The document summarizes the plot of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Claudius kills his brother, King Hamlet, and assumes the throne. The ghost of King Hamlet appears and tells Hamlet the truth, commanding him to avenge his death. Throughout the play, various characters die as the plot unfolds: Polonius is stabbed by Hamlet, Ophelia drowns, Gertrude drinks poison meant for Hamlet, Laertes and Hamlet wound each other with a poisoned sword, and Hamlet finally kills Claudius to avenge his father's death. In the end, only Horatio survives to tell the true story.