S13E14: Tales from the Public Domain

S13E147.23/17/200223 min

When Homer gets a notice from the library that he has a book of classic tales that is years overdue, he finds it on the shelf and reads three stories: The Odyssey (where Homer and his bar buddies try to get home after fighting the Trojans), Joan of Arc (where Lisa leads the French against the English with the help of God), and Hamlet (where Bart tries to kill Moe after Moe kills Homer in order to marry Marge).

Episode Ending

In "Simpsonlar - S13E14: Episode 14," also known as "Tales from the Public Domain," the episode concludes with the third and final segment, "Hamlet." Here, Bart plays the titular prince, and things take a predictably irreverent turn. After discovering his father King Hamlet, played by Homer, has been murdered by Claudius (Moe), Bart's Hamlet seeks revenge. Instead of a dramatic Shakespearean showdown, we get a series of mishaps: Hamlet's plan to expose Claudius with a play goes awry, and Ophelia (Lisa) meets her fate in an exaggeratedly comedic fashion. When Hamlet finally confronts Claudius, chaos breaks out at the castle with everyone meeting an untimely end—true to the original play's body count but with more slapstick. The episode wraps up back in the Simpson living room, where Marge reassures the family that these classic stories are meant to be educational, even if their execution was anything but serious. Homer, predictably missing the point, is more concerned about missing his TV show than about any newfound literary appreciation.