56,000 Shakespeare enthusiasts attended the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis 10th Anniversary production of Hamlet in Shakespeare Glen, Forest Park.

Hamlet Synopsis

While Prince Hamlet was away at school, his father, the King of Denmark, died and in less than a month, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude married Claudius, brother to the deceased king. Hamlet deeply mourns the death and defies the marriage. Horatio, Hamlet’s closest friend, visits the prince to tell him about a harrowing encounter with what appears to be the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Joining Horatio and the Danish guards, Hamlet sees the ghost and, against his friends’ wishes, follows it. Hamlet soon learns from his father’s ghost that he was poisoned by Claudius. Hamlet vows to avenge the murder.

Polonius, advisor to the new king, is the father of Laertes and Ophelia (who loves Hamlet). Polonius advises her to refuse Hamlet’s advances. As Hamlet begins to act strangely towards Ophelia, she tells Polonius. Then Claudius sends for Hamlet’s two schoolmates, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to carefully question Hamlet, and with Polonius, Claudius spies on a conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia. Soon, an angry Hamlet rejects the terrified Ophelia, proclaiming, “Get thee to a nunnery.”

Meanwhile, a troupe of traveling actors arrives at the castle and Hamlet rewrites a section of their play so it becomes a reenactment of his father’s murder, hoping that when played before Claudius, he will become agitated and confirm his guilt. When the parallel murder is played, Claudius storms out of the room. Hamlet and Horatio are convinced that Claudius is guilty. Hamlet is summoned by his mother. On his way to her, Hamlet discovers his uncle praying and almost kills him but waits, afraid that Claudius would go to heaven if he is killed while at prayer. Hamlet goes to his mother’s room to confront her while Polonius is eavesdropping behind a tapestry. Hamlet hears him, draws his sword and, thinking it is the king, stabs through the curtain and kills him. Upon learning of Polonius’ murder, Claudius fears Hamlet’s irrationality and gives orders sending him to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, along with a letter requesting that the English King kill Hamlet. Hamlet finds the letter and revises it so his traitorous friends are executed instead of him.

In the meantime, Laertes returns from France, intent on avenging his father’s death. Adding fuel to Laertes’ fury, he discovers Ophelia has been driven mad by her father’s death. Hearing by letter of Hamlet’s return from England, King Claudius plots with Laertes who agrees to kill Hamlet in a duel with a poison-tipped sword. As insurance, Claudius will also place a poisoned pearl in a goblet of wine. Laertes receives news that Ophelia has gone to the river and, swimming with her heavy clothing on, was carried under and drowned. Hamlet returns to Denmark just as Ophelia’s funeral is taking place.

During the duel, as Queen Gertrude toasts her son, she mistakenly drinks from the goblet laced with poison and dies. Sport becomes a bona fide battle and Laertes cuts Hamlet. Before the prince dies, he counters, stealing Laertes’ sword and wounding him with the poisoned blade. Laertes, with his last breath, proclaims, “The King’s to blame.” Hamlet then stabs King Claudius and makes him drink the rest of the poisoned wine. In his last few moments, Hamlet asks Horatio to tell his story to the world. Hamlet dies, his revenge complete. A Norwegian prince named Fortinbras, who earlier in the play led an army to Denmark and attacked Poland, enters with ambassadors from England who report that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Horatio tells him he will be the next king. Hamlet is mourned by Fortinbras and Horatio, who instructs the court that the Prince will be buried with the honors of a soldier.