In the castle of Elsinore, Denmark, willful and free-spirited Ophelia is Queen Gertrude's favourite lady-in-waiting, and ridiculed by the others for her lack of nobility. Her father, Polonius, is chief councillor to King Hamlet. Upon his return from Wittenberg, Prince Hamlet soon begins courting Ophelia, but their romance is cut short when he returns his studies. At the same time, Hamlet's uncle Claudius seduces Gertrude.

Later, Gertrude sends Ophelia for her tonic from the healer Mechtild deep in the forest. That night, Ophelia witnesses the king and queen in a heated argument. She pursues the distraught Gertrude up to the castle parapets where she sees an apparent ghost.