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The 60 Second Times
Wed 24 Sep Newspaper of the Year
Bloodbath at Danish Court
Mad Prince Hamlet was right all along
Hamlet with skull of childhood companion Yorick "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio." Hamlet (above), Act V, Sc I

Realising the truth, Hamlet's last act was to revenge his father by killing Claudius.

Then he died in the arms of his friend Horatio, begging him to remember him and tell his tale.

A cowardly plot by corrupt King Claudius ended tragically today, with the entire Royal Family dead by poison.

This appalling massacre closes a chapter of horror in Denmark's history which began with the murder of old King Hamlet by his brother, Claudius.

The murderous noble then moved in on the dead king's throne and widow. On his return to court, Prince Hamlet was shocked to find his father dead, and his mother married to his uncle.

Hamlet was rattled further by a ghostly visit from his father. Learning the truth about the old King's death made him fearful for his life, so the young Prince pretended to be mad to avoid his uncle's evil intentions.

Vowing to revenge his

father, Hamlet tried to force a confession out of his Uncle with a special theatre performance. But the plan backfired when Hamlet accidentally killed trusted counsellor Polonius, the father of his former sweetheart Ophelia.

Worried that her son would be arrested, Gertrude sent him away to England - not realising her new husband had arranged for his death on arrival.

But Hamlet escaped and returned just in time for the funeral of Ophelia, who had died after being driven mad by her father's tragic fate.

Claudius, scared by his nephew's return, hatched a desperate plot to poison him in a fixed swordfight. But things went horrifically wrong, and both Gertrude and Hamlet's opponent Laertes were accidentally poisoned too.

Hamlet Hamlet
A thoughtful and deep young man, popular with the Danish people, Hamlet was a fan of the theatre and learning. He's very loyal, but also very indecisive and rather depressive.
Claudius Claudius
Hamlet's uncle, Claudius turned out to be a ruthless murderer, who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted - his brother's throne and wife. But it didn't bring him happiness.
Gertrude Gertrude
Hamlet's mother, and a good woman, Gertrude was unaware of Claudius' evil. When her son told her of it, she was appalled, and tried to help him avenge her husband.
Ophelia Ophelia
Polonius' daughter and Laertes' sister, she was sweet on Hamlet, but he rejected her. With her father's death, this drove her mad. She drowned soon after, possibly by suicide.
"To be or not to be, that is the question
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

Hamlet, Act III, Sc I

"To sleep, perchance to dream; ay, there's the rub."
Hamlet, Act III, Sc I
"This above all: to thine own self be true."
Polonius, Act I, Sc III

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
Marcellus, Act I, Sc IV

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
Gertrude, Act III, Sc II

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
Hamlet Act II, Sc II

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