According to Catholic doctrine at the time of the composition of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the late Prince of Denmark did not commit pre-mediated murder when he killed King Claudius "in the heat of the moment." The mad Dane would thus be sentenced to Purgatory, the waiting place between Heaven and Hell, in the Afterlife. Now finding himself there what Hamlet desires most is to save Ophelia from Hell and perdition. Ophelia, if you remember, committed suicide in Bard of Avon's play. This is a mortal sin and a crime punishable by damnation. And in this place of fire and brimstone, namely Hell, is where Ophelia finds herself. Thus begins Hamlet in Purgatory, Ophelia in Hell.

The play opens in Purgatory with the Prince of Denmark requesting a new trial be held to prove Ophelia's innocence and redeem her. Along with the meddlesome Polonius and the fool Yorick (who is mentioned but does not appear in the original Hamlet), Ophelia's case in brought before the court of the Ghost of Hamlet's Father. This ghostly judge represents God in the Divine Being's stead and both Hamlet and Polonius testify on behalf or opposition to the Hell-damned suicide. Meanwhile, Ophelia makes her own trek out of the Underworld. During her adventure, she encounters fellow suicides, a school of French philosophers, and a voiceless minstrel who happens to be her only ticket out of Hades.

In a thrilling courtroom sequence, Ophelia is not the only one on trial. One, who refuses to the give the mercy that person seeks, discovers soon enough that the tables can easily turn in the topsy-turvy world of the Afterlife. Redemption isn't something granted but earned and the principles one once held in esteem on Earth might not be those blessed by Heaven. Hamlet in Purgatory, Ophelia in Hell is a comic, heartfelt, and tragic madcap sequel to Shakespeare's opus and one which asks the question what it truly means to love and forgive in the world hereafter.