Hamlet is a powerful story that allows you to connect deeply with its characters, its settings, and, above all, its plot.
The plot of Hamlet is simple and easy to understand: “A king dies poisoned by his own brother, and his son, upon discovering this, seeks revenge on his uncle, who married the queen two weeks after her husband’s death.” The simplicity of the story makes it so that, once you understand it well, you want to finish it because of the intrigue generated by the chapters as you read, becoming attached to the settings and imagining how the story unfolds.
Talking more about the plot, Hamlet also mentions other stories, such as that of Laertes, who traveled to France for his studies, and from then on, we hear nothing of him until scene 5, where he learns of his father’s death. The play also tells the story of Ophelia, who goes mad after the things Hamlet says to her upon discovering that she was sent as a spy.
We can talk about what Hamlet was thinking when he started creating his plan to ensure the ghost was telling him the truth about King Claudius. Seriously, how did Hamlet come up with such an incredible plan to expose his stepfather? Not even Albert Einstein or Nikola Tesla could compare to Hamlet’s IQ when he devised that plan! BUT what good did it do? His stepfather, seeing this, also suspects that Hamlet knows about the death of his brother, the King, and thinks about making a plan to discreetly get rid of him. But seriously, in this story, everyone uses 100% of their brain capacity to make plans (while I can barely finish an exam!). But seriously, this scene from Hamlet is undoubtedly my favorite because of the scene itself, where Hamlet lets his stepfather know that he knows about the King’s death. Sitting next to him, and without fear, Hamlet says, “Doesn’t this sound familiar?” pointing to the stage. This scene clashes the two sides of the story: Claudius, who fears someone will discover his secret, and Hamlet, who is just waiting for the right moment to strike. You can feel the tension between the two, as the story tells each side in parts, first Claudius, then Hamlet, then Claudius again, and then Hamlet again. It’s simply beautiful how the sensations and emotions suddenly change, waiting to see which of the two will take the next step: the fall of the stolen crown or the truth and justice prevailing.
Hamlet has a tragically ironic ending, since his revenge is fulfilled, but at what cost? In the end, he dies from the same poison on Laertes’ sword, and the kingdom ends up under the control of Fortinbras. This scene of Hamlet’s death is incredibly sad because it is not only tragic physically, but also spiritually. Consider this: “You discover that someone steals what you value most or destroys your ideas for improvement, and this person only pretends to be good and kind to others, but you know who they really are. Then you seek revenge, and you get it, but you end up being the villain of the story, and everyone thinks you were simply envious of their work; in other words, you are poisoned with false accusations. You wanted to help, but at what cost, if in the end you are still seen as the bad guy?”
The characters in Hamlet are typical of those found in a Shakespearean play: a villain who wants to do evil, the protagonist who dies tragically, and the secondary characters who are there to support the protagonist or the villain. Since there are three main characters, I will talk a little about them:
King Claudius: He was the murderer who poured poison into his brother’s ear (the true king) to steal his life and his wife.
Prince Hamlet: He was the one who encountered the ghost of his dead father, who told him the truth, thus revealing how the king died. Hamlet will be the one to take revenge for what Claudius did.
The Queen: Hamlet’s mother, she marries Claudius two weeks after her husband’s death. She knew nothing of what Claudius had done, but wouldn’t realize it until her son told her of his suspicions, and she wouldn’t believe him until she finally discovered the truth for herself.
It wasn’t as good an ending as I thought it would be, I mean, what kind of ending was that? Laertes dies from the poison on his own sword, the queen, completely incredulous, drinks the poison that Claudius had prepared for Hamlet, King Claudius (the only death that was actually worthwhile) dies at the hands of Hamlet, who gives him his own poison and curses him for everything and everyone who died because of him, and Hamlet (the Goku of his story) dies from the poison on Laertes’ sword, and the great Fortinbras takes the kingdom as if Hamlet’s death had simply been a key for him. Wow, it wasn’t what I expected at all.
In conclusion, Hamlet is a story that can be interpreted in many ways and allows for diverse adaptations and endings, as the narrative leaves the reader wondering, “Why does it end this way? Or why couldn’t it have ended differently?” This provides the freedom to engage with the work. Hamlet has a plot that feels real and captivating, whether because of its characters or the direction the story takes.
