Original: O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown!
Modern: Oh, what a great mind has been destroyed here!

Original: The courtier’s, scholar’s, soldier’s, eye, tongue, sword,
Modern: He had the perfect qualities of a gentleman, student, and warrior,

Original: Th’ expectancy and rose of the fair state,
Modern: He was the hope and finest example of our kingdom,

Original: The glass of fashion and the mould of form,
Modern: He was the mirror of style and the perfect model of good behavior,

Original: Th’ observ’d of all observers- quite, quite down!
Modern: Everyone looked up to him—now he’s completely fallen!

Original: And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,
Modern: And I am the most heartbroken and miserable woman,

Original: That suck’d the honey of his music vows,
Modern: I who once enjoyed the sweetness of his loving promises,

Original: Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,
Modern: Now I see that his noble and superior mind,

Original: Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh;
Modern: Is like beautiful bells that are now broken, discordant and ugly;

Original: That unmatch’d form and feature of blown youth
Modern: His perfect appearance and the beauty of his youth

Original: Blasted with ecstasy. O, woe is me
Modern: Have been destroyed by madness. Oh, how terrible for me

Original: T’ have seen what I have seen, see what I see!
Modern: To have seen him as he was, and now see what he’s become!

In Act III, Scene 1 of Hamlet, the scene opens with King Claudius and Queen Gertrude meeting with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to learn about their attempts to discover the cause of Hamlet’s disturbed behavior. The two courtiers report that while Hamlet acknowledged his confusion, he would not reveal its source, though they mention his interest in the upcoming play performance. Polonius then enters and informs the King and Queen of his plan to hide behind a tapestry to overhear a conversation between Hamlet and his mother, while first arranging for Ophelia to encounter Hamlet so they can observe his behavior toward her.

After Claudius and Gertrude exit, Polonius positions Ophelia with a prayer book and hides with the King to spy on the encounter. Hamlet enters and delivers his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy, contemplating life, death, and the nature of existence. When Ophelia approaches and attempts to return his previous gifts, Hamlet’s demeanor shifts dramatically - he denies having given her anything, tells her to go to a nunnery, and speaks bitterly about marriage and women’s behavior. His harsh treatment of Ophelia becomes increasingly erratic and cruel before he exits abruptly. The hidden observers emerge, with Claudius concluding that Hamlet’s behavior stems not from love but from something more dangerous, prompting his decision to send Hamlet to England.

Hamlet tells the story of Prince Hamlet of Denmark, who is visited by the ghost of his recently deceased father. The ghost reveals that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, who has now married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude and assumed the throne. Commanded by his father’s spirit to seek revenge, Hamlet struggles with doubt, melancholy, and the moral complexity of his task. To investigate the ghost’s claims and plan his revenge, he feigns madness, which creates tension throughout the Danish court.

As Hamlet deliberates, his erratic behavior affects everyone around him, particularly his love interest Ophelia, daughter of the king’s advisor Polonius. To test Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet stages a play mirroring his father’s murder, which confirms the king’s culpability. However, Hamlet’s actions become increasingly destructive—he accidentally kills Polonius while the old man spies on him, and his rejection of Ophelia contributes to her descent into genuine madness and eventual drowning.

The play reaches its climax when Ophelia’s brother Laertes returns to avenge his father’s death. Claudius manipulates Laertes into challenging Hamlet to a duel, secretly poisoning Laertes’s sword and preparing poisoned wine as backup. The final scene erupts in tragedy: during the duel, both Hamlet and Laertes are wounded by the poisoned blade, Gertrude accidentally drinks the poisoned wine, and Hamlet finally kills Claudius. As Hamlet dies, he names Prince Fortinbras of Norway as Denmark’s next ruler, bringing the cycle of revenge and political instability to a close. The play ends with Fortinbras restoring order to the Danish court as bodies are carried off in a funeral march.