Hamlet by William Shakespeare 49th Special BCS (English) Hand Notes
Part I
Group A
Topics: Hamlet By William Shakespeare
English Summary
Hamlet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, tells the story of Prince Hamlet
of Denmark. The play opens with the ghost of King Hamlet revealing to his
son that he was murdered by his brother Claudius, who has now seized the
throne and married Queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. Shocked and enraged,
Hamlet vows revenge but struggles with doubt, morality, and his own
hesitation.
To test Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet stages a play reenacting the murder.
Claudius’s disturbed reaction confirms his crime. However, Hamlet delays
killing him, fearing Claudius might die repentant and go to heaven. Hamlet’s
erratic behavior leads Gertrude and Claudius to think he is mad.
In a heated confrontation with Gertrude, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius,
advisor to the king. Polonius’s daughter, Ophelia—Hamlet’s love—goes mad
with grief and drowns. Her brother Laertes returns, furious and seeking
vengeance. Claudius manipulates Laertes into dueling Hamlet with a poisoned
sword.
The duel turns deadly: Gertrude drinks poisoned wine meant for Hamlet,
Laertes and Hamlet wound each other with the poisoned blade, and Claudius is
finally killed by Hamlet. Hamlet dies soon after, leaving Prince Fortinbras
of Norway to claim the Danish throne.
Bangla Summary
হ্যামলেট, উইলিয়াম শেক্সপিয়ারের একটি ট্র্যাজেডি, ডেনমার্কের প্রিন্স
হ্যামলেটের গল্প বলে। নাটকটি শুরু হয় রাজা হ্যামলেটের ভূতের আবির্ভাব দিয়ে,
যিনি তাঁর পুত্রকে জানিয়ে দেন যে তাঁর ভাই ক্লডিয়াস তাঁকে হত্যা করেছে।
ক্লডিয়াস এখন সিংহাসন দখল করেছে এবং রানী গারট্রুডকে, অর্থাৎ হ্যামলেটের
মাকে, বিয়ে করেছে। এই সংবাদে হতভম্ব ও ক্রুদ্ধ হ্যামলেট প্রতিশোধ নেওয়ার
শপথ করে, কিন্তু সন্দেহ, নৈতিক দ্বিধা ও নিজের দ্বিধাগ্রস্ত মানসিকতার সঙ্গে
লড়াই করে।
ক্লডিয়াসের অপরাধ প্রমাণের জন্য হ্যামলেট একটি নাটক মঞ্চস্থ করে, যেখানে
হত্যাকাণ্ডের পুনরাভিনয় দেখানো হয়। নাটক দেখে ক্লডিয়াসের অস্থির
প্রতিক্রিয়া তার অপরাধ নিশ্চিত করে। তবুও হ্যামলেট তাকে হত্যা করতে দেরি
করে, কারণ সে ভয় পায় ক্লডিয়াস যদি অনুতপ্ত অবস্থায় মারা যায় তবে স্বর্গে
যেতে পারে। হ্যামলেটের অস্থির আচরণ গারট্রুড ও ক্লডিয়াসকে বিশ্বাস করায় যে
সে উন্মাদ হয়ে গেছে।
গারট্রুডের সঙ্গে তর্ক-বিতর্কে হ্যামলেট দুর্ঘটনাক্রমে রাজা-উপদেষ্টা
পোলোনিয়াসকে হত্যা করে। এতে পোলোনিয়াসের কন্যা, হ্যামলেটের প্রণয়িনী
ওফেলিয়া শোকে পাগল হয়ে যায় এবং পানিতে ডুবে মারা যায়। তাঁর ভাই লেয়ারটিস
ক্রুদ্ধ হয়ে প্রতিশোধ নিতে ফিরে আসে। ক্লডিয়াস লেয়ারটিসকে প্ররোচিত করে
হ্যামলেটের সঙ্গে একটি দ্বন্দ্বযুদ্ধে লড়তে, যেখানে বিষমাখা তরবারি
ব্যবহারের পরিকল্পনা হয়।
দ্বন্দ্বযুদ্ধ রক্তক্ষয়ী পরিণতিতে গড়ায়: হ্যামলেটের জন্য নির্ধারিত
বিষমাখা মদ গারট্রুড পান করে মারা যায়, লেয়ারটিস ও হ্যামলেট উভয়েই বিষমাখা
অস্ত্রে আহত হয়, আর অবশেষে হ্যামলেট ক্লডিয়াসকে হত্যা করে। কিছুক্ষণ পর
হ্যামলেটও মারা যায়, আর নরওয়ের প্রিন্স ফোর্টিনব্রাস ডেনমার্কের সিংহাসন
দাবি করে।
Characters:
👑 Royal Family & Court
Hamlet – Prince of Denmark, protagonist. Intelligent, philosophical,
but indecisive. Seeks revenge for his father’s murder.
King Hamlet (Ghost) – Hamlet’s dead father. Appears as a ghost,
revealing Claudius’s crime and urging revenge.
Claudius – Current King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle. Ambitious and
cunning, he murders his brother (King Hamlet) to gain the throne.
Gertrude – Hamlet’s mother, Queen of Denmark. Quickly marries
Claudius after her husband’s death; loves Hamlet but is morally weak.
🏰 Advisors & Allies
Polonius – Lord Chamberlain of Denmark, father of Ophelia and
Laertes. Nosy, long-winded, and meddling; killed by Hamlet.
Ophelia – Polonius’s daughter, Hamlet’s love interest. Innocent and
obedient, but goes mad after her father’s death and drowns.
Laertes – Polonius’s son, brother of Ophelia. Hot-tempered and
vengeful; duels Hamlet in the final act.
Horatio – Hamlet’s loyal friend and confidant. Calm, rational, and
survives to tell Hamlet’s story.
⚔ Others
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern – Hamlet’s former friends, summoned by
Claudius to spy on him. Later executed.
Fortinbras – Prince of Norway, whose ambition contrasts Hamlet’s
hesitation. Inherits the Danish throne at the end.
Marcellus & Bernardo – Guards who first see the ghost.
Osric – A foppish courtier who arranges the duel.
Most Famous Quotations from Hamlet
1. “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (Act 3, Scene 1)
– Hamlet reflects on life and death, questioning whether existence is worth
enduring.
2. “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (Act 1, Scene 4)
– Said by Marcellus; symbolizes corruption and moral decay in the kingdom.
3. “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (Act 1, Scene 2)
– Hamlet criticizes his mother Gertrude for weakness in remarrying Claudius.
4. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” (Act 3, Scene 2)
– Said by Queen Gertrude; meaning someone who overacts or insists too
strongly loses credibility.
5. “Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.” (Act 2, Scene 2)
– Polonius observes Hamlet’s strange behavior, sensing a hidden plan behind
his apparent madness.
6. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” (Act 2, Scene 2)
– Polonius ironically states that true wisdom lies in being concise.
7. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” (Act 2, Scene 2)
– Hamlet’s reflection that perception shapes reality.
8. “The rest is silence.” (Act 5, Scene 2)
– Hamlet’s final words before death.
Brief Questions with Answers From Study Guides
About the Playwright
1. Who is William Shakespeare?
Ans. William Shakespeare is the greatest poet and dramatist of the
Elizabethan Age.
2. Which period is known as the Elizabethan Age?
Ans. The period from 1558 to 1603 is known as the Elizabethan Age.
3. When and where was Shakespeare born?
Ans. William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in
Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England.
4. What was Shakespeare's father?
Ans. Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, originally a farmer's
son, was a trader in leather and agricultural products.
5. Who was the mother of Shakespeare?
Ans. Mary Arden, daughter of Robert Arden, a prosperous farmer, was
Shakespeare's mother.
6. Where was Shakespeare educated in his early life?
Ans. He was sent to the Grammar School of Stratford at age seven,
learning Latin Grammar, Greek, logic, and rhetoric.
7. When did Shakespeare leave Stratford for London?
Ans. Around 1585, Shakespeare left Stratford for London in search of
opportunity.
8. How did Shakespeare start his career in London?
Ans. He first worked as a general helper at the theatre and soon
became an actor.
9. What were the theatres of which Shakespeare became a shareholder?
Ans. Shakespeare was closely associated with The Globe and The
Blackfriars, and eventually became a shareholder in both.
10. What do you know of Shakespeare's compositions taken together?
Ans. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets, and 6 poems.
11. When did Shakespeare die?
Ans. Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, at Stratford-on-Avon.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
12. When was Hamlet written and published?
Ans. Hamlet was probably written in 1601 and first appeared in print
in a quarto edition of 1603.
13. What was the original title of the play Hamlet?
Ans. The original title was The Tragical (Tragicall) Historie of
Hamlet, Prince of Denniarke.
14. What is the modern title of Hamlet?
Ans. The modern title is The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or
simply Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
15. What are the sources of the play Hamlet?
Ans. The probable sources are Ur-Hamlet by Thomas Kyd, Historia
Danica by Saxo Grammaticus, and Histoires Tragiques by Francois de
Belleforest.
16. What is the setting of the play Hamlet?
Ans. The royal castle at Elsinore on the rocky, sea-washed Danish
coast during winter.
17. How does the action of Hamlet begin?
Ans. The action begins when Bernardo, an officer, arrives at the
castle rampart to relieve Francisco from his guard duty.
18. Why has Horatio joined the guards' watch?
Ans. Horatio joins to verify his theory that the Ghost which appears
at midnight is a hallucination.
19. When does the Ghost appear?
Ans. Just as Bernardo begins to describe the Ghost's previous visits,
it appears at midnight.
20. How does Bernardo describe the Ghost?
Ans. Bernardo describes the Ghost as dressed in armour, looking like
the late King Hamlet of Denmark.
বাকী সব পিডিএফ ফাইলে পাবেন।
হ্যামলেট এর সব কিছু পেতে নিচের দেওয়া পিডিএফ ফাইলটা দেখে নিন।
