Hamlet (play)

Hamlet (play)
Name	Hamlet
Caption	Hamlet with Yorick's skull, depicted by Eugène Delacroix
Writer	William Shakespeare
Characters	Prince Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Horatio
Setting	Elsinore, Denmark
Genre	Shakespearean tragedy
Premiere date	c. 1600–1601
Subject	Revenge, madness, morality
Orig lang	Early Modern English

Hamlet (play). A seminal work of English Renaissance theatre, *Hamlet* is a revenge tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. Set in the royal castle of Elsinore in Denmark, the play follows the titular Prince Hamlet as he grapples with grief, moral paralysis, and a command for vengeance from the ghost of his murdered father. Its profound exploration of themes like existentialism, madness, and corruption has cemented its status as one of the most influential and analyzed works in Western literature.

Plot

The play opens on the battlements of Elsinore, where guards and the scholar Horatio witness the apparition of the late King Hamlet. The ghost reveals to Prince Hamlet that he was murdered by his brother, Claudius, who has since seized the throne and married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hamlet, feigning madness to investigate, stages a play, *The Murder of Gonzago*, to observe Claudius's reaction. His erratic behavior alarms Polonius, the lord chamberlain, and distresses his daughter, Ophelia, whom Hamlet rejects. After mistakenly killing Polonius, Hamlet is sent to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, bearing orders for his execution, which he escapes. Ophelia, driven mad by grief, drowns. Her brother, Laertes, returns seeking vengeance, and Claudius plots a duel between them with a poisoned rapier and cup. The climax results in the deaths of Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet, leaving Horatio to tell the story as Fortinbras arrives to claim the Danish throne.

Characters

The central figure is the introspective Prince Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. His uncle, the usurping Claudius, is the play's primary antagonist, while his mother, Gertrude, is a figure of contested loyalty. Polonius is the verbose, scheming counselor, whose children, the innocent Ophelia and the fiery Laertes, become tragic casualties. Hamlet's loyal friend is the steadfast Horatio. Other courtiers include the sycophantic Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the pompous Osric. The spectral Ghost of King Hamlet sets the plot in motion. Minor characters include the gravediggers, the players, and the Norwegian prince Fortinbras, who serves as a foil to Hamlet.

Sources

Shakespeare's primary source was the legend of Amleth, preserved in the *Gesta Danorum* by the 12th-century historian Saxo Grammaticus. This Norse tale of a prince feigning madness to avenge his father's murder was likely accessed by Shakespeare through a later French version by François de Belleforest in his *Histoires Tragiques*. Scholars also note possible influences from a lost earlier play known as the *Ur-Hamlet*, possibly written by Thomas Kyd, the author of *The Spanish Tragedy*, a seminal revenge play. The theatrical device of a play-within-a-play has precedents in works by Christopher Marlowe and the classical Roman playwright Seneca the Younger.

Date and text

*Hamlet* was likely composed between 1599 and 1601. It was entered in the *Stationers' Register* in 1602. Three early printed versions exist: the First Quarto (Q1, 1603), a short, possibly pirated "bad quarto"; the Second Quarto (Q2, 1604-05), a longer, more authoritative text; and the First Folio (F1, 1623), which contains lines not in Q2 but omits others. Modern editions are typically conflations of Q2 and F1. The play was performed by Shakespeare's company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, at the Globe Theatre and possibly at the Blackfriars Theatre.

Analysis and interpretation

Critical interpretation of *Hamlet* is vast. The central question of Hamlet's delay in executing his revenge has spawned numerous theories, from the Freudian Oedipal complex to philosophical indecision, a reading popularized by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The play is a cornerstone of existentialist thought, with Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy pondering the nature of existence and action. Themes of political corruption, espionage, and the nature of performance are pervasive. The motif of madness is explored through both Hamlet's antic disposition and Ophelia's genuine descent into insanity. The work's rich imagery of rot, disease, and death reflects the moral decay of the Danish court.

Performance history

The role of Hamlet is considered a pinnacle for actors in the English-speaking theatre. Early performers included Richard Burbage of the King's Men. Notable 18th and 19th-century interpreters were David Garrick, John Philip Kemble, and Sarah Bernhardt, who famously played the prince in 1899. Landmark 20th-century performances featured Laurence Olivier, whose 1948 film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and John Gielgud. Later influential portrayals came from Richard Burton, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh, and, on stage, Mark Rylance and Benedict Cumberbatch. The play has been adapted into numerous operas, including one by Ambroise Thomas, and films by directors like Grigori Kozintsev and Franco Zeffirelli.

Legacy

*Hamlet*'s influence on global culture is immeasurable. It has inspired countless works, from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's *Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship* to Tom Stoppard's *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead*. Its phrases, such as "neither a borrower nor a lender be" and "the lady doth protest too much," are embedded in the English language. The play is a foundational text for literary criticism, engaging thinkers from Samuel Johnson and William Hazlitt to Harold Bloom and Stephen Greenblatt. Its exploration of consciousness and identity continues to resonate, securing its place as a timeless masterpiece of world literature.

Category:Plays by William Shakespeare Category:1600s plays Category:English Renaissance plays