Prince Hamlet mourns both his father’s death and his mother, Queen Gertrude’s remarriage to Claudius. The ghost of Hamlet’s father appears to him and tells him that Claudius has poisoned him. Hamlet swears revenge. He arranges an old play whose story has a parallel to that of Claudius. Hamlet’s behaviour is considered mad. He kills the eavesdropping Polonius, the court chamberlain, by thrusting his sword through a curtain. Polonius’s son Laertes returns to Denmark to avenge his father’s death. Polonius’s daughter Ophelia loves the Prince but his brutal behaviour drives her to madness. Ophelia dies by drowning. A duel takes place and ends with the death of Gertrude, Laertes, Claudius, and Hamlet. Themes discussed in the plot include indecision, seeking revenge and retribution, deception, ambition, loyalty and fate.