wound. In the end, Hamlet’s friend Horatio
suggests Fortinbras should take the throne, and Fortinbras honors Hamlet with military
respect before claiming the kingdom.

All tragedies come from ancient Greek plays, and later, Seneca created the rules for revenge
tragedies. These plays usually involve a serious crime, like violence or a sexual act,
committed against a family member of the main character. Since the criminal can’t be
punished by law, the hero must take revenge. The hero often feels unsure and spends time
planning their actions. Common features in these plays include a ghost appearing and the
hero speaking directly to the audience to share their thoughts. The hero usually breaks
moral rules and becomes more isolated as the play goes on, sometimes leading to
madness. These plays often involve a lot of violence and death. In Hamlet, Shakespeare
follows these rules but also looks deeper into them. The play explores Hamlet’s inner
thoughts, his doubts, and his struggles with the world around him, adding a psychological
depth to the traditional revenge story.

In Hamlet, the title character fails to avenge his father’s murder until the final act, and his
delay is often seen as the main cause of the tragedy. Hamlet struggles with his inability to
act, attributing it to a form of depression, or “melancholy,” which is triggered by the shock of
his father’s death and his mother’s quick remarriage. These events make him see life as
meaningless, love as corrupted, and the state unstable. Hamlet views this moral decay as a
disease spreading from individuals to the kingdom and the entire world. His hesitation to act
on his role as avenger reflects his rejection of the barbaric, unjust, and inhumane society
around him. In the end, Hamlet avenges his father, but he does so impulsively, driven by
anger rather than careful thought. This emotional response highlights his internal conflict and
the play’s tragic outcome.

Hamlet can be seen as a simple revenge tragedy, but Shakespeare also explores deeper
themes that are important to humanity. These include family and love, madness, the struggle
between action and inaction, the corruption of power, and questions about God, life after
death, and the purpose of theatre. A key theme is the relationship between “appearance and
reality”—how can we tell what is truly real from what only seems real? Shakespeare
suggests that the only truth an individual can be sure of is their own existence. Another
important theme is “honour,” showing that revenge should be carried out with reason, not
emotion. Ultimately, justice is achieved through the deaths of key characters and the rise of
Fortinbras to the throne, bringing order to the kingdom. These complex themes give Hamlet
a deeper meaning beyond just the story of revenge.

Hamlet is very talkative. He has the most lines in a single play of all Shakespearean
characters. The most striking characteristic of his language is its ambiguity. Everything he
says is conveyed through metaphor, simile and, above all, wordplay. His words have a
hidden meaning; his speeches are ambiguous just like the ambiguous feelings which drive
them. He spends much of the play complaining about the fact that he has to play roles that
he does not believe in. He is the (non-avenger in a revenge play, the (non-)heir to the throne,
the (non-) lover of the heroine, the (non-)son to the (non-) father.

HAMLET’S MOURNING

In this passage from Hamlet, the interaction between Hamlet, Claudius, and Gertrude
reveals important themes about grief, appearance versus reality, and the conflict between
personal emotions and societal expectations. Claudius, now both Hamlet’s uncle and
stepfather, addresses Hamlet as both his cousin and son, establishing a complicated and
uncomfortable family dynamic. Hamlet’s witty response, “A little more than kin, and less than
kind,” reflects his disgust at Claudius’ rapid rise to the throne and marriage to his mother,
Gertrude, shortly after his father’s death. Hamlet’s words express both the unnatural
closeness of Claudius and his lack of genuine affection. When Claudius notices Hamlet’s
sorrow, he questions why Hamlet continues to mourn his father’s death, implying that grief
should be short-lived. Hamlet’s reply, “Not so, my lord; I am too much i’ the sun,” suggests
that he feels overwhelmed and burdened by his forced role as prince under Claudius’s rule.
Hamlet’s mourning is not just about the loss of his father but also about his disillusionment
with the new regime. Gertrude urges Hamlet to stop grieving, framing death as a natural part
of life that everyone must accept. Hamlet rejects this view, saying that his grief is unique and
cannot be reduced to mere outward signs like tears, clothing, or sighs. He asserts that these
“trappings and suits of woe” only appear as grief but don’t capture its true depth. Hamlet
sees his sorrow as more complex than the public display of mourning that others expect.
Claudius, in contrast, urges Hamlet to move on, calling his prolonged sorrow unmanly and
unproductive. He argues that everyone experiences loss and must accept it, reflecting the
cold, pragmatic worldview that Claudius embodies. This contrast between Hamlet’s
emotional depth and Claudius’s pragmatic outlook highlights the play’s exploration of the
tension between personal authenticity and societal norms. Hamlet’s refusal to conform to the
expected behavior underscores his internal struggle and sets the tone for the psychological
complexity of the play.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE

In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, “To be, or not to be,” he is asking a deep question: is it better
to live and suffer through the difficulties of life, or to end it all and escape the pain? He
wonders if it’s nobler to endure life’s hardships, such as unfairness, betrayal, and suffering,
or to fight against them and bring an end to his troubles. Hamlet compares death to sleep,
thinking that dying could be like a peaceful rest that ends all the pain and struggles that
come with being alive. However, as Hamlet continues to think about death, he realizes that
there might be more to it than just peaceful rest. He wonders if death brings dreams, and this
uncertainty makes him hesitate. The fear of what might happen after death—the
“undiscovered country”—keeps him from choosing death as an escape. He questions
whether it’s better to endure life’s suffering rather than risk facing unknown horrors in the
afterlife. Hamlet then lists all the difficulties people face: the cruelty of others, the pain of
unreturned love, the delays in justice, and the frustration of seeing the good suffer while the
corrupt thrive. Yet, the fear of what lies beyond death stops people from ending their lives,
even though life can feel unbearable. Hamlet concludes that our conscience makes us
fearful and prevents us from acting. He says that too much thinking and overanalyzing
paralyze us, turning what could be decisive action into endless thought and hesitation. This
soliloquy reveals Hamlet’s inner struggle. It explores themes of life, death, and the fear of the
unknown. Hamlet’s uncertainty and overthinking stop him from taking action, reflecting a
deep conflict between the desire for peace and the fear of what comes after. It shows how
our awareness of life’s difficulties can make us hesitant and uncertain.