Title of Work Date Written Date Published Genre Main Characters Setting Brief plot summary Themes Reflections

Hamlet 1599 1603 Tragedy The Ghost of

Murdered King
Hamlet.

Claudius
murderer of King
Hamlet, now King.

Gertrude widow
of the dead King,
now married to
Claudius

Hamlet Prince of
Denmark,
discontented son
of Gertrude and
the dead King

Polonius long
winded Lord
Chamberlain

Within or
around the
Castle of
Elsinore.
Hamlet learns from the Ghost of
his father that his father was killed
by his uncle, who has since married
Hamlet's mother. Hamlets uncle
Claudius sets an eye on him
because of his crazy behaviour.
Hamlet confirms that the Ghost
was telling the truth by putting on
a play mirroring the murder of his
father. Unfortunately this also tips
Claudius off (he was pretty
suspicious anyway) Hamlet catches
and kills a spy in his mother's
bedroom. Unfortunately it is the
king's advisor Polonius. Claudius
sends Hamlet to England.
Polonius's son Laertes comes from
France to revenge his father.
Claudius tells him that Hamlet had
killed Polonius. Hamlet doesn't get
to England because of pirates, and
returns to Denmark. Claudius and
Laertes set up a fencing match
where Hamlet is to be murdered by
an unbuttoned poisoned sword
and a poisoned cup of wine.
Hamlet gets cut by the poisoned
sword but so does Laertes, and
Hamlet's mother drinks the
poisoned wine. Before he dies,
Hamlet stabs and poisons Claudius
to death.
Love
Horror/Death
Prince Hamlet young,
curious and mischievous

Hamlet - loyal, confused,
passionate

King Hamlet seems
lonely, very stale
never has a joke

Claudius acts evil and
wants murder.

I think Hamlet is a very
intriguing play and you
never know what is going
to happen next - unless
you already know the
story. There is lots of hate
and murder in the story. I
think the story is very
modern in a way, even
though it was made over
400 years ago.