Hamlet: A Summary of Act I and Act II

Act I

The play opens on a cold night at Elsinore Castle in Denmark. A guard, Francisco, is relieved by Bernardo. Horatio and Marcellus join Bernardo, and they discuss the recent appearance of the ghost of the late King Hamlet. Prince Hamlet, son of the deceased king and nephew of the current King Claudius, is introduced. Claudius has married Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. Denmark is also facing a potential invasion from Norway, led by Prince Fortinbras.

The guards convince Horatio, Hamlet's close friend, to witness the ghost. After hearing their account, Prince Hamlet decides to join them one night to see the ghost himself.

Polonius, the king's chamberlain, advises his son, Laertes, who is leaving for France, and his daughter, Ophelia, who is being courted by Hamlet. Polonius warns Ophelia to end her relationship with Hamlet, as his royal status makes him unable to follow his own desires. Ophelia agrees to obey.

That night, the ghost appears to Hamlet and reveals that he is the spirit of his father. He claims he was murdered by Claudius, who poisoned him. The ghost urges Hamlet to avenge his death. Hamlet is left uncertain about the ghost's true nature and the veracity of its claims.

Act II

King Claudius and Queen Gertrude are preoccupied with the threat of invasion by Fortinbras and Hamlet's erratic behavior. Claudius sends two of Hamlet's friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to discover the cause of his strange behavior. Hamlet receives them politely but suspects they are spying on him.

Ophelia, frightened by Hamlet's behavior, tells Polonius that Hamlet entered her room and stared at her without speaking. Polonius concludes that Hamlet's madness is caused by his love for Ophelia and informs the king and queen.

Claudius and Polonius decide to spy on Hamlet while he speaks with Ophelia. Ophelia returns Hamlet's letters, and he angrily tells her to go to a convent.⁶

Hamlet, still unsure if the ghost was telling the truth, devises a plan when a group of traveling actors arrives at Elsinore. He asks them to perform a play that recreates a murder, modifying it to mirror the circumstances of his father's death as described by the ghost.