Hamlet

A detailed Summary of Hamlet


William Shakespeare's Hamlet is a tragedy set around the murder of the king of Denmark. One of the main themes of the story is revenge. Within the story, there are three sons who must avenge their respective father's death. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, Fortinbras, the prince of Norway, and Laertes, the son of the Danish king's advisor, all are examples of the typical sons of this period in time. It was legal to kill the person who murdered your father and thus, these three men were justified in their plight. However similar their situations may be, Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes all set about their revenge in different manners.

Hamlet is the main character of this story and his revenge is the most central to the plot of the tragedy. When Hamlet finds out from his father's ghost that his uncle killed his father, Hamlet vows to avenge him. Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, not only murdered the king, but also married the queen and took over the throne within a month's time. Hamlet learns of this deceit while he is st


In comparison, Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes all possess a general sense of revenge and a need to get back at whoever wronged their fathers'. Their courses of action, however, are very different. By the end of the tragedy, all works out for the best and each man gets his revenge. Laertes kills Hamlet, Hamlet kills Claudius, and Fortinbras is able to take back his lands once the ruling forces of Denmark are deceased. As in the typical Shakespearean tragedy, the main characters die before ever seeing the result of their actions.

Fortinbras is the son of the late King of Norway, who was killed in battle by Hamlet's father, the King of Denmark. Since Fortinbras cannot murder his father's assassin because he is deceased, he decides to take back all lands that Denmark acquired from his country. Fortinbras is a noble character, perhaps the most decent in the play, for when he is told by his uncle to leave the Danes alone he follows suit. Even though he feels the great need to avenge his father's murder, Fortinbra

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Approximate Word count = 685
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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