Hamlet the plot

A ghost appears to soldiers in the dead of night on the battlements of the King's
castle in Elsinore.
Claudius has married his dead brother's wife, Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude:
they both counsel the prince that life is short and he should not allow himself to be
continue being sad that his father is dead.
Laertes is going to Paris and says goodbye to his father Polonius, who gives him
fatherly advice, and to his sister Ophelia: both men advise Ophelia to disregard
Hamlet's vows of affection.
Hamlet has agreed to meet the soldiers on the battlements to watch out for the
ghost. When it appears it motions for Hamlet to follow him, which he does, alone.
The Ghost of Hamlet's dead father tells Hamlet that Claudius poisoned him and
seduced Hamlet's mother: it asks him to avenge the murder.
Polonius sends a spy to find out what Laertes is doing in Paris. When Ophelia tells
him that Hamlet has been acting strangely, Polonius begins to fear that the prince is
'mad' with love for Ophelia.
King Claudius and Queen Gertrude ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out the
reasons for Hamlet's unusual behaviour. Hamlet welcomes some travelling actors to
the castle he intends to put on a performance that will reveal whether or not
Claudius is guilty.
Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet as he is talking to Ophelia. They have different
ideas about what might be the matter with him: Polonius still thinks Hamlet is in
love with Ophelia, but Claudius thinks there is more to his strange behaviour.
Hamlet arranges a stage performance about the murder of a king by poisoning, and
watches Claudius closely to see how he responds. When Claudius stops the
performance and leaves abruptly, Hamlet knows he is guilty.
Hamlet is summoned by his mother and on his way he sees Claudius praying the
perfect opportunity to kill him. However, Hamlet decides that he will only kill
Claudius when he is doing something bad, so that his uncle's soul will go straight to
hell.
During an angry conversation with his mother, Hamlet discovers that someone is
hiding behind a tapestry in her room. Thinking it is Claudius, Hamlet stabs the
figure, only to discover that he has accidentally killed Polonius instead.
When Claudius finds out from Gertrude that Hamlet has killed Polonius and taken
the body away, he asks Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to find out where the body is.
Guildenstern and Rosencrantz go to Hamlet to ask him where he has hidden the
body of Polonius. He refuses to tell them and accuses them of being spies for
Claudius.

Hamlet finally tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern where he has put the body.
Claudius tells Hamlet that he is being sent to England for his own safety, however
he has secretly arranged for Hamlet to be killed in England.
Hamlet is travelling through Denmark on his way to England. The sight of Fortinbras'
army encourages him to avenge his own father's murder.
Ophelia has gone mad with grief at her father's death and Hamlet's treatment of
her. When Laertes returns, he is horrified to see his sister suffering.
A letter arrives for Horatio from Hamlet telling him that he was captured by pirates,
but that he has now escaped and is back in Denmark.
Laertes wants revenge on Hamlet for his father's death and his sister's grief.
Claudius and Laertes plan to kill Hamlet with a poisoned sword in a fencing match.
News arrives that Ophelia has been found drowned.
Hamlet and Horatio hide in a graveyard and watch gravediggers prepare the ground
for a coffin. When Hamlet realises it is for Ophelia, he comes out of hiding. Seeing
Hamlet, Laertes attacks him: they are separated and Hamlet leaves.
During the fencing match, Hamlet and Laertes are both wounded with the poisoned
sword. The Queen drinks poisoned wine intended for Hamlet and dies. Laertes
reveals Claudius's plot to Hamlet, then dies. Hamlet stabs Claudius with the
poisoned sword and makes him drink the rest of the poisoned wine before dying
himself.