Hamlet

Synopsis
The protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King
Hamlet and his wife, Queen Gertrude. While the young Hamlet is away at school the recently
deceased Kings !rother, "laudius, is elected king and hastily marries Gertrude. # minor su!plot
in$ol$es Denmarks long%standing feud with neigh!ouring &orway, and the threat of in$asion led
!y the &orwegian prince 'ortin!ras.
The play opens on a cold night at (lsinore, the Danish royal castle. 'rancisco, one of the
sentinels, is relie$ed of his watch !y )ernardo, another sentinel, and e*its while )ernardo
remains. # third sentinel, +arcellus, enters with Horatio, Hamlets !est friend. The sentinels
inform Horatio that they ha$e seen a ghost that looks like the dead King Hamlet. #fter hearing
from Horatio of the Ghosts appearance, Hamlet resol$es to see the Ghost himself. That night, the
Ghost appears again. ,t leads Hamlet to seclusion and re$eals that it is the actual spirit of his
father and discloses that he, the elder Hamlet, was murdered !y "laudius pouring poison in his
ear. The Ghost demands that Hamlet a$enge him- Hamlet agrees, swears his companions to
secrecy, and tells them he intends to .put on an antic disposition. /presuma!ly to a$ert suspicion0.
Hamlet initially attests to the ghosts relia!ility, calling him !oth an .honest ghost. and
.truepenny.. He later raises dou!ts a!out the ghosts nature and intent and claims these as reasons
for his inaction.
Polonius is "laudius trusted chief counselor- his son, 1aertes, is returning to 'rance, and his
daughter, 2phelia, is courted !y Hamlet. &either Polonius nor 1aertes thinks Hamlet is serious
a!out 2phelia, and they !oth warn her off. 3hortly afterwards, 2phelia is alarmed !y Hamlets
strange !eha$iour and reports to her father that Hamlet rushed into her room, stared at her and
said nothing. Polonius assumes that the .ecstasy of lo$e.
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is responsi!le for Hamlets madness,
and he informs "laudius and Gertrude.
)usy with affairs of state, "laudius recei$es the am!assador of &orway who gi$es assurances of
peace !etween &orway and Denmark. Pertur!ed !y Hamlets continuing deep mourning for his
father and his increasingly erratic !eha$ior, "laudius sends for two of Hamlets ac7uaintances 8
9osencrant: and Guildenstern8to disco$er the cause of Hamlets changed !eha$ior. Hamlet
greets his friends warmly !ut 7uickly discerns that they ha$e !een sent to spy on him.
Together, "laudius and Polonius con$ince 2phelia to speak with Hamlet while they secretly
listen to the con$ersation. When Hamlet enters, she offers to return his remem!rances, upon
which Hamlet 7uestions her honesty and furiously rants at her, insisting she go .to a nunnery..
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Hamlet remains uncertain if the Ghost has told him the truth, !ut the arri$al of a troupe of actors
at (lsinore presents him with a solution. He will stage a play, re%enacting his fathers murder, and
determine "laudiuss guilt or innocence !y studying his reaction. The court assem!les to watch
the play- Hamlet pro$ides an agitated running commentary throughout. When the murder scene is
presented, "laudius a!ruptly rises and lea$es the room, which Hamlet sees as proof of his uncles
guilt.
Gertrude summons Hamlet to her closet to demand an e*planation. 2n his way, Hamlet passes
"laudius in prayer !ut hesitates to kill him, reasoning that death in prayer would send him to
hea$en. Howe$er it is re$ealed that the King is not truly praying, remarking that .words. ne$er
made it to hea$en without .thoughts.. <pon reaching the 7ueen, an argument erupts !etween
Hamlet and Gertrude. Polonius, who is spying on the scene from !ehind an arras, con$inced that
the princes madness is indeed real, panics when it seems as if Hamlet is a!out to murder the
Queen and cries out for help. Hamlet, !elie$ing it is "laudius hiding !ehind the arras, sta!s
wildly through the cloth, killing Polonius. When he reali:es that he has killed 2phelias father, he
is not remorseful, !ut calls Polonius .Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool.. The Ghost appears,
urging Hamlet to treat Gertrude gently !ut reminding him to kill "laudius. <na!le to see or hear
the Ghost herself, Gertrude takes Hamlets con$ersation with it as further e$idence of madness.
"laudius, fearing for his life, and finally holding a legitimate e*cuse to get rid of the prince,
makes plans to send Hamlet to (ngland on a diplomatic prete*t, closely watched !y 9osencrant:
and Guildenstern. #lone, "laudius discloses that he is sending Hamlet to his death. Prior to
em!arking for (ngland, Hamlet hides Poloniuss !ody, ultimately re$ealing its location to the
King. <pon lea$ing (lsinore, Hamlet encounters the army of Prince 'ortin!ras en route to do
!attle in Poland. <pon witnessing so many men going to their death for the !rash whim of an
impulsi$e prince, Hamlet decides that he will no longer plot and scheme, !ut rather finish his
plan and kill "laudius.
#t (lsinore, further demented !y grief at Poloniuss death, 2phelia wanders the castle acting
erratically and singing !awdy songs. Her !rother, 1aertes, arri$es !ack from 'rance, enraged !y
his fathers death and his sisters madness. 3he appears !riefly to gi$e out her!s and flowers.
"laudius con$inces 1aertes that Hamlet is solely responsi!le- then news arri$es that Hamlet is
still at large8 a story is spread that his ship was attacked !y pirates on the way to (ngland, and
he has returned to Denmark. "laudius swiftly concocts a plot. His plan is to allow Hamlets death
to appear to !e an accident, taking all of the !lame off of his shoulders. He proposes a fencing
match !etween 1aertes and Hamlet, as Hamlet was =ealous of 1aertes prowess with a sword.
1aertes, enraged at the murder of his father informs the king that he will further poison the tip of
his sword so as a mere scratch would mean certain death. "laudius, unsure that capa!le Hamlet
could recei$e e$en a scratch, plans to offer Hamlet poisoned wine if that fails. Gertrude enters to
report that 2phelia has drowned.
,n the (lsinore churchyard, two .clowns., typically represented as .gra$ediggers., enter to
prepare 2phelias gra$e, and although the coroner has ruled her death accidental, so that she
recei$es "hristian !urial, they argue o$er it !eing a case of suicide. Hamlet arri$es with Horatio
and !anters with one of them, who unearths the skull of a =ester whom Hamlet once knew,
>orick. 2phelias funeral procession approaches, led !y her mournful !rother 1aertes. <pset at
the lack of ceremony due to the deemed suicide and o$ercome !y emotion, 1aertes leaps into the
gra$e, cursing Hamlet as the cause of her death. Hamlet interrupts and professes his own lo$e and
grief for 2phelia. He and 1aertes grapple, !ut the fight is !roken up !y "laudius and Gertrude.
"laudius makes sure to remind 1aertes of the planned fencing match.
1ater that day, Hamlet tells Horatio how he escaped, and that 9osencrant: and Guildenstern ha$e
!een sent to their deaths. # courtier, 2sric, interrupts to in$ite Hamlet to fence with 1aertes.
Despite warnings from Horatio, Hamlet accepts and the match !egins. #fter se$eral rounds,
Gertrude toasts Hamlet against the urgent warning of "laudius, accidentally drinking the wine he
poisoned. )etween !outs, 1aertes attacks and pierces Hamlet with his poisoned !lade- in the
ensuing scuffle, Hamlet is a!le to use 1aertess own poisoned sword against him, fatally
wounding 1aertes. Gertrude falls and in her dying !reath announces that she has !een poisoned.
,n his dying moments, 1aertes is reconciled with Hamlet and re$eals "laudiuss murderous plot.
,n his own final moments, Hamlet, at last, forces "laudius to drink from his own poisoned cup,
and names Prince 'ortin!ras of &orway as his heir. Horatio attempts to kill himself with the same
poisoned wine, !ut is stopped !y Hamlet, who commands him to tell his story, as he will !e the
only one left ali$e that could gi$e a full account. When 'ortin!ras arri$es to greet King "laudius,
he encounters the deathly scene? Gertrude, "laudius, 1aertes, and Hamlet are all dead. Horatio
asks to !e allowed to recount the tale to .the yet unknowing world., and 'ortin!ras orders
Hamlets !ody !orne off in honour.
Sources
Hamlet%like legends are so widely found /for e*ample in ,taly, 3pain, 3candina$ia, )y:antium,
and #ra!ia0 that the core .hero%as%fool. theme is possi!ly ,ndo%(uropean in origin.
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3e$eral
ancient written precursors to Hamlet can !e identified. The first is the anonymous 3candina$ian
Saga of Hrolf Kraki. ,n this, the murdered king has two sons8Hroar and Helgi8who spend most
of the story in disguise, under false names, rather than feigning madness, in a se7uence of e$ents
that differs from 3hakespeares.
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The second is the 9oman legend of )rutus, recorded in two
separate 1atin works. ,ts hero, 1ucius /.shining, light.0, changes his name and persona to )rutus
/.dull, stupid.0, playing the role of a fool to a$oid the fate of his father and !rothers, and
e$entually slaying his familys killer, King Tar7uinius. # @5th%century &ordic scholar, Torfaeus,
compared the ,celandic hero #mlodi and the 3panish hero Prince #m!ales /from the Ambales
Saga0 to 3hakespeares Hamlet. 3imilarities include the princes feigned madness, his accidental
killing of the kings counsellor in his mothers !edroom, and the e$entual slaying of his uncle.
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+any of the earlier legendary elements are interwo$en in the @Cth%century Vita Amlethi /.The
1ife of #mleth.0
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!y 3a*o Grammaticus, part of Gesta Danorum.
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Written in 1atin, it reflects
classical 9oman concepts of $irtue and heroism, and was widely a$aila!le in 3hakespeares day.
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3ignificant parallels include the prince feigning madness, his mothers hasty marriage to the
usurper, the prince killing a hidden spy, and the prince su!stituting the e*ecution of two retainers
for his own. # reasona!ly faithful $ersion of 3a*os story was translated into 'rench in @E5A !y
'ranFois de )elleforest, in his Histoires tragiques.
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)elleforest em!ellished 3a*os te*t
su!stantially, almost dou!ling its length, and introduced the heros melancholy.
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#ccording to a popular theory, 3hakespeares main source is !elie$ed to !e an earlier play8now
lost8known today as the Ur-Hamlet. Possi!ly written !y Thomas Kyd or e$en William
3hakespeare himself, the Ur-Hamlet would ha$e !een in performance !y @E;H and the first
$ersion of the story known to incorporate a ghost.
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3hakespeares company, the "ham!erlains
+en, may ha$e purchased that play and performed a $ersion for some time, which 3hakespeare
reworked.
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3ince no copy of the Ur-Hamlet has sur$i$ed, howe$er, it is impossi!le to compare
its language and style with the known works of any of its putati$e authors. "onse7uently, there is
no direct e$idence that Kyd wrote it, nor any e$idence that the play was not an early $ersion of
Hamlet !y 3hakespeare himself. This latter idea8placing Hamlet far earlier than the generally
accepted date, with a much longer period of de$elopment8has attracted some support, though
others dismiss it as speculation.
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The upshot is that scholars cannot assert with any confidence how much material 3hakespeare
took from the Ur-Hamlet /if it e$en e*isted0, how much from )elleforest or 3a*o, and how much
from other contemporary sources /such as Kyds The Spanish Tragedy0. &o clear e$idence e*ists
that 3hakespeare made any direct references to 3a*os $ersion. Howe$er, elements of
)elleforests $ersion which are not in 3a*os story do appear in 3hakespeares play. Whether
3hakespeare took these from )elleforest directly or through the Ur-Hamlet remains unclear.
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+ost scholars re=ect the idea that Hamlet is in any way connected with 3hakespeares only son,
Hamnet 3hakespeare, who died in @EHG at age ele$en. "on$entional wisdom holds that Hamlet is
too o!$iously connected to legend, and the name Hamnet was 7uite popular at the time.
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Howe$er, 3tephen Green!latt has argued that the coincidence of the names and 3hakespeares
grief for the loss of his son may lie at the heart of the tragedy. He notes that the name of Hamnet
3adler, the 3tratford neigh!or after whom Hamnet was named, was often written as Hamlet
3adler and that, in the loose orthography of the time, the names were $irtually interchangea!le.
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3adlers first name is spelled .Hamlett. in 3hakespeares will.
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Date
.#ny dating of Hamlet must !e tentati$e., cautions the e! "ambridge editor, Phillip (dwards.
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The earliest date estimate relies on Hamlet#s fre7uent allusions to 3hakespeares $ulius "aesar,
itself dated to mid%@EHH.
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The latest date estimate is !ased on an entry, of BG Iuly @GAB, in the
9egister of the 3tationers "ompany, indicating that Hamlet was .latelie #cted !y the 1o?
"ham!erleyne his ser$antes..
,n @EH;, 'rancis +eres pu!lished in his %alladis Tamia a sur$ey of (nglish literature from
"haucer to its present day, within which twel$e of 3hakespeares plays are named. Hamlet is not
among them, suggesting that it had not yet !een written. #s Hamlet was $ery popular, the e!
S!an series editor )ernard 1ott !elie$es it .unlikely that he 4+eres6 would ha$e o$erlooked ... so
significant a piece..
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The phrase .little eyases.
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in the 'irst 'olio /'@0 may allude to the "hildren of the "hapel,
whose popularity in 1ondon forced the Glo!e company into pro$incial touring. This !ecame
known as the War of the Theatres, and supports a @GA@ dating.
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# contemporary of 3hakesperes, Ga!riel Har$ey, wrote a marginal note in his copy of the @EH;
edition of "haucers works, which some scholars use as dating e$idence. Har$eys note says that
.the wiser sort. en=oy Hamlet, and implies that the (arl of (sse*8e*ecuted in 'e!ruary @GA@ for
re!ellion8was still ali$e. 2ther scholars consider this inconclusi$e. (dwards, for e*ample,
concludes that the .sense of time is so confused in Har$eys note that it is really of little use in
trying to date Hamlet.. This is !ecause the same note also refers to 3penser and Watson as if they
were still ali$e /.our flourishing metricians.0, !ut also mentions .2wens new epigrams.,
pu!lished in @GA5.
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Texts
Three early editions of the te*t ha$e sur$i$ed, making attempts to esta!lish a single .authentic.
te*t pro!lematic.
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(ach is different from the others?
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'irst Quarto /Q10 ,n @GAC the !ooksellers &icholas 1ing and Iohn Trundell pu!lished, and
Jalentine 3immes printed the so%called .!ad. first Quarto. Q@ contains =ust o$er half of
the te*t of the later second 7uarto.
3econd Quarto /Q20 ,n @GAD &icholas 1ing pu!lished, and Iames 9o!erts printed, the
second 7uarto. 3ome copies are dated @GAE, which may indicate a second impression-
conse7uently, QB is often dated .@GADKE.. QB is the longest early edition, although it
omits ;E lines found in '@ /most likely to a$oid offending Iames ,s 7ueen, #nne of
Denmark0.
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'irst 'olio /F10 ,n @GBC (dward )lount and William and ,saac Iaggard pu!lished the 'irst
'olio, the first edition of 3hakespeares "omplete &orks.
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2ther folios and 7uartos were su!se7uently pu!lished8including Iohn 3methwicks QC, QD, and
QE /@G@@LC508!ut these are regarded as deri$ati$es of the first three editions.
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(arly editors of 3hakespeares works, !eginning with &icholas 9owe /@5AH0 and 1ewis Theo!ald
/@5CC0, com!ined material from the two earliest sources of Hamlet a$aila!le at the time, QB and
'@. (ach te*t contains material that the other lacks, with many minor differences in wording?
scarcely BAA lines are identical in the two. (ditors ha$e com!ined them in an effort to create one
.inclusi$e. te*t that reflects an imagined .ideal. of 3hakespeares original. Theo!alds $ersion
!ecame standard for a long time,
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and his .full te*t. approach continues to influence editorial
practice to the present day. 3ome contemporary scholarship, howe$er, discounts this approach,
instead considering .an authentic Hamlet an unrealisa!le ideal. ... there are te'ts of this play !ut
no te't..
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The BAAG pu!lication !y #rden 3hakespeare of different Hamlet te*ts in different
$olumes is perhaps the !est e$idence of this shifting focus and emphasis.
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Traditionally, editors of 3hakespeares plays ha$e di$ided them into fi$e acts. &one of the early
te*ts of Hamlet, howe$er, were arranged this way, and the plays di$ision into acts and scenes
deri$es from a @G5G 7uarto. +odern editors generally follow this traditional di$ision, !ut
consider it unsatisfactory- for e*ample, after Hamlet drags Poloniuss !ody out of Gertrudes
!edcham!er, there is an act%!reak
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after which the action appears to continue uninterrupted.
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The disco$ery in @;BC of Q@8whose e*istence had !een 7uite unsuspected8caused
considera!le interest and e*citement, raising many 7uestions of editorial practice and
interpretation. 3cholars immediately identified apparent deficiencies in Q@, which was
instrumental in the de$elopment of the concept of a 3hakespearean .!ad 7uarto..
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>et Q@ has
$alue? it contains stage directions that re$eal actual stage practices in a way that QB and '@ do
not- it contains an entire scene /usually la!elled D.G0
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that does not appear in either QB or '@-
and it is useful for comparison with the later editions. +any scholars of the theater
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note that
the scene order is also more coherent, without the pro!lems of QB and '@ of Hamlet seeming to
resol$e something in one scene and enter the ne*t drowning in indecision. This is a scene order
many modern theatrical productions follow.
4)itation needed6
The ma=or deficiency of Q@ is that the
language is not .3hakespearean. enough, particularly noticea!le in the opening lines of the
famous .To !e, or not to !e. solilo7uy? .To !e, or not to !e, aye theres the point. K To die, to
sleep, is that allM #ye all? K &o, to sleep, to dream, aye marry there it goes..
4)itation needed6
Q@ is considera!ly shorter than QB or '@ and may !e a memorial reconstruction of the play as
3hakespeares company performed it, !y an actor who played a minor role /most likely
+arcellus0.
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3cholars disagree whether the reconstruction was pirated or authorised. #nother
theory, considered !y &ew "am!ridge editor Kathleen ,race, holds that Q@ is an a!ridged $ersion
intended especially for tra$elling productions.
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The idea that Q@ is not riddled with error !ut is
instead eminently fit for the stage has led to at least B; different Q@ productions since @;;@.
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Analysis and criticism
+ain article? "ritical approaches to Hamlet
Critical history
'rom the early @5th century, the play was famous for its ghost and $i$id dramati:ation of
melancholy and insanity, leading to a procession of mad courtiers and ladies in Iaco!ean and
"aroline drama.
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Though it remained popular with mass audiences, late @5th%century
9estoration critics saw Hamlet as primiti$e and disappro$ed of its lack of unity and decorum.
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This $iew changed drastically in the @;th century, when critics regarded Hamlet as a hero8a
pure, !rilliant young man thrust into unfortunate circumstances.
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)y the mid%@;th century,
howe$er, the ad$ent of Gothic literature !rought psychological and mystical readings, returning
madness and the Ghost to the forefront.
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&ot until the late @;th century did critics and
performers !egin to $iew Hamlet as confusing and inconsistent. )efore then, he was either mad,
or not- either a hero, or not- with no in%!etweens.
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These de$elopments represented a
fundamental change in literary criticism, which came to focus more on character and less on plot.
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)y the @Hth century, 9omantic critics $alued Hamlet for its internal, indi$idual conflict
reflecting the strong contemporary emphasis on internal struggles and inner character in general.
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Then too, critics started to focus on Hamlets delay as a character trait, rather than a plot
de$ice.
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This focus on character and internal struggle continued into the BAth century, when
criticism !ranched in se$eral directions, discussed in conte*t and interpretation !elow.
Dramatic structure
Hamlet departed from contemporary dramatic con$ention in se$eral ways. 'or e*ample, in
3hakespeares day, plays were usually e*pected to follow the ad$ice of #ristotle in his %oeti)s?
that a drama should focus on action, not character. ,n Hamlet, 3hakespeare re$erses this so that it
is through the solilo7uies, not the action, that the audience learns Hamlets moti$es and thoughts.
The play is full of seeming discontinuities and irregularities of action, e*cept in the .!ad. 7uarto.
#t one point, as in the Gra$edigger scene,
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Hamlet seems resol$ed to kill "laudius? in the ne*t
scene, howe$er, when "laudius appears, he is suddenly tame. 3cholars still de!ate whether these
twists are mistakes or intentional additions to add to the plays theme of confusion and duality.
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'inally, in a period when most plays ran for two hours or so, the full te*t of Hamlet8
3hakespeares longest play, with D,ADB lines, totalling BH,EE@ words8takes o$er four hours to
deli$er.
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($en today the play is rarely performed in its entirety, and has only once !een
dramati:ed on film completely, with Kenneth )rannaghs @HHG $ersion. Hamlet also contains a
fa$ourite 3hakespearean de$ice, a play within the play.
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Language
+uch of the plays language is courtly? ela!orate, witty discourse, as recommended !y )aldassare
"astigliones @EB; eti7uette guide, The "ourtier. This work specifically ad$ises royal retainers to
amuse their masters with in$enti$e language. 2sric and Polonius, especially, seem to respect this
in=unction. "laudiuss speech is rich with rhetorical figures8as is Hamlets and, at times,
2phelias8while the language of Horatio, the guards, and the gra$ediggers is simpler. "laudiuss
high status is reinforced !y using the royal first person plural /.we. or .us.0, and anaphora mi*ed
with metaphor to resonate with Greek political speeches.
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Hamlet is the most skilled of all at rhetoric. He uses highly de$eloped metaphors, stichomythia,
and in nine memora!le words deploys !oth anaphora and asyndeton? .to die? to sleep8 K To
sleep, perchance to dream..
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,n contrast, when occasion demands, he is precise and
straightforward, as when he e*plains his inward emotion to his mother? .)ut , ha$e that within
which passes show, K These !ut the trappings and the suits of woe..
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#t times, he relies hea$ily
on puns to e*press his true thoughts while simultaneously concealing them.
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His .nunnery.
remarks
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to 2phelia are an e*ample of a cruel dou!le meaning as nunnery was (li:a!ethan
slang for brothel.
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His $ery first words in the play are a pun- when "laudius addresses him as
.my cousin Hamlet, and my son., Hamlet says as an aside? .# little more than kin, and less than
kind..
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#n unusual rhetorical de$ice, hendiadys, appears in se$eral places in the play. (*amples are
found in 2phelias speech at the end of the nunnery scene? .The'pe)tan)y and rose of the fair
state.- .#nd ,, of ladies most de*e)t and !ret)hed..
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+any scholars ha$e found it odd that
3hakespeare would, seemingly ar!itrarily, use this rhetorical form throughout the play. 2ne
e*planation may !e that Hamlet was written later in 3hakespeares life, when he was adept at
matching rhetorical de$ices to characters and the plot. 1inguist George T. Wright suggests that
hendiadys had !een used deli!erately to heighten the plays sense of duality and dislocation.
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Pauline Kiernan argues that 3hakespeare changed (nglish drama fore$er in Hamlet !ecause he
.showed how a characters language can often !e saying se$eral things at once, and contradictory
meanings at that, to reflect fragmented thoughts and distur!ed feelings.. 3he gi$es the e*ample of
Hamlets ad$ice to 2phelia, .get thee to a nunnery., which is simultaneously a reference to a
place of chastity and a slang term for a !rothel, reflecting Hamlets confused feelings a!out
female se*uality.
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Hamlets solilo7uies ha$e also captured the attention of scholars - Hamlet interrupts himself,
$ocalising either disgust or agreement with himself, and em!ellishing his own words. He has
difficulty e*pressing himself directly and instead !lunts the thrust of his thought with wordplay. ,t
is not until late in the play, after his e*perience with the pirates, that Hamlet is a!le to articulate
his feelings freely.
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Context and interpretation
Religious
Written at a time of religious uphea$al, and in the wake of the (nglish 9eformation, the play is
alternately "atholic /or piously medie$al0 and Protestant /or consciously modern0. The Ghost
descri!es himself as !eing in purgatory, and as dying without last rites. This and 2phelias !urial
ceremony, which is characteristically "atholic, make up most of the plays "atholic connections.
3ome scholars ha$e o!ser$ed that re$enge tragedies come from traditionally "atholic countries,
such as 3pain and ,taly- and they present a contradiction, since according to "atholic doctrine the
strongest duty is to God and family. Hamlets conundrum, then, is whether to a$enge his father
and kill "laudius, or to lea$e the $engeance to God, as his religion re7uires.
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+uch of the plays Protestantism deri$es from its location in Denmark8then and now a
predominantly Protestant country, though it is unclear whether the fictional Denmark of the play
is intended to mirror this fact. The play does mention Witten!erg, where Hamlet, Horatio, and
9osencrant: and Guildenstern attend uni$ersity, and where +artin 1uther first nailed up his HE
theses in @E@5, effecti$ely ushering in the Protestant 9eformation.
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,n 3hakespeares day
Denmark, as the ma=ority of 3candina$ia, was 1utheran.
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When Hamlet speaks of the .special
pro$idence in the fall of a sparrow.,
4G;6
he reflects the Protestant !elief that the will of God8
Di$ine Pro$idence8controls e$en the smallest e$ent. ,n Q@, the first sentence of the same
section reads? .Theres a predestinate pro$idence in the fall of a sparrow,.
4GH6
which suggests an
e$en stronger Protestant connection through Iohn "al$ins doctrine of predestination. 3cholars
speculate that Hamlet may ha$e !een censored, as .predestined. appears only in this 7uarto.
45A6
hilosophical
Hamlet is often percei$ed as a philosophical character, e*pounding ideas that are now descri!ed
as relati$ist, e*istentialist, and sceptical. 'or e*ample, he e*presses a relati$istic idea when he
says to 9osencrant:? .there is nothing either good or !ad, !ut thinking makes it so..
45@6
The idea
that nothing is real e*cept in the mind of the indi$idual finds its roots in the Greek 3ophists, who
argued that since nothing can !e percei$ed e*cept through the senses8and since all indi$iduals
sense, and therefore percei$e, things differently8there is no a!solute truth, only relati$e truth.
45B6

The clearest e*ample of e*istentialism is found in the .to !e, or not to !e.
45C6
speech, where
Hamlet uses .!eing. to allude to !oth life and action, and .not !eing. to death and inaction.
Hamlets contemplation of suicide in this scene, howe$er, is less philosophical than religious as
he !elie$es that he will continue to e*ist after death.
45D6
3cholars agree that Hamlet reflects the contemporary scepticism that pre$ailed in 9enaissance
humanism.
45E6
Prior to 3hakespeares time, humanists had argued that man was Gods greatest
creation, made in Gods image and a!le to choose his own nature, !ut this $iew was challenged,
nota!ly in +ichel de +ontaignes +ssais of @EHA. Hamlets .What a piece of work is a man.
echoes many of +ontaignes ideas, !ut scholars disagree whether 3hakespeare drew directly from
+ontaigne or whether !oth men were simply reacting similarly to the spirit of the times.
45G6
olitical
,n the early @5th century political satire was discouraged, and playwrights were punished for
.offensi$e. works. ,n @EH5, )en Ionson was =ailed for his participation in the play The ,sle of
Dogs.
4556
Thomas +iddleton was imprisoned in @GBD, and his A Game at "hess was !anned after
nine performances.
45;6
&umerous scholars !elie$e that Hamlet#s Polonius poked fun at the safely
deceased William "ecil /1ord )urghley081ord High Treasurer and chief counsellor to Queen
(li:a!eth ,
45H6
8as numerous parallels can !e found. Poloniuss role as elder statesman is similar
to the role )urghley en=oyed-
4;A6
Poloniuss ad$ice to 1aertes may echo )urghleys to his son
9o!ert "ecil-
4;@6
and Poloniuss tedious $er!osity may resem!le )urghleys.
4;B6
#lso, ."oram!is.,
/Poloniuss name in Q@0 resonates with the 1atin for .dou!le%hearted.8which may satirise 1ord
)urghleys 1atin motto "or unum- .ia una /.2ne heart, one way.0.
4;C6
1astly, the relationship of
Poloniuss daughter 2phelia with Hamlet may !e compared to the relationship of )urghleys
daughter, #nne "ecil, with the (arl of 2*ford, (dward de Jere.
4;D6
These arguments are also
offered in support of the 3hakespeare authorship claims for the (arl of 2*ford.
4;E6
&e$ertheless
3hakespeare escaped censure- and far from !eing suppressed, Hamlet was gi$en the royal
imprimatur, as the kings coat of arms on the frontispiece of the @GAD Hamlet attests.
4;G6
sychoanalytic
,n the first half of the BAth century, when psychoanalysis was at the height of its influence, its
concepts were applied to Hamlet, nota!ly !y 3igmund 'reud, (rnest Iones, and Iac7ues 1acan,
and these studies influenced theatrical productions.
,n his The ,nterpretation of Dreams /@HAA0, 'reuds analysis starts from the premise that .the play
is !uilt up on Hamlets hesitations o$er fulfilling the task of re$enge that is assigned to him- !ut
its te*t offers no reasons or moti$es for these hesitations..
4;56
#fter re$iewing $arious literary
theories, 'reud concludes that Hamlet has an .2edipal desire for his mother and the su!se7uent
guilt 4is6 pre$enting him from murdering the man 4"laudius6 who has done what he
unconsciously wanted to do..
4;;6
"onfronted with his repressed desires, Hamlet realises that .he
himself is literally no !etter than the sinner whom he is to punish..
4;56
'reud suggests that
Hamlets apparent .distaste for se*uality.8articulated in his .nunnery. con$ersation with
2phelia8accords with this interpretation.
4;H64HA6
Iohn )arrymore introduced 'reudian o$ertones
into his landmark @HBB production in &ew >ork, which ran for a record%!reaking @A@ nights.
,n the @HDAs, (rnest Iones8a psychoanalyst and 'reuds !iographer8de$eloped 'reuds ideas
into a series of essays that culminated in his !ook Hamlet and /edipus /@HDH0. ,nfluenced !y
Ioness psychoanalytic approach, se$eral productions ha$e portrayed the .closet scene.,
4H@6
where
Hamlet confronts his mother in her pri$ate 7uarters, in a se*ual light. ,n this reading, Hamlet is
disgusted !y his mothers .incestuous. relationship with "laudius while simultaneously fearful of
killing him, as this would clear Hamlets path to his mothers !ed. 2phelias madness after her
fathers death may also !e read through the 'reudian lens? as a reaction to the death of her hoped%
for lo$er, her father. 3he is o$erwhelmed !y ha$ing her unfulfilled lo$e for him so a!ruptly
terminated and drifts into the o!li$ion of insanity.
4HB6
,n @HC5, Tyrone Guthrie directed 1aurence
2li$ier in a Iones%inspired Hamlet at the 2ld Jic.
4HC6
2li$ier later used some of these same ideas
in his @HD; film $ersion of the play.
,n the @HEAs, 1acans structuralist theories a!out Hamlet were first presented in a series of
seminars gi$en in Paris and later pu!lished in .Desire and the ,nterpretation of Desire in Hamlet..
1acan postulated that the human psyche is determined !y structures of language and that the
linguistic structures of Hamlet shed light on human desire.
4;;6
His point of departure is 'reuds
2edipal theories, and the central theme of mourning that runs through Hamlet.
4;;6
,n 1acans
analysis, Hamlet unconsciously assumes the role of phallus8the cause of his inaction8and is
increasingly distanced from reality .!y mourning, fantasy, narcissism and psychosis., which
create holes /or lack /man7ue00 in the real, imaginary, and sym!olic aspects of his psyche.
4;;6

1acans theories influenced literary criticism of Hamlet !ecause of his alternati$e $ision of the
play and his use of semantics to e*plore the plays psychological landscape.
4;;6
Feminist
,n the BAth century feminist critics opened up new approaches to Gertrude and 2phelia. &ew
Historicist and cultural materialist critics e*amined the play in its historical conte*t, attempting to
piece together its original cultural en$ironment.
4HE6
They focused on the gender system of early
modern (ngland, pointing to the common trinity of maid- !ife- or !ido!, with !hores alone
outside of the stereotype. ,n this analysis, the essence of Hamlet is the central characters changed
perception of his mother as a whore !ecause of her failure to remain faithful to 2ld Hamlet. ,n
conse7uence, Hamlet loses his faith in all women, treating 2phelia as if she too were a whore and
dishonest with Hamlet. 2phelia, !y some critics, can !e honest and fair- howe$er, it is $irtually
impossi!le to link these two traits, since fairness is an outward trait, while honesty is an inward
trait.
4HG6
"arolyn Heil!runs @HE5 essay .Hamlets +other. defends Gertrude, arguing that the te*t ne$er
hints that Gertrude knew of "laudius poisoning King Hamlet. This analysis has !een championed
!y many feminist critics. Heil!run argued that men ha$e for centuries completely misinterpreted
Gertrude, accepting at face $alue Hamlets $iew of her instead of following the actual te*t of the
play. )y this account, no clear e$idence suggests that Gertrude is an adulteress? she is merely
adapting to the circumstances of her hus!ands death for the good of the kingdom.
4H56
2phelia has also !een defended !y feminist critics, most nota!ly (laine 3howalter.
4H;6
2phelia is
surrounded !y powerful men? her father, !rother, and Hamlet. #ll three disappear? 1aertes lea$es,
Hamlet a!andons her, and Polonius dies. "on$entional theories had argued that without these
three powerful men making decisions for her, 2phelia is dri$en into madness.
4HH6
'eminist
theorists argue that she goes mad with guilt !ecause, when Hamlet kills her father, he has fulfilled
her se*ual desire to ha$e Hamlet kill her father so they can !e together. 3howalter points out that
2phelia has !ecome the sym!ol of the distraught and hysterical woman in modern culture.
4@AA6
!n"luence
See also 0iterary influen)e of Hamlet
Hamlet is one of the most 7uoted works in the (nglish language, and is often included on lists of
the worlds greatest literature.
4@A@6
#s such, it re$er!erates through the writing of later centuries.
#cademic 1aurie 2s!orne identifies the direct influence of Hamlet in numerous modern
narrati$es, and di$ides them into four main categories? fictional accounts of the plays
composition, simplifications of the story for young readers, stories e*panding the role of one or
more characters, and narrati$es featuring performances of the play.
4@AB6
Henry 'ieldings Tom $ones, pu!lished a!out @5DH, descri!es a $isit to Hamlet !y Tom Iones and
+r Partridge, with similarities to the .play within a play..
4@AC6
,n contrast, Goethes
)ildungsroman &ilhelm 1eister#s Apprenti)eship, written !etween @55G and @5HG, not only has a
production of Hamlet at its core !ut also creates parallels !etween the Ghost and Wilhelm
+eisters dead father.
4@AC6
,n the early @;EAs, in %ierre, Herman +el$ille focuses on a Hamlet%like
characters long de$elopment as a writer.
4@AC6
Ten years later, Dickenss Great +'pe)tations
contains many Hamlet%like plot elements? it is dri$en !y re$enge%moti$ated actions, contains
ghost%like characters /#!el +agwich and +iss Ha$isham0, and focuses on the heros guilt.
4@AC6

#cademic #le*ander Welsh notes that Great +'pe)tations is an .auto!iographical no$el. and
.anticipates psychoanalytic readings of Hamlet itself..
4@AD6
#!out the same time, George (liots
The 1ill on the 2loss was pu!lished, introducing +aggie Tulli$er .who is e*plicitly compared
with Hamlet.
4@AE6
though .with a reputation for sanity..
4@AG6
The "ount of 1onte "risto !y
#le*andre Dumas, pNre makes mention of Hamlet numerous times and deals with the same
re$enge theme.
,n the @HBAs, Iames Ioyce managed .a more up!eat $ersion. of Hamlet8stripped of o!session
and re$enge8in Ulysses, though its main parallels are with Homers /dyssey.
4@AC6
,n the @HHAs,
two women no$elists were e*plicitly influenced !y Hamlet. ,n #ngela "arters &ise "hildren, To
be or not to be
4@A56
is reworked as a song and dance routine, and ,ris +urdochs The 3la)k %rin)e
has 2edipal themes and murder intertwined with a lo$e affair !etween a Hamlet%o!sessed writer,
)radley Pearson, and the daughter of his ri$al.
4@AE6
er"ormance history
+ain articles? Hamlet in performance and 3hakespeare in performance
Sha#espeare$s day to the !nterregnum
3hakespeare almost certainly wrote the role of Hamlet for 9ichard )ur!age. He was the chief
tragedian of the 1ord "ham!erlains +en, with a capacious memory for lines and a wide
emotional range.
4E6
Iudging !y the num!er of reprints, Hamlet appears to ha$e !een 3hakespeares
fourth most popular play during his lifetime8only Henry ,V %art 4, 5i)hard ,,, and %eri)les
eclipsed it.
4B6
3hakespeare pro$ides no clear indication of when his play is set- howe$er, as
(li:a!ethan actors performed at the Glo!e in contemporary dress on minimal sets, this would not
ha$e affected the staging.
4@A;6
'irm e$idence for specific early performances of the play is scant. What is known is that the crew
of the ship 5ed Dragon, anchored off 3ierra 1eone, performed Hamlet in 3eptem!er @GA5-
4@AH6

that the play toured in Germany within fi$e years of 3hakespeares death-
4@@A6
and that it was
performed !efore Iames , in @G@H and "harles , in @GC5.
4@@@6
2*ford editor George Hi!!ard argues
that, since the contemporary literature contains many allusions and references to Hamlet /only
'alstaff is mentioned more, from 3hakespeare0, the play was surely performed with a fre7uency
that the historical record misses.
4@@B6
#ll theatres were closed down !y the Puritan go$ernment during the ,nterregnum.
4@@C6
($en during
this time, howe$er, playlets known as drolls were often performed illegally, including one called
The Gra.e-1akers !ased on #ct E, 3cene @ of Hamlet.
4@@D6
Restoration and 1%th century
The play was re$i$ed early in the 9estoration. When the e*isting stock of pre%ci$il war plays was
di$ided !etween the two newly created patent theatre companies, Hamlet was the only
3hakespearean fa$ourite that 3ir William Da$enants Dukes "ompany secured.
4@@E6
,t !ecame the
first of 3hakespeares plays to !e presented with mo$a!le flats painted with generic scenery
!ehind the proscenium arch of 1incolns ,nn 'ields Theatre.
4@@G6
This new stage con$ention
highlighted the fre7uency with which 3hakespeare shifts dramatic location, encouraging the
recurrent criticisms of his $iolation of the neoclassical principle of maintaining a unity of place.
4@@56
Da$enant cast Thomas )etterton in the eponymous role, and he continued to play the Dane
until he was 5D.
4@@;6
Da$id Garrick at Drury 1ane produced a $ersion that adapted 3hakespeare
hea$ily- he declared? ., had sworn , would not lea$e the stage till , had rescued that no!le play
from all the ru!!ish of the fifth act. , ha$e !rought it forth without the gra$e%diggers trick,
2srick, O the fencing match..
4@@H6
The first actor known to ha$e played Hamlet in &orth #merica
is 1ewis Hallam. Ir., in the #merican "ompanys production in Philadelphia in @5EH.
4@BA6
Iohn Philip Kem!le made his Drury 1ane de!ut as Hamlet in @5;C.
4@B@6
His performance was said
to !e BA minutes longer than anyone elses, and his lengthy pauses pro$oked the suggestion that
.music should !e played !etween the words..
4@BB6
3arah 3iddons was the first actress known to
play Hamlet- many women ha$e since played him as a !reeches role, to great acclaim.
4@BC6
,n
@5D;, #le*ander 3umaroko$ wrote a 9ussian adaptation that focused on Prince Hamlet as the
em!odiment of an opposition to "laudiuss tyranny8a treatment that would recur in (astern
(uropean $ersions into the BAth century.
4@BD6
,n the years following #mericas independence,
Thomas #!thorpe "ooper, the young nations leading tragedian, performed Hamlet among other
plays at the "hestnut 3treet Theatre in Philadelphia, and at the Park Theatre in &ew >ork.
#lthough chided for .acknowledging ac7uaintances in the audience. and .inade7uate
memorisation of his lines., he !ecame a national cele!rity.
4@BE6
1&th century
'rom around @;@A to @;DA, the !est%known 3hakespearean performances in the <nited 3tates
were tours !y leading 1ondon actors8including George 'rederick "ooke, Iunius )rutus )ooth,
(dmund Kean, William "harles +acready, and "harles Kem!le. 2f these, )ooth remained to
make his career in the 3tates, fathering the nations most notorious actor, Iohn Wilkes )ooth /who
later assassinated #!raham 1incoln0, and its most famous Hamlet, (dwin )ooth.
4@BG6
(dwin
)ooths Hamlet was descri!ed as .like the dark, mad, dreamy, mysterious hero of a poem ...
4acted6 in an ideal manner, as far remo$ed as possi!le from the plane of actual life..
4@B56
)ooth
played Hamlet for @AA nights in the @;GDKE season at The Winter Garden Theatre, inaugurating
the era of long%run 3hakespeare in #merica.
4@B;6
,n the <nited Kingdom, the actor%managers of the Jictorian era /including Kean, 3amuel Phelps,
+acready, and Henry ,r$ing0 staged 3hakespeare in a grand manner, with ela!orate scenery and
costumes.
4@BH6
The tendency of actor%managers to emphasise the importance of their own central
character did not always meet with the critics appro$al. George )ernard 3haws praise for
Iohnston 'or!es%9o!ertsons performance contains a sideswipe at ,r$ing? .The story of the play
was perfectly intelligi!le, and 7uite took the attention of the audience off the principal actor at
moments. What is the 1yceum coming toM.
4@CA6
,n 1ondon, (dmund Kean was the first Hamlet to a!andon the regal finery usually associated
with the role in fa$our of a plain costume, and he is said to ha$e surprised his audience !y
playing Hamlet as serious and introspecti$e.
4@C@6
,n stark contrast to earlier opulence, William
Poels @;;@ production of the Q@ te*t was an early attempt at reconstructing the (li:a!ethan
theatres austerity- his only !ackdrop was a set of red curtains.
4@CB6
3arah )ernhardt played the
prince in her popular @;HH 1ondon production. ,n contrast to the .effeminate. $iew of the central
character that usually accompanied a female casting, she descri!ed her character as .manly and
resolute, !ut nonetheless thoughtful ... 4he6 thinks !efore he acts, a trait indicati$e of great
strength and great spiritual power..
4@CC6
,n 'rance, "harles Kem!le initiated an enthusiasm for 3hakespeare- and leading mem!ers of the
9omantic mo$ement such as Jictor Hugo and #le*andre Dumas saw his @;B5 Paris performance
of Hamlet, particularly admiring the madness of Harriet 3mithsons 2phelia.
4@CD6
,n Germany,
Hamlet had !ecome so assimilated !y the mid%@Hth century that 'erdinand 'reiligrath declared
that .Germany is Hamlet..
4@CE6
'rom the @;EAs, the Parsi theatre tradition in ,ndia transformed
Hamlet into folk performances, with do:ens of songs added.
4@CG6
2'th century
#part from some western troupes @Hth%century $isits, the first professional performance of
Hamlet in Iapan was 2to=iro Kawakamis @HAC Shimpa /.new school theatre.0 adaptation.
4@C56

3hoyo Tsu!ouchi translated Hamlet and produced a performance in @H@@ that !lended Shingeki
/.new drama.0 and Kabuki styles.
4@C56
This hy!rid%genre reached its peak in 'ukuda Tsunearis
@HEE Hamlet.
4@C56
,n @HH;, >ukio &inagawa produced an acclaimed $ersion of Hamlet in the style
of &P theatre, which he took to 1ondon.
4@C;6
"onstantin 3tanisla$ski and (dward Gordon "raig8two of the BAth centurys most influential
theatre practitioners8colla!orated on the +oscow #rt Theatres seminal production of @H@@L@B.
4@CH6
While "raig fa$oured stylised a!straction, 3tanisla$ski, armed with his .system., e*plored
psychological moti$ation.
4@DA6
"raig concei$ed of the play as a sym!olist monodrama, offering a
dream%like $ision as seen through Hamlets eyes alone.
4@D@6
This was most e$ident in the staging of
the first court scene.
4@DB64@DC6
The most famous aspect of the production is "raigs use of large,
a!stract screens that altered the si:e and shape of the acting area for each scene, representing the
characters state of mind spatially or $isualising a dramaturgical progression.
4@DD6
The production
attracted enthusiastic and unprecedented worldwide attention for the theatre and placed it .on the
cultural map for Western (urope..
4@DE6
Hamlet is often played with contemporary political o$ertones. 1eopold Iessners @HBG production
at the )erlin 3taatstheater portrayed "laudiuss court as a parody of the corrupt and fawning court
of Kaiser Wilhelm.
4@DG6
,n Poland, the num!er of productions of Hamlet has tended to increase at
times of political unrest, since its political themes /suspected crimes, coups, sur$eillance0 can !e
used to comment on a contemporary situation.
4@D56
3imilarly, ":ech directors ha$e used the play at
times of occupation? a @HD@ Jinohrady Theatre production .emphasised, with due caution, the
helpless situation of an intellectual attempting to endure in a ruthless en$ironment..
4@D;6
,n "hina,
performances of Hamlet often ha$e political significance? Gu Wuweis @H@G The Usurper of State
%o!er, an amalgam of Hamlet and 1a)beth, was an attack on >uan 3hikais attempt to o$erthrow
the repu!lic.
4@DH6
,n @HDB, Iiao Iuyin directed the play in a "onfucian temple in 3ichuan Pro$ince,
to which the go$ernment had retreated from the ad$ancing Iapanese.
4@DH6
,n the immediate
aftermath of the collapse of the protests at Tiananmen 37uare, 1in Qhaohua staged a @HHA
Hamlet in which the prince was an ordinary indi$idual tortured !y a loss of meaning. ,n this
production, the actors playing Hamlet, "laudius and Polonius e*changed roles at crucial
moments in the performance, including the moment of "laudiuss death, at which point the actor
mainly associated with Hamlet fell to the ground.
4@DH6
&ota!le stagings in 1ondon and &ew >ork include )arrymores @HBE production at the
Haymarket- it influenced su!se7uent performances !y Iohn Gielgud and 1aurence 2li$ier.
4@EA6

Gielgud played the central role many times? his @HCG &ew >ork production ran for @CG
performances, leading to the accolade that he was .the finest interpreter of the role since
)arrymore..
4@E@6
#lthough .posterity has treated +aurice ($ans less kindly., throughout the @HCAs
and @HDAs he was regarded !y many as the leading interpreter of 3hakespeare in the <nited 3tates
and in the @HC;KH season he presented )roadways first uncut Hamlet, running four and a half
hours.
4@EB6
2li$iers @HC5 performance at the 2ld Jic Theatre was popular with audiences !ut not
with critics, with Iames #gate writing in a famous re$iew in The Sunday Times- .+r. 2li$ier does
not speak poetry !adly. He does not speak it at all..
4@EC6
. ,n @HC5 Tyrone Guthrie directed the play
at (lsinore, Denmark with 1aurence 2li$ier as Hamlet and Ji$ien 1eigh as 2phelia.
,n @HGC, 2li$ier directed Peter 2Toole as Hamlet in the inaugural performance of the newly
formed &ational Theatre- critics found resonance !etween 2Tooles Hamlet and Iohn 2s!ornes
hero, Iimmy Porter, from 0ook 3a)k in Anger.
4@ED6
9ichard )urton recei$ed his third Tony #ward nomination when he played his second Hamlet, his
first under Iohn Gielguds direction, in @HGD in a production that holds the record for the longest
run of the play in )roadway history /@CG performances0. The performance was set on a !are
stage, concei$ed to appear like a dress rehearsal, with )urton in a !lack $%neck sweater, and
Gielgud himself tape%recorded the $oice for the Ghost /which appeared as a looming shadow0. ,t
was immortali:ed !oth on record and on a film that played in <3 theatres for a week in @HGD as
well as !eing the su!=ect of !ooks written !y cast mem!ers William 9edfield and 9ichard 1.
3terne. 2ther &ew >ork portrayals of Hamlet of note include that of 9alph 'ienness in @HHE /for
which he won the Tony #ward for )est #ctor0 L which ran, from first pre$iew to closing night, a
total of one hundred performances. #!out the 'iennes Hamlet Jincent "an!y wrote in The e!
6ork Times that it was ....not one for literary sleuths and 3hakespeare scholars. ,t respects the
play, !ut it doesnt pro$ide any new material for arcane de!ates on what it all means. ,nstead its
an intelligent, !eautifully read....
4@EE6
3tacy Keach played the role with an all%star cast at Ioseph
Papps Delacorte Theatre in the early 5As, with "olleen Dewhursts Gertrude, Iames (arl Ioness
King, )arnard Hughess Polonius, 3am Waterstons 1aertes and 9aul Iulias 2sric. 3am Waterston
later played the role himself at the Delacorte for the &ew >ork 3hakespeare 'esti$al, and the
show transferred to the Ji$ian )eaumont Theatre in @H5E /3tephen 1ang played )ernardo and
other roles0. 3tephen 1angs Hamlet for the 9ounda!out Theatre "ompany in @HHB recei$ed
positi$e re$iews, and ran for si*ty%one performances. Da$id Warner played the role with the
9oyal 3hakespeare Theatre in @HGE. William Hurt /at "ircle 9ep 2ff%)roadway, memora!ly
performing .To )e 2r &ot to )e. while lying on the floor0, Iohn Joight at 9utgers, and
"hristopher Walken /fiercely0 at 3tratford "T ha$e all played the role, as has Diane Jenora at the
Pu!lic Theatre. 2ff )roadway, the 9i$erside 3hakespeare "ompany mounted an uncut first folio
Hamlet in @H5; at "olum!ia <ni$ersity, with a playing time of under three hours.
4@EG6
,n fact,
Hamlet is the most produced 3hakespeare play in &ew >ork theatre history, with si*ty%four
recorded productions on )roadway, and an untold num!er 2ff )roadway.
4@E56
,an "harleson performed Hamlet from H 2cto!er to @C &o$em!er @H;H, in 9ichard (yres
production at the 2li$ier Theatre, replacing Daniel Day%1ewis, who had a!andoned the
production. 3eriously ill from #,D3 at the time, "harleson died eight weeks after his last
performance. 'ellow actor and friend, 3ir ,an +cKellen, said that "harleson played Hamlet so
well it was as if he had rehearsed the role all his life,
4@E;6
and the performance garnered other
ma=or accolades as well, some e$en calling it the definiti$e Hamlet performance.
4@EH6
21st century
,n +ay BAAH, Hamlet opened with Iude 1aw in the title role at the Donmar Warehouse West (nd
season at Wyndhams. He was =oined !y 9on "ook, Peter (yre, Gwilym 1ee, Iohn +ac+illan,
Ke$in 9 +c&ally, Gugu +!atha%9aw, +att 9yan, #le* Waldmann and Penelope Wilton. The
production officially opened on C Iune and ran through BB #ugust BAAH.
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# further
production of the play ran at (lsinore "astle in Denmark from BELCA #ugust BAAH.
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The Iude
1aw Hamlet then mo$ed to )roadway, and will run for twel$e weeks at the )roadhurst Theatre in
&ew >ork. Pre$iews !egan on @B 3eptem!er and the official opening was G 2cto!er BAAH.
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+ost of the original cast mo$ed with the production to &ew >ork. There were some changes,
already incorporated in (lsinore? new were 9oss #rmstrong, Geraldine Iames and +ichael
Hadley.
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The )roadway cast with 1aw also includes Harry #ttwell, ,an Drysdale, Ienny
'unnell, "olin Haigh, Iames 1e 'eu$re, Henry Pettigrew, +att 9yan, #lan Turkington and 'aye
Winter.