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William Shakespeare

Hamlet

Read it scene by scene, with the Gloss on every hard word and notes from a panel of commentators in the margin.

Act 1

5 scenes

  1. Start here

    Scene 1The ghost on the battlements4 characters9 min read

    Bernardo and Marcellus bring Horatio to witness the ghost of the dead King Hamlet, which appears but will not speak. Horatio interprets the apparition as a warning of danger to Denmark amid preparations against young Fortinbras. After the ghost reappears and vanishes at dawn, the men resolve to tell Prince Hamlet.

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  2. Scene 2Hamlet learns of the apparition9 characters14 min read

    Claudius addresses the court as Denmark's new king, defends his marriage to Gertrude, and sends envoys to restrain Fortinbras. Hamlet rejects the court's calls to end his mourning and privately laments his father's death and his mother's swift remarriage. Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo tell Hamlet about the ghost, and he resolves to join their watch that night.

  3. Scene 3Ophelia is forbidden to see Hamlet3 characters7 min read

    Laertes warns Ophelia not to trust Hamlet's courtship because the prince may not be free to choose his wife. Polonius gives Laertes a series of maxims before sending him back to France. Polonius orders Ophelia to reject Hamlet's advances and avoid further contact with him.

  4. Scene 4Hamlet follows the Ghost3 characters5 min read

    While Hamlet and Horatio await the ghost, revelry from the castle prompts Hamlet to criticize Denmark's drinking custom. The ghost appears and beckons Hamlet to follow it away from his companions. Ignoring his friends' fears, Hamlet breaks free and follows the apparition alone.

  5. Scene 5The Ghost demands revenge4 characters10 min read

    The ghost declares that it is Hamlet's father's spirit and says Claudius murdered him by pouring poison into his ear. The ghost commands Hamlet to avenge the killing while sparing Gertrude and leaving her judgment to heaven. Hamlet makes Horatio and Marcellus swear secrecy and warns that he may adopt an antic disposition.

Act 2

2 scenes
  1. Scene 1Ophelia reports Hamlet's strange visit3 characters6 min read

    Polonius sends Reynaldo to Paris to investigate Laertes indirectly by spreading mild rumors and observing the responses. A frightened Ophelia reports that a disheveled Hamlet entered her chamber, seized her wrist, stared at her, and departed without speaking. Polonius concludes that rejected love has driven Hamlet mad and goes to inform the king.

  2. Scene 2Hamlet devises the play test8 characters31 min read

    Claudius and Gertrude enlist Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to discover the cause of Hamlet's strange behavior. Polonius claims Hamlet is mad for Ophelia's love and arranges to observe an encounter between them. Hamlet exposes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's mission, welcomes the players, and devises a play to test Claudius's guilt.

Act 3

4 scenes
  1. Scene 1Hamlet rejects Ophelia7 characters10 min read

    Claudius and Polonius hide while Ophelia meets Hamlet so they can judge whether frustrated love has caused his madness. After reflecting on life and death, Hamlet harshly rejects Ophelia and tells her to go to a nunnery. Claudius decides Hamlet's behavior is dangerous and plans to send him to England, while Polonius proposes one final test with Gertrude.

  2. Scene 2The play exposes Claudius13 characters21 min read

    Hamlet instructs the players to perform naturally and asks Horatio to watch Claudius closely during the play. The staged murder closely mirrors the ghost's account, and Claudius abruptly stops the performance and leaves. Convinced by Claudius's response, Hamlet agrees to visit Gertrude but resolves to wound her only with words.

  3. Scene 3Hamlet spares the praying king5 characters5 min read

    Claudius orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to escort Hamlet to England, while Polonius prepares to overhear Hamlet's meeting with Gertrude. Alone, Claudius confesses his murder and attempts to pray but admits he cannot surrender the gains of his crime. Hamlet finds Claudius apparently praying but postpones killing him because he fears sending the king's soul to heaven.

  4. Scene 4Polonius is slain behind the arras4 characters12 min read

    Hamlet confronts Gertrude so fiercely that she cries for help, prompting the hidden Polonius to reveal himself. Mistaking the concealed listener for Claudius, Hamlet stabs through the arras and kills Polonius. The ghost reappears to remind Hamlet of his purpose, after which Hamlet urges Gertrude to repent and not reveal his sanity.

Act 4

7 scenes
  1. Scene 1Gertrude reports the chamber killing2 characters3 min read

    Gertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet killed the hidden Polonius in a fit of madness. Fearing blame and danger, Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find Hamlet and recover Polonius's body.

  2. Scene 2Hamlet conceals Polonius's body3 characters2 min read

    Rosencrantz and Guildenstern demand to know where Hamlet has placed Polonius's body, but he mocks them and refuses a direct answer. Hamlet finally agrees to be taken before Claudius.

  3. Scene 3Claudius dispatches Hamlet to England3 characters4 min read

    Hamlet answers Claudius's questions about Polonius with riddles before revealing that the body is near the lobby stairs. Claudius orders Hamlet sent to England under guard, presenting the journey as protection from the consequences of the killing. Alone, Claudius reveals that sealed orders command the English king to execute Hamlet.

  4. Scene 4An army renews Hamlet's resolve4 characters4 min read

    Fortinbras's captain tells Hamlet that the Norwegian army is marching to contest a small, nearly worthless piece of Polish land. Ashamed that thousands act for honor while he delays his own revenge, Hamlet resolves that his thoughts must become bloody.

  5. Scene 5Laertes storms the palace6 characters11 min read

    Ophelia enters distracted and sings fragmented songs that reveal her grief over her father's death. Laertes storms the castle with supporters and confronts Claudius, demanding an account of Polonius's death. Ophelia returns distributing symbolic flowers, and Claudius promises Laertes a full investigation.

  6. Scene 6Hamlet's letter announces his return3 characters2 min read

    Sailors deliver Horatio a letter from Hamlet reporting that pirates attacked his ship and brought him back to Denmark. Hamlet asks Horatio to guide the sailors to the king and then come to him quickly for the full account.

  7. Scene 7The fatal duel is plotted4 characters11 min read

    Claudius persuades Laertes that he was not responsible for Polonius's death and identifies Hamlet as their common enemy. After learning Hamlet has returned, Claudius and Laertes devise a fencing match using an unblunted, poisoned blade and a poisoned cup. Gertrude announces that Ophelia has drowned after falling from a willow into a brook.

Act 5

2 scenes
  1. Scene 1Hamlet confronts Laertes at the grave8 characters15 min read

    Hamlet speaks with the gravediggers and reflects on mortality while holding the skull of Yorick, the jester he knew as a child. Ophelia's funeral procession arrives, and Laertes leaps into her grave in an outburst of grief. Hamlet reveals himself, declares his love for Ophelia, and grapples with Laertes before they are separated.

  2. Scene 2The poisoned duel destroys the court9 characters22 min read

    Hamlet tells Horatio how he discovered the order for his execution and replaced it with a command condemning Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet accepts the fencing match with Laertes despite ominous feelings, trusting that providence determines the outcome. The poisoned contest kills Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet; Fortinbras arrives to claim authority and orders honors for Hamlet.