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Hamlet
Author: William Shakespeare
Bookshelves: Best Books Ever Listings, Fiction, Literature
Summary
"Hamlet" by William Shakespeare is a tragedy written in the early 17th century (Elizabethan era). The play follows the complex character of Prince Hamlet as he grapples with the murder of his father, the late King of Denmark, and contemplates themes of revenge, madness, and moral corruption within a royal family. The opening of "Hamlet" sets an eerie tone at Elsinore Castle, where sentinels encounter a ghost resembling the deceased king. The soldiers, Bernardo and Marcellus, along with Hamlet’s friend Horatio, discuss the ghost’s appearance and speculate about its meaning. Soon after, the new king, Claudius, addresses his court, expressing his grief over his brother’s death and his hasty marriage to Queen Gertrude. Hamlet, still mourning his father, reveals his deep sorrow and existential despair, indicating his troubled state of mind. This complexity of emotions is further emphasized as Hamlet learns of his father’s ghost, foreshadowing the tumultuous events to come as he seeks the truth of his father’s death and grapples with the implications of revenge." (This is an automatically generated summary.)