Narrator:

In the cold shadows of Elsinore, where whispers of secrets fill the air,
A tale of revenge begins, steeped in sorrow and betrayal.
A kingdom lies restless, haunted by ghosts and unspoken truths.
The king is dead, the throne is seized, and the price of power is steep.

This is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,

A tragedy that echoes through time,
From which none shall escape unscathed.

Act 1, Scene 1

Narrator: The scene opens with Marcellus and Barnardo on the battlements of Elsinore Castle
at night. They see the Ghost of King Hamlet, the recently deceased father of Prince Hamlet.

Barnardo:
Who’s there?

Marcellus:
Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself.

Barnardo:
Long live the king!

Horatio:
I think I hear them. Who's there?

Marcellus:
Friends to this ground and liegemen to the Dane.

Horatio:
Give you good night.

Barnardo:
What, has this thing appeared again tonight?

Marcellus:
Horatio says 'tis but a fantasy, but we want him to see it.

Horatio:
Tush, it won't appear.

Barnardo:
We have seen it twice. Tonight, we hope to see it again
Act 1, Scene 2

Narrator:
Claudius, the new king, stands with Gertrude, and courtiers are gathered around.

Claudius:
Though the death of our dear brother is still fresh,
The time has come to move on, for the good of the state.
We cannot dwell in sorrow, for life continues.
The nation must prosper. My beloved queen,
We stand united—our kingdom is strong.

Gertrude:
Long live the king!

Claudius (addressing the court):

And now, to my dear nephew, Hamlet.
You must cast aside your sorrow.
You are the heir to Denmark.
Grieve no more for your father’s death.
Let this new union bring joy to the land.

(Hamlet stands to the side, brooding. Claudius notices him.)

Claudius (to Hamlet):

Hamlet, my son, why such deep melancholy?
You are the hope of Denmark—take pride in that.
Come, join us, for the kingdom needs you now.

Hamlet (aside):
O, that this flesh would melt,
All seems so empty, so worthless.
My father was a great king,
My mother, who loved him,
Married my uncle soon after.
How could she move on so fast?
Frailty, thy name is woman!
But I must hold my tongue.

(Hamlet turns and walks away from the court.)

Claudius (to Gertrude, concerned):

He still mourns too deeply.
The grief he shows is not becoming of him.
He must be reminded that Denmark needs him now.

Gertrude (to Claudius):

My dear Hamlet...he is young.
He will come around. His grief is heavy, but time will ease it.

Claudius (to the courtiers):

Let us leave him to his thoughts for now.
But Hamlet must understand his duty—
That we have moved on, and he must, too.

Act 1 Scene 3
Narrator:
Polonius:
Laertes, before you leave for France,
Take this advice:
Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportioned thought.
Be wary of your actions.
Be true to yourself.

(Laertes exits. Ophelia enters.)

Polonius:
Ophelia, my daughter, you must listen as well.
You’ve caught the eye of young Hamlet, but be wary.
He may speak of love, but young men are fickle.
Don’t give yourself too quickly.
Protect your honor—keep your heart guarded.
Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment.
I fear Hamlet’s intentions may not be serious.

Ophelia:
Father, I shall listen.

Scene 3: Hamlet Learns the Truth ​

(Hamlet meets the ghost, who reveals Claudius killed him.)​
​
Ghost: Hamlet ...... You must take revenge ...... ​
​
Hamlet: Revenge! (To himself) ​
​
Ghost: ....... for this terrible murder!​
​
Hamlet: Murder!!! Oh, tell me who murdered my father, and I will kill him!​
​
Ghost: Everyone thinks that a snake bit me, and me killed me. But it is not true. The snake that
killed me is now wearing my crown.​
​
Hamlet: What! So the murderer was Claudius! ​
​
Ghost: Yes – my brother! While I was sleeping in the garden, he put poison in my ear. He took
my life, my crown, and my wife.​
​
Hamlet: My mother is now Claudius’s wife!! ​
​
Ghost: Hamlet, don’t hurt your mother. But you must take revenge on Claudius. ​
​
Hamlet: I will, I will! Ghost: Remember! Remember! Remember! (The ghost leaves)​
​
Hamlet: Remember? How can I ever forget? Claudius will die – I won’t rest until the day I kill
him! My revenge will be mine.

Ghost:
(Remember me)

Narrator:
As the ghost vanishes, Hamlet is left with a heavy burden, the revenge for his father's murder by
his own uncle, now lies upon his shoulders.
​
Scene 4: Hamlet Pretends to be Mad​
​
POLONIUS: The prince is mad! His love for Ophelia has driven him so.​
​
OPHELIA: My lord, he took me by the wrist and held me hard, then goes he to the length of all
his arm, and with a sigh so piteous and profound as it did seem to shatter all his bulk. ​
​
POLONIUS: This must be known to the king. ​
​
HAMLET: (aside) ) I must act mad to uncover the truth.​
​
ROSENCRANTZ: My lord, what troubles you? ​
​
HAMLET: Denmark’s a prison. ​
​
GUILDENSTERN: We were sent for. The king and queen would know the cause of your grief. ​
​
HAMLET: You cannot play upon me as you would a pipe!

Act 3 Scene 1
Narrator: In this scene, Hamlet contemplates the meaning of life and death, as the weight of his
thoughts presses heavily upon him.

Hamlet:
To be, or not to be: that is the question
Who would bear life's troubles
If not for the fear of what comes after death?
Thus, conscience makes cowards of us all,
And we lose the will to act.​
​
OPHELIA: My lord, you did once love me. ​
​
HAMLET: I loved you not. ​
​
OPHELIA: I was the more deceived. ​
​
HAMLET: Get thee to a nunnery! Where’s your father? ​
​
OPHELIA: (aside) O, what noble mind is here o’erthrown.

Act 3, Scene 2

Narrator: Hamlet prepares the actors to perform a play that will mimic his father’s murder,
hoping to provoke a reaction from Claudius.

Hamlet: This play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.
If he do blench, I know my course.

[During the play, Claudius reacts to the scene that mirrors the murder of Hamlet’s father.]

Claudius (standing up, agitated):

"Give me some light! Away!"

Narrator: Claudius abruptly leaves the room, confirming Hamlet’s suspicions.​

​
Scene 3: Hamlet Spares Claudius ​
​
CLAUDIUS: O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven.​
​
HAMLET: If I kill him now, he’ll go to heaven. No, I must wait.
Act 3, Scene 4

Narrator:
Hamlet confronts Gertrude in her private chamber, angry over her marriage to Claudius.

GERTRUDE: Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. ​

​
HAMLET: Mother, you have my father much offended. ​
​
POLONIUS: (behind curtain) Help! ​
​
HAMLET: (stabs curtain) How now! A rat? ​
(Polonius falls dead.)​
​
GERTRUDE: O Hamlet, what hast thou done? ​
​
HAMLET: Almost as bad, dear mother, as kill a king and marry his brother. ​
​
GERTRUDE: Speak no more, these words like daggers enter my ears! ​
​
HAMLET: Look there, my father’s ghost! ​
​
GHOST: Remember thy purpose. ​
​
GERTRUDE: Alas, he is mad! ​
​
HAMLET: Confess yourself to heaven! Repent what’s past, avoid what is to come! ​
​
GERTRUDE: What shall I do? ​
​
HAMLET: Do not let the bloat king tempt you to bed. Repent and refrain. ​
​
GERTRUDE: O, my heart aches, but I shall try!

ACT 4
Scene 1
Polonius’ Death

Gertrude: Alas, my lord, Polonius lies dead by Hamlet's hand. The body’s hidden in the queen's
chamber, and none can find it.

Narrator: The Queen trembles as she speaks, the king, however, remains cold and calculating.
Claudius: Oh the insanity! What treachery hath that wretched prince wrought? We must send
him to England, where his fate shall be sealed. His madness, like a plague, threatens the crown.
Go, tell him his ship awaits.

Scene 2
Ophelia’s Drowning and Flower Song

Narrator: Ophelia enters, mad, with flowers in her hand.

Ophelia:
There's rosemary, that's for remembrance;
Pray, love, remember: and there is pansies, that's for thoughts.
There's fennel for you, and columbines:
There's rue for you; and here's some for me:
We may call it herb of grace o' Sundays:
O, you must wear your rue with a difference.
There's a daisy: I would give you some violets,
but they withered all when my father died:
They say he made a good end,
O, how the poor world is it, that it does not stand,
Not to be put on with a think!

[Ophelia moves toward the brook.]

Narrator: Gertrude enters and witnesses Ophelia’s behavior.

Gertrude:
O, my dear Ophelia,
I do not know how she came into this state,
A mad girl, the loss of her father now does weigh.
Yet, what’s this? She’s lost in water, a soul laid low,
Perhaps, for love of her, I weep this woe.

(Ophelia steps into the brook and slowly begins to drown, unaware.)

Ophelia:
(singing softly as she falls into the water)
Good night, sweet lady.
Good night, good night.
She floats, singing, and slowly vanishes.
​
Scene 4 Clausius' Plan

Narrator: Claudius and Laertes discuss Hamlet’s fate.

Claudius: We cannot let this mania fester, Laertes. He is a threat to us all, to the very throne
itself. To England he must go, where demise awaits him, A quiet, unmarked grave, away from
prying eyes.

Narrator: Claudius speaks, beneath his words lies a deep fear, of losing the throne he has so
carefully carved for himself.

Laertes: My father lies dead, and I thirst for vengeance. I shall see Hamlet pay the price for his
fiendish deeds. Let his death be swift and certain.

Claudius: Fear not, Laertes. For the gods favour us, and you shall emerge as the victor in the
duel. His blood shall rid him of his sins.

ACT 5
Scene 1
The Gravedigger

Narrator: Hamlet and Horatio enter a graveyard, where they speak with a gravedigger.​

GRAVEDIGGER: (singing) Oh, when I was young and so in love, the time went so fast…​
(He throws a skull out of the grave and continues singing. Hamlet and Horatio enter.)​
​
HAMLET: We’ll be at the castle soon, Horatio. Wait. What’s this?​
​
(Taking the skull) HORATIO: A skull! There’s a grave-digger over there, my lord. ​
​
HAMLET: And he is singing! How strange! ​
​
GRAVEDIGGER: (singing) But now I am old and grey… ​
​
HAMLET: Whose grave is that? ​
​
GRAVEDIGGER: It’s mine. I made it. ​
​
HORATIO: No, who is it for? ​
​
GRAVEDIGGER: Oh, it’s for a lady. An important lady. ​
​
HAMLET: (Holding the skull) And whose skull is this? ​
​
GRAVEDIGGER: That was Yorick. He died twenty years ago. Well, I’ve finished. (He leaves.) ​
​
HAMLET: Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio—a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.
He hath borne me on his back a thousand times, and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! ​
​
(Pauses, holding the skull.)​

Narrator:
As Hamlet gazes upon the skull of Yorick, the jester whose laughter once filled the halls of
Elsinore, the weight of mortality presses upon him. In that moment, he is reminded that no
matter one’s status or joy in life, all are bound by the same fate.. The jesters, kings, and
commoners alike, all return to dust.

HORATIO: Someone comes—let go, my lord.​

Narrator: He later comes to know that the grave before him, of the woman who had drowned,
was Opehlia's, his love, now lost forever.

Scene 2: The Duel

Narrator: The duel between Hamlet and Laertes begins.

Laertes: Prepare thyself, Hamlet. My steel shall end this hysteria of thine.

Hamlet: I care not, Laertes, For the hour of my fate is now upon me. Let the gods decide the
victor.

Narrator: They duel, Hamlet is struck with the poisoned blade.

Hamlet: My blood runs thick, but still I fight. I shall not yield, death can have me when it earns
me.

Gertrude: Oh, wretched fate! The cup is poisoned! and now i have consumed it, Oh the cruel
wims of god!

Narrator: Gertrude collapses. Hamlet, upon seeing her, is stricken.

Hamlet: What treachery is this!? O mother! Claudius, thou villain! Thou hast betrayed us all!

Narrator: Hamlet strikes Claudius with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink from the
poisoned cup.

Hamlet: Now die, thou traitor to the crown! Drink the bane thyself hath made!
Narrator: Claudius falls dead. Hamlet staggers, weakened by the poison.

Hamlet: Fortinbras, I do give thee my last breath, Take the crown, and let Denmark live in
peace.

Narrator: Fortinbras enters, looking at the fallen bodies.

Fortinbras: A kingdom lost, and yet one shall rise. I claim the throne, and with it, the certitude of
a friend, and hopes of the nation.

Narrator: Hamlet, dying, speaks his final words.

Hamlet:
Horatio, I die, but I die knowing I have avenged my father.
Tell my story, Horatio.
Give my tale to the world, that they may know what has happened here.

Horatio:
Good night, sweet prince.
May angels sing thee to thy rest.

Narrator:
This is the end of Hamlet’s tale,
A story of ambition, fate, and the price of power’s veil.
What was begun in vengeance deep,
Now rests in death, where none shall sleep.