Events

Artist's rendition of Ophelia's death.

What is an event?

Something that happens : occurrence

Act IV, Scene vii

"Queen: One woe doth tread upon another's heel,

So fast they follow; your sister's drown'd, Laertes."

Act III, Scene iii

"King: O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven;
It hath the primal eldest curse upon't,
A brother's murder. Pray can I not,
Though inclination be as sharp as will.
My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent;
And, like a man to double business bound,
I stand in pause where I shall first begin,
And both neglect. "

The events that take place are so dynamic it makes this play timeless. From murder to incest, from insanity to the supernatural; the events that happen shape this play into a master piece. Two important events I chose from the quotes above were Ophelia's death and when Claudius seems to be praying. When Ophelia dies it basically opens up a can of worms that leads to the death of Laertes, Hamlet, the King, and the Queen. When she dies Hamlet is heartbroken and her brother further enraged. Laertes challenges Hamlet to a duel where the kind poisons his sword. That sword ends up killing Hamlet and Laertes, but not before the Queen is poisoned and Hamlet kills the King. Now, the second quote is when the King ALMOST dies. Hamlet is just about to kill him but mistakes his words for prayer and doesn't kill him so that he can die a sinner like his Father. However, if this event didn't happen the whole play could have copletely changed and the deaths throughout the play may have never happened.