Hamlet Book Notes Summary

Elsinore Castle: The castle in Denmark which houses the royal family. A heightened guard surrounds Elsinore because of recent threats from Fortinbras. For three nights in a row, the ghost of King Hamlet has been witnessed roaming the grounds at midnight.

Armor, Beaver, Truncheon: The ghost appears in the armor, which King Hamlet wore in his battles with King Fortinbras of Norway. The truncheon, or baton, is a military commander's sign of office. The ghost wears the beaver, or visor, of the helmet raised.

Sentinel: A soldier standing guard at a gate or passageway. King Hamlet's ghost visits sentinels Barnardo and Marcellus during their midnight watches.

Wittenberg: A city in East Germany. Hamlet and Horatio attend the university there. King Claudius initially asks Hamlet to stay with the royal family in Denmark rather than return to school in Wittenberg.

Confession: Confession cleanses the soul of sin and grants the deceased spirit access to heaven. Because King Hamlet was murdered, death was unexpected and he lacked the opportunity to confess his sins. Robbed of these last rites, King Hamlet's tormented soul is held accountable in Hell for his earthly misdeeds. Prince Hamlet's intentions to slay Claudius are halted when he finds Claudius in the midst of prayer. Knowing that Claudius would immediately ascend into Heaven if killed during confession, Hamlet delays his vengeance.

Hebenon : As revealed by the ghost, Claudius assassinated King Hamlet by pouring a vial of toxic hebenon juice in his ear while he slept in his orchard. The poison curdled the victim's blood, covered his body in a rash, and ultimately killed him.

Arras: A tapestry of Flemish origin used especially for wall hangings and curtains. Polonius hides behind an arras in Queen Gertrude's chamber to spy on a mother-son confrontation. Detecting the spy behind the curtain and mistaking him for King Claudius, Hamlet plunges his sword into the arras and slays Polonius.

'The Mousetrap' Play : Hamlet hires a traveling troupe of actors to perform 'The Mousetrap' before the royal audience. Mirroring Claudius' assassination of King Hamlet, the play depicts the murder of Duke Gonzago in Vienna by the villain Lucianus. Like Claudius, the player Lucianus pours poison into the Duke's ear and marries his widow, Baptista. Just as Hamlet planned, the play goads Claudius' conscience and convinces Hamlet of his uncle's guilt.

Recorder: A wind instrument characterized by a tube-like shape, a whistle mouthpiece, and eight finger holes. Hamlet criticizes his manipulative former friend, Guildenstern, for playing upon him just as a musician plays upon a recorder.

Flowers: Ophelia distributes symbolic flowers to Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes. Columbines were associated with marital infidelity, daisies with faithfulness, fennel with flattery, rosemary with remembrance, and rue with repentance.

Chalice: A decorative goblet. Because Laertes is losing the fixed duel, Claudius offers Hamlet a poisoned chalice for refreshment. Instead, Queen Gertrude unwittingly seizes the poisoned chalice to toast her son's good fortune. She drinks the poison intended for Hamlet and dies.

Willow tree: In her madness, Ophelia climbs a willow tree to hang garlands from its branches. She falls from the tree and drowns in the river below. The willow tree is often associated with weeping and forsaken love.

Skull: The clowning gravediggers unearth several skulls and toss one to Prince Hamlet. Hamlet fondly recognizes the skull as that of Yorrick, the old court jester.

Signet: An official seal that gives personal authority to a document in place of a signature. Hamlet luckily carries his father's royal signet with him on his voyage to England. He uses it to seal the forged order of execution for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Nunnery: A convent housing chaste nuns. By ordering Ophelia to join a nunnery, Hamlet proposes that she undertake a lifetime of chastity. However, 'nunnery' was also used during Elizabethan times as a slang term for brothel. Hamlet may therefore be advising Ophelia to enter a whorehouse.

Rapier: A fencing sword. During the rigged tournament, Claudius and Laertes give Hamlet a blunted sword while Laertes' weapon is sharpened and poisoned.