William Shakespeare
Hamlet: storylines
3 storylines and 55 events, in the order they happen. Follow where the plots fork and come together; hover over or tap an event to see what happens.
Act 1
Act 2
Act 3
Act 4
Act 5
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- Hamlet's revengeGhost appears at Elsinore
Marcellus, Bernardo and Horatio see a ghost resembling the dead King Hamlet.
Act 1, Scene 1 › - Hamlet's revengeHoratio challenges the ghost
Horatio questions the apparition, but it vanishes without speaking.
Act 1, Scene 1 › - Hamlet's revengeHoratio alerts Hamlet
Horatio decides that they must tell Prince Hamlet what they have seen.
Act 1, Scene 1 › - Claudius's counterplotClaudius marries Gertrude
Claudius celebrates his marriage to Gertrude while presenting himself as Denmark's new king.
Act 1, Scene 2 › - Claudius's counterplotClaudius detains Hamlet
Claudius and Gertrude persuade Hamlet not to return to Wittenberg.
Act 1, Scene 2 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet learns of the ghost
Horatio tells Hamlet that his father's apparition has appeared to the watch.
Act 1, Scene 2 › - Polonius's familyLaertes warns Ophelia
Laertes cautions Ophelia that Hamlet's royal position may prevent him from marrying her.
Act 1, Scene 3 › - Polonius's familyPolonius counsels Laertes
Polonius gives Laertes a series of maxims before his departure for France.
Act 1, Scene 3 › - Polonius's familyPolonius forbids Hamlet
Polonius orders Ophelia to reject Hamlet's advances and avoid him.
Act 1, Scene 3 › - Hamlet's revengeGhost beckons Hamlet
The ghost appears during the night watch and signals Hamlet to follow it.
Act 1, Scene 4 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet follows the ghost
Hamlet disregards his companions' warnings and pursues the apparition alone.
Act 1, Scene 4 › - Hamlet's revengeGhost names Claudius
The ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him by pouring poison into his ear.
Act 1, Scene 5 › - Hamlet's revengeGhost demands revenge
The ghost commands Hamlet to avenge the murder while sparing Gertrude.
Act 1, Scene 5 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet swears his companions
Hamlet makes Horatio and Marcellus swear secrecy and warns that he may adopt an antic disposition.
Act 1, Scene 5 ›
Act 2
- Polonius's familyPolonius spies on Laertes
Polonius sends Reynaldo to investigate Laertes's behaviour in Paris through indirect enquiries.
Act 2, Scene 1 › - Polonius's familyHamlet frightens Ophelia
Ophelia reports that a dishevelled and disturbed Hamlet entered her chamber and silently examined her.
Act 2, Scene 1 › - Polonius's familyPolonius blames rejected love
Polonius concludes that Ophelia's obedience has driven Hamlet mad with love.
Act 2, Scene 1 › - Polonius's familyPolonius diagnoses Hamlet
Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that rejected love for Ophelia has caused Hamlet's madness.
Act 2, Scene 2 › - Claudius's counterplotHamlet exposes his visitors
Hamlet makes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern admit that the king and queen summoned them to observe him.
Act 2, Scene 2 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet plans the play
After welcoming the players, Hamlet decides to stage a murder resembling his father's and watch Claudius's reaction.
Act 2, Scene 2 ›
Act 3
- Hamlet's revengeHamlet contemplates suicide
Hamlet weighs the suffering of life against death and the fear of what may follow it.
Act 3, Scene 1 › - Polonius's familyHamlet rejects Ophelia
Hamlet denies his former love, orders Ophelia to a nunnery and condemns marriage.
Act 3, Scene 1 › - Claudius's counterplotClaudius plans Hamlet's exile
Convinced that love has not caused Hamlet's disturbance, Claudius decides to send him to England.
Act 3, Scene 1 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet stages the murder
The players enact a poisoning modelled on the ghost's account while Hamlet observes Claudius.
Act 3, Scene 2 › - Hamlet's revengeClaudius stops the play
Claudius rises in distress during the murder scene and abruptly ends the performance.
Act 3, Scene 2 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet confirms Claudius's guilt
Hamlet and Horatio agree that Claudius's reaction has confirmed the ghost's accusation.
Act 3, Scene 2 › - Claudius's counterplotClaudius orders Hamlet away
Claudius instructs Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to escort Hamlet to England.
Act 3, Scene 3 › - Hamlet's revengeClaudius fails to repent
Claudius attempts to pray but admits that he cannot surrender the rewards of his crime.
Act 3, Scene 3 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet spares Claudius
Hamlet declines to kill the apparently praying Claudius because he fears sending him to heaven.
Act 3, Scene 3 › - Polonius's familyHamlet kills Polonius
Hearing a cry behind the arras, Hamlet thrusts his sword through it and kills Polonius.
Act 3, Scene 4 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet confronts Gertrude
Hamlet forces Gertrude to compare her dead husband with Claudius and condemns her marriage.
Act 3, Scene 4 › - Hamlet's revengeGhost restrains Hamlet
The ghost appears to remind Hamlet of his revenge and urge him to comfort the terrified Gertrude.
Act 3, Scene 4 ›
Act 4
- Claudius's counterplotGertrude reports Polonius's death
Gertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet killed Polonius behind the arras.
Act 4, Scene 1 › - Claudius's counterplotClaudius pursues Hamlet
Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find Hamlet and recover Polonius's body.
Act 4, Scene 1 › - Claudius's counterplotHamlet hides Polonius's body
Hamlet refuses to tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern where he has placed Polonius's corpse.
Act 4, Scene 2 › - Claudius's counterplotHamlet goes to Claudius
Hamlet agrees to accompany Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to the king.
Act 4, Scene 2 › - Claudius's counterplotHamlet reveals the body
After taunting Claudius, Hamlet discloses that Polonius's corpse is by the stairs in the lobby.
Act 4, Scene 3 › - Claudius's counterplotClaudius sends Hamlet away
Claudius orders Hamlet to depart immediately for England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Act 4, Scene 3 › - Claudius's counterplotClaudius orders Hamlet's death
Alone, Claudius reveals that his letters command the English king to execute Hamlet.
Act 4, Scene 3 › - Hamlet's revengeFortinbras crosses Denmark
A captain tells Hamlet that Fortinbras's army is marching to contest a small and unprofitable piece of Polish land.
Act 4, Scene 4 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet renews his resolve
Shamed by the soldiers' willingness to die for honour, Hamlet vows that his thoughts will henceforth be bloody.
Act 4, Scene 4 › - Polonius's familyOphelia sings in madness
Distraught by her father's death, Ophelia enters singing fragmented songs about death, love and betrayal.
Act 4, Scene 5 › - Polonius's familyLaertes storms the palace
Laertes leads an armed crowd into the palace and demands vengeance for Polonius.
Act 4, Scene 5 › - Polonius's familyClaudius redirects Laertes
Claudius promises to prove his innocence and help Laertes identify the person responsible for Polonius's death.
Act 4, Scene 5 › - Hamlet's revengeSailors deliver Hamlet's letter
Sailors bring Horatio a letter in which Hamlet reports that pirates attacked his ship and brought him back to Denmark.
Act 4, Scene 6 › - Hamlet's revengeHoratio goes to Hamlet
Horatio follows the sailors to meet Hamlet and receive further letters for the king.
Act 4, Scene 6 › - Claudius's counterplotHamlet announces his return
A letter informs Claudius that Hamlet has unexpectedly returned to Denmark.
Act 4, Scene 7 › - Claudius's counterplotClaudius plots poisoned duel
Claudius and Laertes plan to kill Hamlet with an unblunted, poisoned rapier and a poisoned cup.
Act 4, Scene 7 › - Polonius's familyGertrude reports Ophelia's drowning
Gertrude enters with news that Ophelia has drowned after falling from a willow into a brook.
Act 4, Scene 7 ›
Act 5
- Hamlet's revengeHamlet holds Yorick's skull
Hamlet recognises the skull of the court jester Yorick and reflects on the physical end shared by all people.
Act 5, Scene 1 › - Polonius's familyHamlet discovers Ophelia's funeral
Hamlet realises that the disputed burial rites are being performed for Ophelia.
Act 5, Scene 1 › - Polonius's familyHamlet grapples with Laertes
Hamlet leaps into Ophelia's grave and struggles with Laertes while proclaiming his own love for her.
Act 5, Scene 1 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet rewrites Claudius's order
Hamlet tells Horatio that he replaced the execution order with one condemning Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Act 5, Scene 2 › - Claudius's counterplotGertrude drinks the poison
During the fencing match, Gertrude drinks from Claudius's poisoned cup before Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned rapier.
Act 5, Scene 2 › - Hamlet's revengeHamlet kills Claudius
After Laertes exposes the plot, Hamlet kills Claudius, reconciles with Laertes and dies as Fortinbras arrives to claim the kingdom.
Act 5, Scene 2 ›