Hamlet

Roles

• Hamlet - Young Adult (20-35), Male

About this piece

To be or not to be...

Summary

The play is set in Denmark at the Castle Elsinore. King Hamlet has just died and his brother, Claudius, has replaced him and also married his dead brother's wife, Gertrude. Hamlet is still grieving over his father's death. In the first scene of the play two watchmen, Bernardo and Marcellus, along with Hamlet's friend Horatio, witness the apparition of a ghost that they believe is the spirit of King Hamlet. The ghost doesn't say anything and disappears. They decide to bring Hamlet the next time, thinking that the ghost, if it's really Hamlet's father's spirit, will maybe address his son. That night the ghost appears again and speaks to Hamlet. He says that he is indeed his father's spirit and has come back to reveal the cause of his death, that is he was poisoned by his brother, King Claudius. He asks Hamlet to avenge his death. Hamlet starts planning the revenge and decides that part of his plan will be to pretend to be gone mad. A theatrical troupe has arrived to the castle and Hamlet plans to have them perform a play that will remind Claudius of the murder he committed. By watching his reaction to the play, Hamlet will be sure if Claudius indeed killed his father. In scene 3 of ACT II we find the king and the queen talking to Hamlet's friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in order to try to understand the cause of Hamlet's pain. When they leave the king and Polonius (the Lord Chamberlain of the court), decide to eavesdrop on the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia (Polonius' daughter) to see if Hamlet is grieving because of his love for her. When Hamlet enters their room he is talking to himself. He is in pain and is contemplating suicide. "To be or not to be: that is the question...".

Tone

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