Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to find out where Hamlet has hidden Polonius’s body, but he evades them.

Claudius questions Hamlet about Polonius’s body. Hamlet mocks him but eventually reveals its location. Claudius secretly orders Hamlet’s execution in England.

Hamlet sees Fortinbras’s army and reflects on his inaction. Inspired by their bravery, he vows to pursue revenge more boldly.

Ophelia, mad with grief, sings disjointed songs. Laertes returns, furious about his father’s death. Claudius calms him, promising answers and justice.

Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet, revealing he escaped the ship to England after pirates attacked. Hamlet is returning to Denmark and asks Horatio to meet him.

Claudius and Laertes plot Hamlet’s death. Claudius suggests a rigged fencing match and poisoned wine. Gertrude enters and reports that Ophelia has drowned.

Gravediggers joke about death while digging Ophelia’s grave. Hamlet reflects on mortality, holding Yorick’s skull. Ophelia’s funeral arrives; Laertes leaps into her grave. Hamlet reveals himself and grapples with Laertes in grief and anger.

Hamlet tells Horatio how he escaped death and replaced the letter with one condemning Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He agrees to duel Laertes. During the match, Gertrude drinks poisoned wine. Laertes wounds Hamlet with a poisoned blade but is also wounded. Dying, he reveals Claudius’s plot. Hamlet kills Claudius, then dies. Fortinbras arrives to claim the throne.