Tragedies • c. 1600
Hamlet: Modern English Translation & Study Guide
Prince Hamlet of Denmark struggles with grief and moral doubt after his father's ghost demands revenge against Claudius, Hamlet's uncle who murdered the king and married the queen.
Read Hamlet Side by Side
Every scene pairs the public-domain original with a line-matched, original modern-English paraphrase. Choose a scene below to begin reading.
- Act 1, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. Elsinore. A platform before the castle.
- Act 1, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. A room of state in the castle.
- Act 1, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A room in Polonius' house.
- Act 1, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. The platform.
- Act 2, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. A room in POLONIUS' house.
- Act 2, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. A room in the castle.
- Act 3, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. A room in the castle.
- Act 3, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. A hall in the castle.
- Act 3, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. A room in the castle.
- Act 3, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. The Queen's closet.
- Act 4, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. A room in the castle.
- Act 4, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. Another room in the castle.
- Act 4, Scene 3 line-by-line translation — SCENE III. Another room in the castle.
- Act 4, Scene 4 line-by-line translation — SCENE IV. A plain in Denmark.
- Act 5, Scene 1 line-by-line translation — SCENE I. A churchyard.
- Act 5, Scene 2 line-by-line translation — SCENE II. A hall in the castle.
Hamlet study pathways
Related across the Shake Up Network
Extend this play’s ideas through a connected subject lens.
- Doubt, mortality & ethical action — Shake Up Philosophy
Develop Hamlet’s questions about knowledge, death, hesitation, and what we owe one another. - Grief, rumination & decision-making — Shake Up Psychology
Explore the cognitive and emotional patterns behind Hamlet’s prolonged uncertainty.
Original text source: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, MIT HTML edition. MIT states that its HTML versions of the plays are placed in the public domain.