Hamlet

Author
William Shakespeare: Born in Stratford-upon-Avon,  writer of many classic plays including Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet... There are a lot of them. His son, Hamnet, died shortly before he wrote Hamlet, something that likely influenced the play.

Characters
Hamlet: The 30-something main character of the play. His father was the king of Denmark before being killed by Claudius, Hamlet's uncle. Must respond by choosing a path -- take no action, kill Claudius, or kill himself. Constantly debating suicide. Unable to stick to his decisions. Stuck between two religions (Catholicism and Protestantism). Feels trapped in Elsinore. In a relationship with Ophelia until she "betrays" him for her father. Responsible for the deaths of Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Laertes, Claudius, and (indirectly) Ophelia.

Claudius:  Hamlet's uncle. Killed Old Hamlet for his crown and his wife. Feels great guilt for his deeds. Is not a bad leader, although Hamlet resents him and views him as such. Killed by Hamlet with the poisoned sword and the poison from the cup.

Gertrude: Hamlet's mother. Remarries Claudius shortly after Old Hamlet's death in a relationship viewed as incestuous by the church. Potentially in an Oedipal relationship with Hamlet. Dies after drinking from a poisoned cup meant for Hamlet.

Polonius: Father of Ophelia and Laertes. The king's most trusted adviser. Plays the fool but is actually quite powerful. Killed (unintentionally) by Hamlet while spying on his conversation with his mother.

Laertes: Son of Polonius and Brother of Ophelia. Leaves for France at the beginning of the play but comes back after his father's death seeking revenge. Claudius takes uses him in a scheme to kill Hamlet. Kills Hamlet in a duel with a poisoned sword. Killed by Hamlet with the same sword shortly afterwards.

Ophelia: Daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes. Romantically involved with Hamlet --it is implied both that they are engaged and that she is pregnant with his child. Goes insane and commits suicide after her father's death.

Horatio: Hamlet's best friend, and the only person he trusts. An outsider to Elsinore. Often acts as a sounding board and a conscience for Hamlet. One of the few characters to survive. Goes on to retell what went on at Elsinore.

Setting
The castle of Elsinore, in Denmark. No specific time given, although the play is based on a legend from the 13th century.

Plot
Act One: Horatio and the guards see the ghost of Old Hamlet. Young Fortinbras is leading troops to reclaim land that was conquered by Old Hamlet. Claudius sends ambassadors to resolve the situation. Laertes is given leave to return to France. Hamlet, still grieving his father's death and upset by Gertrude's quick remarriage, is not allowed to return to Wittenburg. Polonius tells Ophelia to end her involvement with Hamlet. Horatio tells Hamlet about his father's ghost. Hamlet sees the ghost and learns that Claudius killed Old Hamlet. The ghost commands Hamlet to avenge his death.

Act Two: Polonius sends someone to France to watch over Laertes. Ophelia is visited by a seemingly mad Hamlet, which Polonius thinks is due to her rejection of him. Gertrude and Claudius send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet, who is aware of this. Hamlet decides to prove Claudius' guilt by staging The Murder of Gonzago.

Act Three: Polonius uses Ophelia to spy on Hamlet, hoping to discover the cause of his madness. Hamlet considers suicide in the "to be or not to be" speech. Hamlet claims he never loved Ophelia. Claudius shows guilt when the play is performed. Hamlet is asked to see Gertrude in her chambers. He has the opportunity to kill Claudius, but he is praying and Hamlet wants to be sure that he goes to hell. Hamlet meets Gertrude in her closet and Polonius spies on their conversation. Hamlet becomes aware that there is someone else in the room and stabs Polonius, thinking that he is Claudius. Hamlet berates Gertrude for her involvement with Claudius. The ghost appears, but only Hamlet can see him. Gertrude fears that her son has gone mad. The ghost reminds Hamlet of his promise to kill Claudius.

Act Four: Gertrude tells Claudius of Polonius' death. Hamlet refuses to say where the body is hidden. Claudius sends Hamlet to England, escorted by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He reveals that he plans to have Hamlet killed there. As he leaves, Hamlet sees Fortinbras' army and is moved by the dedication of the soldiers. Laertes returns to Elsinore. Ophelia goes insane and commits suicide. Laertes and Claudius plot to kill Hamlet.

Act Five: Two gravediggers make a grave for Ophelia. Hamlet comes back in time to witness the burial and fights with Laertes over who loved her more. Claudius and Laertes decide to put their plan into action. Hamlet accepts his death and duels with Laertes. Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet all die. Fortinbras takes over the kingdom and Horatio promises to share what happened at Elsinore.

Narrative Voice
There is no specific narrator, as it is a play.

Motifs
Morality: Revenge, judgement, conscience, poisonous lies/poison in the ear, death, religious conflicts.
Identity: Indecisiveness, religion, sense of self, synecdoche.
Insularity: Incest, family conflict, corruption, loyalty, insanity.
Control: Power usurpation, corruption, spying, lies, death, poison, delusion.
Dualities: Natural and unnatural, day and night, heaven and hell, life and death, love and hate, old and new.

Symbolism
Garden of Eden: Old Hamlet is Adam, sleeping in the garden. Claudius, the serpent, pours poison (lies) into his ear. Gertrude is also tempted by the serpent, and "eats the apple" by forming an incestuous relationship with Claudius.
Rotten in Denmark: The royal family of Denmark is corrupt, and the whole court must die in order for Elsinore to be cleansed.

Style
For the most part, the characters speak in the style typical of Shakespeare's writing -- those in the upper class speak in blank verse, and commoners speak in free verse. However, when Hamlet is pretending to be/actually is mad he speaks in free verse as well. Hamlet uses tricky language full of double meanings throughout the play.

Tone
Hamlet has a dark tone from the very beginning. Hamlet is already quite unsatisfied with his life, and full of anger and confusion even before meeting the ghost. From that meeting, the situation continues to worsen. He basically destroys any valuable relationships he had, save his friendship with Horatio. He struggles with the concepts of suicide and murder. Despite his efforts to make moral decisions, his lack of identity often leaves him paralyzed, which eventually results in the deaths of the entire court.

Quotes
Bernardo: Who's there? (1)
It's unusual for any book, especially a play, to begin with a question. Since Hamlet focuses on the main character's sense of self (or lack thereof), this question hints at the theme of the play. It also brings up existentialist ideas.

Hamlet: Denmark's a prison. (48)
There's something rotten in Denmark, Hamlet says it himself. The insular and controlling atmosphere of Elsinore keeps Hamlet from developing a sense of self, which ultimately leads to his downfall and the death of the entire court.

Theme
In Hamlet, Shakespeare warns that when you don't know who you are it is impossible to effectively exercise moral judgement.

Throughout the play, it is made clear that Hamlet does not know who he is. While it can be assumed that he had an identity while at school in Wittenberg, once he returns to the controlling prison that is Elsinore his sense of self disappears. Since he has no identity to base decisions off, Hamlet is unable to decide how to act. This lack of decision-making ability is what eventually leads to his own death, in addition to the death of the court of Elsinore.