Hamlet by Edith Nesbit (1907)
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, mourns his father's sudden death from a serpent's sting while loving his mother and his beloved Ophelia, daughter of the Chamberlain Polonius. His grief deepens when his mother the Queen marries his uncle Claudius before a month has passed, and Hamlet refuses to set aside mourning for the celebration. His friend Horatio, visiting from Wittenberg, tells him the King's ghost has appeared on the battlements, and Hamlet, following it alone, learns from the ghost that Claudius murdered his father by pouring poison into his ear as he slept, and is commanded to avenge the murder without harming the Queen. Tormented and unsure of acting against his uncle, Hamlet feigns madness to conceal his purpose, which leads Ophelia to believe his wild behavior toward her is true insanity caused by love. When a troupe of actors arrives, Hamlet has them perform a play mirroring the murder; Claudius's guilty reaction convinces Hamlet the ghost spoke truly. Summoned by the Queen afterward, Hamlet, believing Claudius hidden behind the hangings, stabs through the curtain and kills Polonius by mistake. He confronts his mother about the murder before the ghost reappears, unseen by her. Claudius, declaring Hamlet mad and dangerous, sends him to England with two courtiers carrying secret orders for his death. Hamlet discovers and alters the letters, then escapes aboard a pirate ship, leaving the courtiers to the fate meant for him. Meanwhile Ophelia, undone by grief for her father and lost lover, loses her reason and drowns while gathering flowers by a willow. Returning, Hamlet finds her funeral underway, and when her brother Laertes leaps into the grave in sorrow, Hamlet does likewise, declaring his love for her, before the two are parted and later reconciled. Claudius secretly turns Laertes's grief to treachery, arranging a fencing match where Laertes's blade is sharpened and poisoned and a cup of poisoned wine is set aside for Hamlet. During the match Laertes wounds Hamlet; in a scuffle the swords are exchanged, and Hamlet unknowingly kills Laertes with the poisoned blade. The Queen drinks the poisoned wine meant for Hamlet and dies. With his mother, Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes, and the treacherous courtiers already dead, Hamlet finally turns the poisoned sword on Claudius, killing him, and fulfills his father's command before dying himself, mourned by those who loved him.
By Edith Nesbit · First published 1907 · Genre: Tragedy, Drama, Supernatural · 2,278 words
First lines
Hamlet was the only son of the King of Denmark. He loved his father and mother dearly -- and was happy in the love of a sweet lady named Ophelia. Her father, Polonius, was the King's Chamberlain.
While Hamlet was away studying at Wittenberg, his father died. Young Hamlet hastened home in great grief to hear that a serpent had stung the King, and that he was dead. The young Prince had loved his father so tenderly that you may judge what he felt when he found that the Queen, before yet the King had been laid in the ground a month, had determined to marry again -- and to marry the dead King's brother.
Similar titles
- Hamlet Prince Of Denmark by Charles Lamb
- The Elder Hamlet by George Macdonald
- Hamlet And The Danes by G. K. Chesterton
- The Widows Clock by Bernard Capes
- The Gardener by Rudyard Kipling
- Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare
Genres
- Tragedy — The narrative culminates in the deaths of nearly all principal characters, exploring themes of human suffering, moral downfall, and inevitable fate as Hamlet's inability to act decisively triggers cascading tragedies affecting everyone around him.
- Drama — Fundamentally dramatic with emotional conflicts, internal psychological struggles, and interpersonal tensions that drive the narrative. Hamlet's mental torment, his conflict with Claudius, and troubled relationships form the dramatic core.
- Supernatural — The ghost of Hamlet's father is pivotal, revealing the murder and catalyzing all subsequent events. The paranormal encounter is central to the plot's mechanism and structural foundation.
- Psychological Fiction — Deeply explores Hamlet's mental state, feigned madness concealing genuine distress, moral dilemmas between revenge and mercy, and his internal conflict between appearance and reality.
Tags
revenge · ghost · poison · regicide · family · madness · betrayal · grief · Denmark · prince · supernatural · love
What this Textopian page supports
Hamlet is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edith Nesbit, dated 1907 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edith Nesbit
- Date: 1907 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Tragedy, Drama, Supernatural, Psychological Fiction, Literary Adaptation
- Length: 2,278 words
- Structure: 1 section, 48 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Hamlet by Edith Nesbit
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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