Just basic plot (and possibly themes, but simple enough for it to not confuse me!)
2007-02-20 08:06:54 · 7 answers · asked by serf m 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
It's not homework. I'm interested. If it was homework, I'd go read it.
2007-02-20 08:10:36 · update #1
Mom is a whore
Dad is a schmuck
Sister is a nut
Uncle is a dick
Best friend is a troublemaker
best memory is a skull
Everybody dies
2007-02-20 08:12:06 · answer #1 · answered by Jack Tax 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Prince Hamlet was away at school in Germany until he learned his father died. He returns home to learn from his dear friend Horatio that his father's ghost has been wandering the corridors of their castle at night. Hamlet confronts the ghost and from this shade of his father learns that his uncle (Claudius) killed his father. Claudius then seduced Gertrude (Hamlet's mother, the queen) to take the crown and the throne of Denmark. The ghost of Hamlet's father cries for vengeance.
Hamlet decides to learn the truth of things before exacting his revenge. He tells Horatio that he will pretend to be mad to confuse Claudius and hopefully trick him into revealing the truth. In the process, Hamlet alienates and confuses his former girlfriend, Ophelia. She's the daughter of the king's aid, Polonius and the sister of Laertes. Both Polonius and Laertes think Hamlet's just trying to get in her pants, so they don't like him very much.
Hamlet does trick Claudius into revealing the truth. He knows that Claudius killed his father and seduced his mother, but he's torn about acting on that knowledge and exacting the revenge his father's ghost wanted. He also has some Oedipal issues with his mother. He finally decides to kill Claudius, but he kills Polonius instead by mistake. He flees and Claudius sends two of Hamlet's school friends after him (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the subjects of another great play by Tom Stoppard called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead). Claudius tries to send Ros and Guil with Hamlet to England, with orders that Hamlet should be executed by the British king. Hamlet escapes and returns home to Denmark.
Meanwhile, Ophelia commits suicide and Hamlet decides that he loved her after all. Laertes and he agree to duel, and Claudius tries to fix the match with a poisoned sword and a poisoned drink. Well, Gertrude takes a sip of the poisoned drink. Both Laertes and Hamlet are mortally wounded by the poisoned rapier, and then Hamlet forces Claudius to drink the rest of the tainted wine. They all die and Fortinbras, King of Norway and a man Hamlet admired for his resolve and courage, becomes the new king of Denmark. It's a great play, a classic tragedy, and it's one of the most widely quoted pieces of literature out there. You should definitely read it yourself.
2007-02-20 12:51:04 · answer #2 · answered by ap1188 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
You've gotta give the points to Jack Tax--beautiful summary!
2007-02-20 08:14:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can get abbreviated notes on this such as Cliff Notes or similar. Avail yourself of them and attempt to do your own homework.
2007-02-20 08:09:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
thw 1st lion king is based on Hamlet
2007-02-20 08:17:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wikipedia often has great summaries and plot outlines.
2007-02-20 08:09:31 · answer #6 · answered by soelo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://sub-zero.mit.edu/bakunin/hamlet.html
2007-02-20 08:14:04 · answer #7 · answered by Dendryte88 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋