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Hamlet Summary

            In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare two of the character's fathers are brutishly murdered. The first murdered character is King Hamlet who is supposed to be revenge by his son prince Hamlet. The second murder is Polonius who is supposed to be revenged by his son Laertes. Both Prince Hamlet and Laertes go to seek revenge for the death of fathers; however they will each use different methods to accomplish their deeds.
             Prince Hamlet has a meeting with the dead ghost of his father Kind Hamlet. King Hamlet's ghost reveals to his son that he was murdered by his brother Claudius. Hamlet is informed by his father that he need to be avenged by death of Claudius. By this time Claudius has already ascended the throne and married Hamlet's mother Queen Gertrude. Hamlet first decides to act abnormal which does not accomplish much besides warning his uncle that he might know he killed his father. .
             Later in the play a troop of actors come to act out a play, and Hamlet has them reenact the murder of his father in front of his uncle Claudius. During the play Hamlet watches Claudius to see his reaction when the actors perform the murder scene. Hamlet plan works as Claudius throws a fit and runs out the room, where Hamlet goes after him. When hamlet catches up to Claudius, he finds Claudius kneeling in prayer, and Hamlet pulls out his sword and gets ready to kill him. However, Hamlet realizes that if he kills Claudius while in prayer he will go to heaven and not hell. So Hamlet postpones the killing of Claudius. .
             Hamlet goes to confront his mother, in whose bedchamber Polonius has hidden behind a tapestry. Hearing a noise from behind the tapestry, Hamlet believes the king id hiding there. He draws his sword and stabs through the fabric, killing Polonius. For this crime he is immediately dispatched to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. However, Claudius's plan for Hamlet includes more than banishment, as he has given Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sealed orders for the King of England demanding that Hamlet be put to death.


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