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Act Summary: Claudius, the new king of Denmark and Hamlet’s uncle, holds a royal meeting with several important members. Claudius speaks briefly about his dear brother, the late King Hamlet’s death and also announces his marriage to queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. Later, Horatio, Hamlet’s friend, informs Hamlet about King Hamlet’s ghost appearing outside the castle for 3 nights in a row. After meeting King Hamlet’s ghost himself and learning that Claudius murdered King Hamlet with poison, Hamlet swears to kill his uncle and avenge his father. Hamlet meeting his father and learning this truth acts as the inciting incident that paves way for the rest of the story.

Quote: “Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s hand of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched. Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin, unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled.” (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 75)

Quote Analysis: King Hamlet’s despair over being killed by Claudius and losing Gertrude to him, is essentially what makes Hamlet feel entitled to get revenge for his father. The late King is hurt by the utter betrayal from those closest to him and also by the fact that he was killed without a chance to repent for his sins, causing him to suffer in hell rather find peace in heaven. Hence, instead of keeping the truth behind his death a secret, King Hamlet exposes Claudius to Hamlet, forcing him to take action against Claudius. This inciting incident causes Hamlet to go crazy thinking about how to kill Claudius, leading to many other following incidents.

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SparkNotes Editors. "No Fear Hamlet." SparkNotes.com,      SparkNotes LLC, 2005, www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/hamlet/.

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Act Summary: As Hamlet slowly turns mad, Polonius, the father of Hamlet’s former lover Ophelia, informs Claudius and Gertrude that he believes Hamlet has turned mad over missing Ophelia. Meanwhile, Rosencrantz and Gildenstern, Hamlet’s old friends, arrive at the castle with a band of players to cheer up Hamlet and find out what has been making him act crazy as ordered by Claudius. Later, Hamlet makes a plan to use the band of players to put on a show that reenacts his father's death to test Claudius’s guilt and ensure he did indeed kill the former King.

Quote: “With most miraculous organ. I’ll have these players play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle. I’ll observe his looks. I’ll tent him to the quick. If he do blench, I know my course.” (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 556-560)

Quote Analysis: Although Hamlet promised his father he would get revenge, he is not completely certain about it. Instead of quickly murdering Claudius, Hamlet has taken his time to ponder Claudius’s involvement in his father’s death and even go to the lengths of testing him to ensure that killing Claudius is the right course of action. This rising action of Hamlet slowly going mad over his own inaction, and Claudius trying to find out the reason behind Hamlet’s madness builds tension in the audience as they wait for the climax.

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Act Summary: After spying on Hamlet while he is interacting with Ophelia, Claudius decides that Hamlet is not mad over Ophelia but rather something else and that the best course of action would be to send him off to England to get better. Later, while watching the play, Claudius gets up and leaves in rage, proving to Hamlet that Claudius really is guilty. Hamlet then sees Claudius praying and comes close to killing him but stops after realising that killing Claudius while he is praying would only send him to heaven. Next, Hamlet visits his mother and lectures her about her sins and participating in a second marriage. Gertrude screams in fear at Hamlet and so Polonius, who was hidden behind the tapestry, makes his presence known, causing Hamlet to kill him assuming he was Claudius.

Quote: “A murderer and a villain, a slave that is not twentieth part the tithe of your precedent lord, a vice of kings, a cutpurse of the empire and the rule, that from a shelf the precious diadem stole, and put it in his pocket—” (Act 3, Scene 4, Line 97-102)

Quote Analysis: Hamlet, mad at himself for his own inaction, decides to take some kind of action by telling Gertrude that Claudius is a murderer. Although he refrains from mentioning who Claudius has murdered, he forces Gertrude to feel ashamed of herself for remarrying Claudius. Although Hamlet hasn’t succeeded in killing Claudius yet, he comes close to doing so twice in this act. Hamlet is finally starting to take action in any way he can and avenge his father. Knowing this, tension builds up higher than ever before in the play making this the climax.

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Act Summary: Claudius, angered about the play and Polonius’s death, sends orders to England to kill Hamlet as soon as he arrives there and also forces Hamlet to leave to England immediately. Due to Polonius’s death, Ophelia goes mad and loses her mind while her brother, Laertes, storms into the castle with a rebellion against the King to avenge his father. However, Caludius is able to convince Laertes that Hamlet is at fault and soon after, they both hear the news that Hamlet is returning back to Denmark. In wake of that news, Claudius and Laertes devise a plan to kill Hamlet with a poisoned sword. Meanwhile, Ophelia surrenders to her madness and drowns.

Quote: “And wager on your heads. He, being remiss, most generous and free from all contriving, will not peruse the foils; so that, with ease, or with a little shuffling, you may choose a sword unbated, and in a pass of practice requite him for your father” (Act 4, Scene 7, Line 131-135)

Quote Analysis: While Laertes wishes to kill Hamlet to avenge his father, Claudius wants to kill Hamlet also because Hamlet poses a danger to Claudius. After Polonius’s accidental death, it becomes clear to Claudius that Hamlet was attempting to kill him and so he fuels Laertes’ rage for Hamlet and devises a plan to kill him. Laertes, unknowing that Caludius himself is also a murderer, becomes eager to help Claudius kill Hamlet. These incidents that make up the falling action are all tying up loose ends like Ophelia and leading to the final end battle.

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Hamlet, accompanied by Hortio, finds out about Ophelia’s death and watches as she is buried. Later, Hamlet explains to Hortaio how he found out he was to be killed upon arrival in England, and so he forged a note ordering Rosencrantz and Gildenstresn’s deaths instead as they had betrayed him. Next, Hamlet and Laertes fight with bets placed on them. Laertes cuts Hamlet with his poisoned sword and Hamlet takes Laertes sword and does the same to him. In the meantime, the queen accidentally drinks poison that was meant for Hamlet and dies while claiming Claudius was the one to poison it. Hamlet forces Claudius to drink the poison as well and soon after they all die. Fortinbras, the king of Norway enters the scene soon after to find only Horatio alive and takes over the kingdom.

Quote: “Now cracks a noble heart.—Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!” (Act 5, Scene 2, Line 358-359)

Quote Analysis: Horatio, being the only one left alive, wishes Hamlet good night as he dies. Hamlet died a treacherous death at the hands of his uncle while simply trying to avenge his father. He leads a noble life up until his recently developed madness and so Horatio wishes that angels sing to him as he dies. The deaths of Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern bring the story to an end as almost all the main characters die. Horatio is left behind to tell Hamlet’s great tale.

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Shakespeare’s Hamlet portrays a few characters that seem to have gone mad for whatever reasons. The characters whose madness is mostly portrayed are Hamlet’s and Ophelia’s.

In act one, after seeing King Hamlet's ghost, Hamlet says, “Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, how strange or odd soe'er I bear myself (as I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on), that you, at such times seeing me, never shall— “ (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 170-174).

Hamlet informs Horatio and Marcellus that they must not reveal their knowledge about King Hamlet's ghost, even if Hamlet starts acting mad in the future. This may indicate that Hamlet found it necessary to fake madness in order to expose Claudius. It could also indicate that Hamlet foresaw his own madness due to the troubling news he just found out. Hamlet’s initial reaction of madness in response to Claudius’ treachery is what leads him to do the things he does in following events. The theme of madness, as portrayed in the inciting incident, is the most prominent theme as it is what Hamlet uses to expose Claudius of his crimes and avenge his father.

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In act two, Claudius brings Rosencrantz and Gildenstern, friends of Hamlet’s, to the kingdom telling them that “Some little time so by your companies to draw him on to pleasures and to gather, so much as from occasion you may glean, whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus that, opened, lies within our remedy” (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 15-18).

Claudius, who is so unloving that he was able to kill his own brother, is very unlikely to truly care for Hamlet's wellbeing. Seeing Hamlet’s strange behavior and growing madness is most probably worrying Claudius and making him paranoid. Although there is no proof to say that Hamlet knows about Claudius’ crimes, he wants to make sure that Hamlet’s madness is not rooted by that knowledge and so he enlists the help of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern. This shows that the theme of madness is very important because Hamlet’s supposed madness is making Claudius paranoid enough to involve others and have them potentially find out the truth.

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Also in act two, when speaking to his dear friends, Hamlets states, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw” (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 351).

By saying this, he is explaining that although sometimes mad, he is still able to tell friend from foe. Unlike those who are genuinely mad, Hamlet still has his wit and intelligence showing that he may only be acting mad to be able to better expose Claudius. Hamlet believes that pretending to be crazy makes him seem less suspicious and so he makes his madness utterly believable and sticks by it to help himself achieve his goal. This theme of madness is very constant as all the characters are deeply affected by Hamlet’s madness as they try to find out the cause and help him.

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In act 4, after Hamlet mistakenly kills Polonius, Gertrude says, “Mad as the sea and wind when both contend which is the mightier. In his lawless fit, behind the arras hearing something stir, whips out his rapier, cries, “A rat, a rat!” And in this brainish apprehension kills the unseen good old man” (Act 4, Scene 1, Line 8-12).

Hamlet purposefully kills the person hidden behind the tapestry in hopes that he kills Claudius. Although his acts are irrational, they are not mad. Instead, Hamlet uses the guise of a mad man to justify his actions. If Claudius and Gertrude didn't think Hamlet was mad, they would question his intentions after he killed Polonius. However, no one would bother to question a mad man and so, Hamlet was left relatively unquestioned. This theme of madness is also what later causes Claudius and Laertes to plot Hamlet’s death as they think his madness is dangerous.

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Also in act four, a different type of madness is introduced through Ophelia.

When talking about her, a gentleman says, “She speaks much of her father, says she hears there’s tricks i' th' world, and hems, and beats her heart, spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt that carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing” (Act 4, Scene 5, Line 4-7).

After the death of her father, Ophelia loses her mind and genuinely goes mad. She is unable to have proper thoughts or have a proper conversation as her mind no longer allows it. Most are unable to understand what she has to say as she no longer speaks in proper sentences. This uncontrollable madness leads to her drowning herself. The madness shown here is another form of madness as Ophelia’s behaviour is far different from Hamlet's behaviour. Through Ohpelia’s story, the theme of madness is brought up once again to portray the full extent of madness that some reach due to grief.

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In act five, while Hamlet is on the brink of death, he says, “O God, Horatio, what a wounded name, things standing thus unknown, shall live behind me!” (Act 5, Scene 2, Line 341-342).

Hamlet pleads with Horatio to tell Hamlet’s story to the world and fix his tarnished reputation. Hamlet is aware that due to his recents acts of madness, many think very low of him now and so he begs Horatio to fix that by telling everyone the truth. By this, Hamlet means to tell everyone of Claudius’ treachery and the reasons behind Hamlet’s recent acts of madness. If Hamlet were truly mad, he would not care if people continued to believe so but the fact that he does care shows that Hamlet was never mad. However, the guise of a madman aided Hamlet in reaching his goal in the end. Had the theme of madness not been so present, many of the incidents that happened would not have happened.

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The theme of madness is constantly talked about and portrayed throughout the play. From act one where Hamlet foreshadows his supposed madness up until his dying words, we are shown many incidents where Hamlet acts mad. However, we are also shown that although appearing to be mad, Hamlet is still as intelligent as before and that Hamlet's madness is far different from Ophelia’s madness which coils be seen as true madness. Whereas she can’t hold a steady conversation or make any sense, Hamlet is still able to. This proves that although Hamlet does perform a few unorthodox acts, he does not necessarily fall under the mad category. However, by making everyone else believe he is mad, Hamlet is able to make madness his main weapon against Claudius. If it weren’t for his faked madness, Hamlet would have faced more severe consequences for killing Polonius. Also, if he wasn’t mad, then the whole fight between Hamlet and Laertes may not have happened as Claudius created the plan to kill Hamlet because of his madness. Therefore, the most prominent theme of the play is madness.

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In the beginning of the play, Claudius is portrayed as a heartless antagonist. Although he had just murdered his brother, he seems completely unaffected by his crimes. Soon after murdering his brother, he also marries his brother’s wife.

While addressing these recent changes Claudius says, “Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death the memory be green, and that it us befitted to bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom to be contracted in one brow of woe, yet so far hath discretion fought with nature that we with wisest sorrow think on him together with remembrance of ourselves” (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 1-7).

We are able to tell just how heartless and free of guilt Claudius is through his actions and words. He’s telling the residents of the kingdom to forget King Hamlet and move on to recent matters such as his new marriage and reign over the kingdom. Through all this, we are clearly able to tell that Claudius is a cunning and emotionless antagonist.

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The next we see of Claudius is when he brings in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s friends, to see what’s wrong with Hamlet.

When talking to them he says, “Some little time so by your companies to draw him on to pleasures and to gather, so much as from occasion you may glean, whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him thus that, opened, lies within our remedy” (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 14-18).

In this scene, he is under the guise of a loving uncle that cares deeply about his nephew. However, the likelihood of Claudius truly caring for Hamlet is small as Claudius didn’t even care for his own brother. From all this, we can assume that Claudius only cares about Hamlet’s strange behaviour because pretending to care would make him seem like a better king. In addition, Claudius wants everything to run smoothly and Hamlet’s behaviour is surely in the way of that. Therefore, he is acting to be a loving uncle to benefit himself.

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By act 3, we see some character development in Claudius. He changes from being heartless and emotionless to feeling guilty for his crimes.

While thinking of god he says, “Oh, my offence is rank. It smells to heaven. it hath the primal eldest curse upon ’t, a brother’s murder. Pray can I not. Though inclination be as sharp as will, my stronger guilt defeats my strong intent” (Act 3, Scene 3, Line 37-41).

In this scene, Claudius wishes to pray for forgiveness for his crimes while he is alone. However, he realizes his crimes may be too great for forgiveness. Unlike before, Claudius now realizes the extent of his crimes. Although he has yet to do anything to repent for his sins or take responsibility, he understands that his recent actions have been far from acceptable. This is significant character development as Claudius shifts from virtually not caring about his sins at all, to wanting to pray for forgiveness.

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By the end of act 4, Claudius’ newly developed guilt turns into fear as he starts to feel threatened by Hamlet.

While plotting Hamlet’s death with Laertes, Claudius says, “Break not your sleeps for that. You must not think that we are made of stuff so flat and dull that we can let our beard be shook with danger and think it pastime. You shortly shall hear more” (Act 4, Scene 7, Line 30-33).

After Hamlet kills Polonius so irrationally, Claudius starts to develop fear while realizing that he could have easily been in Polonius’ place. Claudius starts to see Hamlet as a threat to his secret and life, so he plots Hamlet’s murder. Many would assume that after praying and feeling guilty, Claudius would try to make up for his sins. However, due to Hamlet’s rash actions, Claudius’ guilt is forgotten and replaced by intense fear.

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In act 5, before posinong Claudius, Hamlet publicly says, “Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damnèd Dane, drink off this potion. Is thy union here? Follow my mother” (Act 5, Scene 2, Line 320-321).

Hamlet makes it known to everyone that Claudius is not the King he pretends to be but rather a treacherous murderer. Claudius’ fear of Hamlet exposes his crimes is what leads him to irrationally plan to kill Hamlet. Although Claudius was treacherous in the beginning, he was still somewhat level headed and able to think clearly without emotions clouding his judgement. However, as the play progresses, his emotions slowly take control. At first, guilt led him to be vulnerable enough for Hamlet to get close to killing him. Then, fear leads him to make irrational choices that eventually lead to his own demise. In this way, Claudius’ character changes from being heartless and emotionless, to being too emotional.

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In the start of the play, although mourning, Hamlet is shown as obedient, intelligent, and a gentleman. Even with the sorrow he faces, he does not lash out at Claudius or Gertrude but rather stays silent and keeps to himself.

When talking to the ghost of his father, he says, “Haste me to know ’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge” (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 29-30).

Through this quote we can tell that Hamlet is able to think quickly and has a clear goal. He does not question what needs to be done and instead, he craves to take action. Hamlet was able to quickly get over his initial shock of seeing his father and able to hold a conversation with his father whereas Horatio and Marcellus were not able to. This proves that originally, Hamlet is very strong minded and goal driven. He is fearless when it comes to doing what needs to be done.

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However, as Hamlet starts to act strangely and pretends to be mad, we can see his character change.

While speaking to Hamlet, Polonius says, “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ’t” (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 195).

Due to the pressure to kill his uncle, Hamlet starts to act strangely and so others start to call him mad. However, Polonius says that there is a method to Hamlet’s madness meaning that although Hamlet is acting differently, he is still in control of his mind. Although he speaks and acts differently, Hamlet is not truly mad like Ophelia is. He is still much like his previous self in the sense that he knows his goal and what needs to be done. However, due to his prolonged inaction and the rising pressure, Hamlet’s mind is weakening and diverting slightly from his goal. He knows he must kill Claudius but he has yet to make any plans or think of how to do it.

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The only true plan Hamlet makes is his plan to watch Claudius’ reaction to a play reenacting the murder he committed. Through this play, it becomes evident that Claudius is guilty which leaves Hamlet with no more excuses. Hamlet has to kill Claudius now to avenge his father. However, he is still hesitant and questions the meaning of his own existence.

Talking to himself he says “To be, or not to be? That is the question— Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and, by opposing, end them” (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 57-60).

He thinks about whether it’s better to stay alive and deal with all the troubles life brings or to die. This internal struggle shows that Hamlet’s character has changed from being strong minded and driven to being very weak and unmotivated. The situations he goes through and the pressure on him causes him to change drastically and think less rationally.

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His prolonged inaction, the promise he made to his father and his irrational thinking cause him to kill Polonius in act 4, thinking he is Claudius. Although he is unmotivated and less driven, the pressure of avenging his father causes him to irrationally kill Polonius. This act makes others further believe that Hamlet has gone mad.

When telling Claudius about Polonius’ fate, Gertrude says “Mad as the sea and wind when both contend which is the mightier. In his lawless fit, behind the arras hearing something stir, whips out his rapier, cries, “A rat, a rat!” And in this brainish apprehension kills the unseen good old man” (Act 4, Scene 1, Line 8-12).

Gertrude believes that it was madness that led Hamlet to do such an irrational thing. However, the true reason behind Hamlet’s irrational act is his lack of motivation and change in character. Hamlet does not feel driven enough to truly make a plan and kill Claudius so when it seemed to him for a second that the person behind the tapestry as Claudius, he unthinkingly killed the person. He hoped he had killed the king and that his job was done due to his lack of interest in life.

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This lack of interest or caution is also what makes him agree to fight against Laertes.

When Horatio tells Hamlet not to fight if he has a bad feeling about it, Hamlet says “Not a whit. We defy augury. There’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ’tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all” (Act 5, Scene 2, Line 209-210).

This quote shows us that Hamlet no longer values his own life. His lack of motivation in his tasks and his inability to avenge his father has made Hamlet lose his will to live. Although he is not suicidal, he is willingly going to fight with Laertes knowing that sometimes bad is going to happen. This change in his character from being confident, motivated and strong minded to not caring about his life, is essentially what causes Hamlet’s death. Hamlet leads himself to his demise as he throws caution away and acts recklessly without thought.