ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -In the letter, Hamlet says that his ship was captured by pirates, who have returned him to Denmark. He asks Horatio to escort the sailors to the king and queen, for they have messages for them as well.

Detailed explanation-2: -Horatio receives letters from a sailor sent by Hamlet. The first letter tells Horatio that pirates beset the ship on which Hamlet was being carried to England. In the ensuing battle, the pirates took Hamlet captive; they treated him well and brought him back to Denmark. He has, in return, promised to do them a favor.

Detailed explanation-3: -The pirates are a plot device called a deus ex machina. The pirates took Hamlet as their prisoner, treated him well, and brought him back to Denmark. Hamlet says they did this because they wanted a favor from the prince. Hamlet then tells Horatio that Horatio has to let the sailors bring his other letters to Claudius.

Detailed explanation-4: -Hamlet’s central characters are Hamlet himself, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Horatio. But only Horatio survives when the curtain falls at the end of Shakespeare’s play.

Detailed explanation-5: -With the return of King Hamlet in the form of a ghost, it is revealed that Claudius, his own brother, was responsible for his death. Motivated by the greed for power and the crown, Claudius poisoned the King Hamlet as he rested in the orchards.