Hamlet - Play Summary
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaTaaNinolU

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0:00 Hamlet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. The play's story, which can be traced back to a 12th century Latin text, is
0:09 about a Danish prince named Hamlet, who seeks to avenge his father's murder at the hands of his uncle, Claudius. The play is not only Shakespeare's
0:18 longest, but also one of his most iconic. At the start of the play, the king of Denmark has died and his brother
0:27 Claudius has assumed the throne and married his late brother's wife, Queen Gertrude. Consumed with grief over his father's
0:36 sudden death, Prince Hamlet is appalled by his mother's marriage to Claudius, whose character is, he believes, inferior to that of his deceased father.
0:48 Little does Hamlet know, the ghost of his dead father appeared to his skeptical friend Horatio and two castle centuries the previous night.
0:58 When Horatio tells Hamlet of this sighting, Hamlet decides to watch for the ghost himself that evening. Soon the ghost appears.
1:09 Addressing only Hamlet, the ghost says he's come from purgatory to demand vengeance against his brother Claudius, who murdered him by pouring poison into
1:20 his ear. Hamlet is shocked and vows to avenge his father's murder by killing Claudius. Meanwhile, Claudius's chief adviser,
1:32 Pelonius, is concerned about his daughter, Oilia, who loves Hamlet, but is confused by his gloomy mood lately. At first, Pelonius orders his daughter
1:43 to stay away from Hamlet. But he later becomes convinced that Oilia's lack of affection is the reason for Hamlet's melancholy.
1:53 Pelonius decides to observe the couple together in secret, hiding behind a tapestry with Claudius. But when Oilia tries to flirt with Hamlet, his mind is
2:04 on his father's murder, and he rebukes her advances, proving Pelonius wrong. Next, Claudius recruits Hamlet's school friends, Rosen Cray and Gilden Stern, to
2:16 discover the reason for Hamlet's foul mood. But Hamlet quickly realizes that his friends are working against him as spies.
2:25 Dodging his questions, Rosen Cran and Gilden Stern tell Hamlet that they ran into a troop of actors on their way to the castle and invited them along to
2:35 perform for the court. Hamlet decides to have these actors perform a play based on the murder of his father to see how Claudius reacts.
2:45 If he seems rattled by the performance, it will prove his guilt. Meanwhile, Claudius learns that Fortonra, the prince of enemy Norway,
2:56 has expressed interest in waging war on Denmark, owing to the recent change in the country's leadership. Claudius is reassured, however, when he
3:06 learns that Norway's king has forbade Forton from invading Denmark and that the Norwegian army intends to invade a small area in Poland instead.
3:17 To do so, they need Claudius's permission to march through Denmark, which he grants. That evening, Claudius indeed seems
3:27 disturbed by the performance of Hamlet's play and even storms out, convincing Hamlet of his guilt. Hamlet decides to tell his mother. But
3:39 on his way to her chamber, Hamlet overhears Claudius confessing his sins, including the murder, to God.
3:49 Hamlet nearly kills Claudius, but stops short, realizing that if he killed his uncle while he was praying, Claudius would go straight to heaven.
4:00 Hamlet goes to Gertrude's chamber and tries to convince his mother of Claudius's evil character. Meanwhile, Pelonius is once again spying on their
4:09 conversation from behind a curtain. At one point, Gertrude misinterprets Hamlet's words. Thinking he intends to kill her, she screams out for help,
4:21 causing Pelonius to scream as well. Assuming it's Claudius behind the curtain, Hamlet stabs at the fabric, killing Pelonius.
4:33 Following Pelonius's death, Hamlet's friends, Rosen Cran and Gilden Stern, escort Hamlet on a diplomatic mission to England at the request of Claudius.
4:44 However, Hamlet is unaware that Claudius gave them a letter for the English king, instructing him to have Hamlet killed upon his arrival.
4:54 Soon, Hamlet discovers this letter in Rosen CR and Gilden Stern's possession, and secretly replaces it with one asking that his friends be killed instead of
5:04 him. Meanwhile, Pelonius's son, Leertes, upset over his father's murder, confronts Claudius and threatens to
5:14 seize the throne from him with the help of an angry mob. Claudius assures him that Hamlet is responsible. And together, they decide
5:24 to arrange for a casual jewel between Hamlet and Leertes, who is a skilled swordsman.
5:32 Secretly, they plan to line Leertes's sword with poison, ensuring that even a small wound will kill Hamlet. As an added precaution, Claudius will
5:44 prepare a cup of poison to give to Hamlet during the fight. Returning home from his journey, Hamlet passes through a cemetery, encountering
5:55 a gravedigger in the midst of preparing a new grave. Engaging in word play with the man, Hamlet irreverently picks up the skull
6:04 of Yoro, a court gesture he knew as a child, and muses about the nature of mortality. Soon, a funeral procession arrives, and
6:15 Leertes informs Hamlet that the newly dug grave is for Oilia, who driven mad by Hamlet's rejection, drowned herself. Leertes leaps upon Ailia's grave to hold
6:30 her body once more. And Hamlet dives in after him, nearly coming to blows with Leertes. Hamlet assures him that he loved Oilia
6:40 40 times as much as a brother could, then flees the cemetery. Back at court, Hamlet learns of Leertes's intention to challenge him to
6:51 a duel. Horatio worries that Leertes is a better swordsman, but Hamlet assures him he has been practicing and agrees to the fight.
7:02 At first, Hamlet is doing so well that Gertrude toasts to him with a poisoned cup, drinking it before Claudius can stop her. Leertes, seeing that his and
7:13 Claudius's plan will soon become clear, slashes Hamlet with the poisoned sword. But as the men scuffle, their swords are switched around and Hamlet wounds
7:24 Leertes with the poison sword as well. As they both die, Leertes tells Hamlet of Claudius's plan, and Hamlet stabs his uncle, killing him. With Hamlet,
7:38 Claudius, Gertrude, and Leertes all dead, the path is cleared for Fort Passing through on his way to Poland to claim the throne.