Act 1, scene 2. Because this scene makes us meet the protagonist and it also reveals to us the important characters, the state of affairs in Denmark and lastly opens up the mind of hamlet to us.
Act 5 Scene 2 - The tragic climax
As they fight, Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine that Claudius had intended for Hamlet and dies.
The character of Hamlet has the most lines of any character in all of Shakespeare's plays. Hamlet is also Shakespeare's longest play. William Shakespeare was an actor, not just a playwright, and it is thought that he played the Ghost of old Hamlet in the original production of this play.
Summary: Act I, scene iii
Since Hamlet is responsible not only for his own feelings but for his position in the state, it may be impossible for him to marry her. Ophelia agrees to keep Laertes' advice as a “watchman” close to her heart but urges him not to give her advice that he does not practice himself.
Act 1 sets up the circumstances around Old Hamlet's death and Hamlet's need for revenge – showing us how Hamlet feels about his mother's new marriage and the promises he makes to the ghost of his father, to avenge his murder.
Act 1, scene 5 The Ghost tells Hamlet a tale of horror. Saying that he is the spirit of Hamlet's father, he demands that Hamlet avenge King Hamlet's murder at the hands of Claudius. Hamlet, horrified, vows to “remember” and swears his friends to secrecy about what they have seen.
It seems that losing his father has caused Hamlet to question the meaning of his own life, since even a powerful, beloved king can be unceremoniously killed. Horatio begs Hamlet at length not to follow the ghost, as it may have devious designs on Hamlet's life and might try to lead him into the sea.
Hamlet Act 1, Scene 2 establishes that Old King Hamlet has died recently, and that his brother Claudius ascended to the throne and married his widow Gertrude quickly after his brother's death. Claudius and Gertrude are both concerned (for different reasons) about Hamlet's deep sadness and ennui.
Act 3 Scene 2 of Hamlet is primarily about the play that Hamlet commissions to prove Claudius guilty. He has actors act out a scene that is a thinly veiled representation of the relationship between Gertrude, her late husband, Hamlet's father, and Claudius.
In the middle of Hamlet's attack, the Ghost returns to remind Hamlet that his real purpose is to avenge his father's death. Gertrude cannot see the Ghost and pities Hamlet's apparent madness.
“To thine own self be true.”
Hamlet remains one of Shakespeare's most famous plays because it taps into universal experiences that are not confined to one culture or time period. Audience members today can relate with Hamlet's struggles just as much as audience members from Shakespeare's time.
We can take two lessons from Hamlet. The first one is that if people let anger and revenge get the best of them, they can cause damage. The second one is in life you will be able to get away with something for long but not forever. We learn these lessons through various actions committed by various characters.
Summary: Act III, scene iii
Polonius enters and reminds the king of his plan to hide in Gertrude's room and observe Hamlet's confrontation with her. He promises to tell Claudius all that he learns. When Polonius leaves, the king is alone, and he immediately expresses his guilt and grief over his sin.
Meaning of Ophelia's Song
Ophelia spends most of Act 4, Scene 5 singing songs about death and unrequited love. These songs are meant to represent her grief that her father has been murdered and her heartbreak over Hamlet. Ophelia also hands out flowers to everyone present and announces which types she is giving out.
Act 4, Scene 2
Hamlet has just hidden Polonius's body when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive to handle the situation. When they ask Hamlet where he has stashed the body, Hamlet refuses to reveal the location, telling the pair that all their favors for the king will bring them nothing in the end.
Here, in the famous balcony scene, Romeo and Juliet reveal their love to each other, and at Juliet's suggestion, they plan to marry. Shakespeare uses light and dark imagery in this scene to describe the blossoming of Romeo and Juliet's romance.
As the scene comes to an end, Hamlet makes himself feel a little better about his inaction by coming up with a plan to test whether or not Claudius is truly guilty. The very fact that Hamlet wants to confirm Claudius's guilt indicates that he's concerned about the morality of murdering his uncle.
Hamlet leaves, dragging Polonius' body behind him. The Queen informs the King that Hamlet has killed Polonius in a fit of madness, and he orders Rozencrantz and Guildenstern to find the body. Claudius, happy he now has a reason to send Hamlet away, tells Gertrude that they will report Hamlet's crime to his council.
Act 1, scene 5 Capulet welcomes the disguised Romeo and his friends. Romeo, watching the dance, is caught by the beauty of Juliet. Overhearing Romeo ask about her, Tybalt recognizes his voice and is enraged at the intrusion. Romeo then meets Juliet, and they fall in love.
Summary: Act I, scene v
Hamlet is appalled at the revelation that his father has been murdered, and the ghost tells him that as he slept in his garden, a villain poured poison into his ear—the very villain who now wears his crown, Claudius. Hamlet's worst fears about his uncle are confirmed.
Synopsis: Hamlet gives direction to the actors and asks Horatio to help him observe Claudius's reaction to the play. When the court arrive, Hamlet makes bawdy and bitter comments to Ophelia.
In Act 3 Scene 5, Romeo and Juliet have just spent their first night together as a married couple, but Romeo has to be out by dawn to prevent being executed. As soon as he is gone, Juliet's parents tell her she is going to marry Paris on Thursday morning.
Romeo and Juliet's Deaths
In this scene Romeo finds Juliet's body and takes the poison he has purchased, rather than live without her. His body is then found by Friar Laurence who realises what has happened and is there when Juliet wakes up. Rather than stay with her, the Friar leaves the tomb and Juliet is left alone.
Shakespeare's message about revenge in Hamlet is a complex one. In Hamlet's case, he felt he had a moral obligation to avenge his father's death. However, as Shakespeare demonstrates, the path of vengeance is a messy one with destructive repercussions and often takes many innocent lives in the process.