Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. After his father’s unexpected death, he attends the wedding of his mother and uncle. His uncle, Claudius, has declared himself King with Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, as his Queen. Hamlet, the rightful heir, does not trust his uncle. When his friend Horatio takes him to his father’s tomb, the ghost of Hamlet’s departed father tells him that he was actually murdered by Claudius, who put poisoned drops in his ears while he was sleeping. The ghost tells Hamlet he must avenge his father’s murder.

Back in the castle, Hamlet fakes madness to observe interactions and reveal the truth, but he becomes confused and erratic. With the intention of testing his uncle’s guilt, he presents the murder in a play for the court. He believes that if the ghost is right, Claudius will reveal his guilt by his reactions, which he does, for when the moment of the murder arrives in the theatre, Claudius leaps up and leaves the room. Convinced that Claudius committed the murder, Hamlet vows to kill him, but his philosophical nature makes him reluctant, and he delays. This results in a series of deaths. First is Polonius, whom Hamlet stabs to death, thinking he is in fact Claudius hiding and spying on him. Claudius then sends Hamlet to England as punishment, with his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ordered to spy on him, but Hamlet is suspicious and fearful of them and has them murdered. While Hamlet is away, his love Ophelia discovers that Hamlet killed her father, Polonius, and going mad with grief and Hamlet’s rejection, she drowns herself. When Hamlet returns home, Claudius convinces Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, that Hamlet was responsible for the deaths of his father and sister and orchestrates a duel between them, where Hamlet will be killed either by a poisoned blade or by poison in his winning drink.

At the match, Hamlet defeats Laertes, and Gertrude celebrates her son’s victory and drinks the poisoned wine unknowingly. As she drinks the wine, Laertes realizes that their plan may get revealed and thus immediately wounds Hamlet with the poisoned blade. Hamlet takes Laertes’ blade and in turn strikes him. While dying, Laertes tells Hamlet about Claudius’ plan. Hamlet lunges at Claudius and kills him. Only Horatio survives.