Hamlet
(Brief Story)
Hamlet is a prince of Denmark. One night, a ghost appears at the castle. The
ghost looks like Hamlet’s father, the old king, who died suddenly. The
ghost tells Hamlet a secret: “Your father was murdered! His brother, Claudius,
poisoned him to become king.” The ghost asks Hamlet to take revenge.
Hamlet is shocked and angry. Claudius, his uncle, has already married
Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, and taken the throne. Hamlet decides to
pretend to be “crazy” to investigate the truth. He acts strangely, talks in
riddles, and scares everyone.
To test the ghost’s story, Hamlet asks a group of actors to perform a play
about a king being murdered. When Claudius watches the play, he becomes nervous
and leaves. Hamlet now believes Claudius is guilty.
Meanwhile, Hamlet hurts the feelings of Ophelia, a girl who
loves him. Her father, Polonius (a royal advisor), spies on
Hamlet. Hamlet mistakes Polonius for Claudius and accidentally kills him.
Ophelia becomes so sad that she drowns in a river.
Claudius sends Hamlet to England, secretly planning to have him killed. But
Hamlet escapes and returns to Denmark. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes,
wants revenge for his sister’s death and his father’s murder. Claudius tricks
Laertes into fighting Hamlet with a poisoned sword.
In the final duel, Laertes cuts Hamlet with the poisoned sword. Hamlet
grabs the sword and wounds Laertes. Gertrude accidentally drinks poisoned wine
meant for Hamlet and dies. Before dying, Laertes tells Hamlet about Claudius’s
evil plan. Angry, Hamlet stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword.
In the end, Hamlet dies beside his friend Horatio, the only
person he trusted. Everyone learns the truth about Claudius’s lies, but it is too late. The
play shows how revenge can lead to terrible sadness.
The lesson: Hamlet teaches us about
the dangers of revenge, lies, and pretending to be someone we are not.
~~~~~
