Hamlet: The First ('Bad') Quarto

In Short

Set in the Danish court, this tragedy follows Prince Hamlet after his father's sudden death and his mother's rapid marriage to his uncle, the new king. Upon discovering that his uncle murdered his father, Hamlet feigns madness, tests the king's guilt through a staged play, and navigates deadly traps set for him. A tragic sequence of mistaken identity, poisoned weapons, and political intrigue culminates in the destruction of the royal family. The play endures for its compelling exploration of grief, vengeance, corrupt authority, and the psychological burden of action.

The Story

The play opens in Denmark, where guards and the scholar Horatio encounter an apparition on watch. Meanwhile, the newly crowned King Claudius manages foreign relations with Norway, sending envoys to head off the threat posed by young Fortenbrasse. Claudius grants Leartes permission to return to France but denies Hamlet's desire to go back to his studies in Wittenberg. Mourning his dead father and deeply disturbed by his mother's marriage to his uncle within two months, Hamlet struggles with profound grief.

As rumors of Hamlet's erratic behavior grow, Claudius and the Queen enlist his schoolfellows Rossencraft and Gilderstone to discover the cause of his distraction. The court councillor Corambis devises a plan to eavesdrop on Hamlet by hiding behind a tapestry during a meeting with the Queen. When a troupe of traveling players arrives, Hamlet instructs them on performance and uses their play to test the King's conscience.

During the performance, Hamlet taunts his former friends, comparing their attempts to manipulate him to playing a simple pipe. The play unnerves Claudius, confirming his guilt to Hamlet. Shortly after, Hamlet comes upon the King kneeling in prayer. He hesitates to kill him in that moment, reasoning that slaying him while purging his soul would send him to heaven rather than punish him properly.

Hamlet then goes to his mother's chamber. Hearing a noise behind the tapestry, he draws his blade and strikes, believing he is killing the King, only to discover he has slain Corambis. Confronting his mother with portraits of her late and current husbands, Hamlet fiercely berates her for her marriage.

Claudius uses the murder of Corambis as a pretext to banish Hamlet, sending him to England accompanied by Rossencraft and Gilderstone. In secret letters to the English king, Claudius orders Hamlet’s immediate execution upon arrival. Meanwhile, Fortenbrasse leads his army across Danish territory with permission from the court.

Hamlet escapes the death trap and returns to Denmark. Arriving at a churchyard, he converses with a gravedigger about death, human vanity, and the physical decay of kings and commoners alike. The story reaches its tragic climax at court during a arranged fencing match between Hamlet and Leartes. Claudius and Leartes plot to kill Hamlet using an unbated, poisoned foil and a poisoned cup of wine.

During the match, the Queen unwittingly drinks from the poisoned cup and dies. Leartes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned blade; in the ensuing scuffle, they exchange rapiers, and Hamlet wounds Leartes with the same venomous weapon. Dying, Leartes confesses the plot. Enraged, Hamlet stabs the King and forces him to drink the remaining poison. As Hamlet dies, he stops Horatio from taking his own life so that his true story may be told to the world. Fortenbrasse arrives, claims his rights to the kingdom, and orders a soldier’s funeral for Hamlet.

How It Unfolds

Midnight on the ramparts Guards watching the night in Denmark invite Horatio to view a dreaded apparition that has appeared twice before. The scholar witnesses the phantom, confirming that something troubling looms over the realm.

Tension in the royal hall Claudius dispatches ambassadors to Norway to restrain Fortenbrasse while permitting Leartes to return to France. He and the Queen urge a grieving Hamlet to remain in court rather than return to Wittenberg.

Spies and theatrical plots Rossencraft and Gilderstone fail to extract the cause of Hamlet's distraction, leading Corambis to scheme an eavesdropping plot behind a tapestry. Hamlet hires a visiting acting troupe, instructing them to perform a play to catch the King's conscience.

A fatal mistake in the bedchamber Hamlet refuses to kill a praying Claudius, but moments later in his mother's chamber, he draws his sword at a movement behind the tapestry. Expecting the King, he strikes and kills the hidden Corambis instead.

Banishment with deadly intent Claudius sends Hamlet off toward England under guard, dispatching secret letters commanding the English sovereign to execute the Prince immediately. Along his journey, Hamlet observes Fortenbrasse leading troops across the land.

Contemplations among the graves Back in Denmark, Hamlet converses with a witty gravedigger, examining skulls and reflecting on mortality, courtly pretension, and how easily human greatness turns to dust.

The poisonous final duel Claudius and Leartes rig a duel using a poisoned blade and a tainted cup. The scheme collapses into bloodshed as the Queen drinks the poison, both duelists are mortally wounded by the venomous rapier, and Hamlet slays the King before dying.

The People

• Hamlet wants to avenge his father's murder and process his intense grief over his mother's rapid remarriage. Stymied by hesitation, moral doubt, and enemy surveillance, he adopts a mask of madness, kills Corambis by mistake, and ultimately slays the King just before dying of poison himself.
• Claudius wants to secure his newly seized throne, maintain order in Denmark, and eliminate the threat posed by his nephew. Hindered by his own guilt and Hamlet's unyielding hostility, he schemes through spies and poisoned weapons, ultimately bringing about his own death and the destruction of his whole court.
• Corambis wants to serve the King and uncover the secret behind Hamlet's erratic behavior. Obstructed by his own foolish overconfidence and penchant for spying, he hides behind a chamber tapestry and is accidentally killed by Hamlet.
• Leartes wants to avenge his father Corambis's death and uphold his family honor. Driven by rage, he colludes with Claudius to trick Hamlet in a rigged duel, but ends up wounded by his own poisoned blade, forgiving Hamlet moments before he dies.
• Horatio wants to support his friend Hamlet and remain a loyal, rational observer amidst court corruption. Prevented from saving Hamlet from the fatal plot, he chooses to live at Hamlet's dying request so he can tell the true story to the incoming ruler.

In Its Own Voice

"O that this too much grieu'd and sallied flesh / Would melt to nothing, or that the vniuersall / Globe of heauen would turne al to a Chaos!"

Hamlet despairs over his father's death and his mother's sudden marriage to his uncle.

"Zownds do you thinke I am easier to be pla'yd / On, then a pipe? call mee what Instrument / You will, though you can frett mee, yet you can not / Play vpon mee, besides, to be demanded by a spunge."

Hamlet confronts his former friends Rossencraft and Gilderstone after seeing through their attempts to spy on him for the King.

"A picke-axe and a spade, a spade, / For and a winding sheete, / Most fit it is for to be made, / For such a ghest most meet."

A gravedigger sings merrily while digging a grave, striking Hamlet with his casual indifference to death.

What It's Really About

This early text centers on the paralyzing weight of grief, betrayal, and the moral corruption of power. It examines how sudden loss destabilizes a person's identity and sense of reality, forcing them to question the motives of everyone around them. The narrative explores the heavy burden of duty and revenge, showing how the pursuit of justice can devolve into chaos when matched against courtly corruption. Through Hamlet's encounters with spies, players, and gravediggers, the text contrasts the temporary vanity of earthly status with the absolute leveling force of death, arguing that no title or deception can evade eventual decay.

Why Read It Today

This early 1603 text offers a raw, fascinating window into one of literature's most famous stories. Readers interested in textual history, theater, and the evolution of drama will appreciate seeing familiar plot beats delivered in a leaner, more fast-paced rhythm. Reading it feels urgent and direct, driven by brisk scene changes and vivid, unvarnished dialogue.

The experience requires patience with archaic printing, early modern spelling variations, preserved line breaks, and period typographical quirks left uncorrected from the original print. However, what stays with the reader is the stark, timeless portrait of a young man isolated in a treacherous world. It remains a powerful study of dynamic grief, trust, and human vulnerability.