Returning home to Denmark for his father's funeral, Prince Hamlet is shocked to find his mother Gertrude already remarried to Uncle Claudius, who has been crowned King despite the fact that Hamlet is heir to the throne. Hamlet's father's ghost appears, claiming that he was poisoned. In order to test the Ghost's sincerity, Hamlet adds scenes to a play that recreate the alleged murder. Claudius' reaction to the performance of the staged murder reveals the King to be conscience-stricken. Convinced of Claudius' guilt, Hamlet resolves to kill him, but not before Hamlet causes six ancillary deaths. The first belongs to Polonius, whom Hamlet stabs through a wall hanging as the old man spies on Hamlet and Gertrude. Claudius punishes Hamlet for Polonius' death by exiling him to England.