Hamlet
SynopsisPlot
It follows the form of a "revenge tragedy," in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father's murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. Much of its fascination, however, lies in its uncertainties. Among them: What is the Ghost--Hamlet's father demanding justice, a tempting demon, an angelic messenger? Does Hamlet go mad, or merely pretend to? Once he is sure that Claudius is a murderer, why does he not act? Was his mother, Gertrude, unfaithful to her husband or complicit in his murder?
Story
About this book
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, follows a prince of Denmark who learns that his father was murdered by his own uncle, Claudius, now king and married to Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. The play uses the shape of a revenge tragedy, a form in which a wronged figure sets out to punish a killer, then fills it with hesitation and doubt.
Much of the play's hold comes from what it refuses to settle. A ghost appears claiming to be Hamlet's dead father and demanding justice, yet its nature stays open. Hamlet's behaviour shifts between apparent madness and deliberate performance, and his reasons for delaying action against Claudius remain debatable. Gertrude's knowledge of the murder is unresolved too. Confrontations and long soliloquies examine guilt, duty, grief, and acting on incomplete knowledge.
The title role is widely regarded as one of the most demanding parts in English-language theatre, and generations of leading actors have measured themselves against it. The play has been staged continuously since the early 1600s, and its setting is Elsinore, the royal seat on the Danish coast. Its other roles are drawn with similar care.
