Difference between revisions of "Hamlet" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:Hamlet quarto 3rd.jpg|thumb|250px|The third [[quarto]] of ''Hamlet'' (1605); a straight reprint of the 2nd quarto (1604)]]
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[[Image:Eugène Ferdinand Victor Delacroix 018.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Hamlet and Horatio in the cemetery'' by [[Eugène Delacroix]]]]
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'''''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark''''' is a [[tragedy]] by [[William Shakespeare]] and is one of his best-known and most-quoted plays.
 
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''Hamlet'' is probably the most popular of Shakespeare's plays, judging by the number of productions.<ref>It tops the list at the Royal Shakespeare since 1879 (Crystal, 2005, p.66), which is suggestive.</ref> The plot of Hamlet is immensely well received: it is an exciting [[revenge tragedy]] of [[fratricide]], [[murder]], [[existentialism|existientialist]] self-questioning and [[ghost]]ly intervention. Moreover, Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play<ref>Crystal (2005), p. 139</ref>, and the part of the [[Prince Hamlet|Prince]] is by far the biggest role in any of them.<ref>Crystal (2005) p.99</ref>
 
  
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==Sources==
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{{otheruses}}
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[[Image:Eugène Ferdinand Victor Delacroix 018.jpg|thumb|left|''Hamlet and Horatio in the cemetery'' by [[Eugène Ferdinand Victor Delacroix]]]]
 
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The story of the Danish Prince "Amleth", who plots revenge on his uncle, the current king, for killing his father, the former king, is an old one based on legend. Many of the story elements &mdash; Hamlet's feigned madness, his mother's hasty marriage to the usurper, the testing of the prince's madness with a young woman, the prince talking to his mother and killing a hidden spy, the prince being sent to England with two retainers and substituting for the letter requesting his execution one requesting theirs &mdash; are already here in this medieval tale, recorded by Saxo Grammaticus in his ''Gesta Danorum'' around 1200. A reasonably accurate version of Saxo was rendered into French in 1570 by François de Belleforest in his ''Histoires Tragiques''.<ref>Edwards, pp. 1-2</ref>
 
  
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Shakespeare's main source, however, is believed to be an earlier play &mdash; now lost (and possibly by [[Thomas Kyd]]) &mdash; known as the ''Ur-Hamlet''. This earlier Hamlet play was in performance by 1589, and seems to have introduced a ghost for the first time into the story.<ref>Jenkins, pp. 82-5</ref> Scholars are unable to assert with any confidence how much Shakespeare took from this play, how much from other contemporary sources (such as Kyd's ''The Spanish Tragedy''), and how much from Belleforest (possibly something) or Saxo (probably nothing). But certainly, Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' has elements that the medieval version does not: the secrecy of the murder, a ghost that urges revenge, the "other sons" Laertes and Fortinbras, the testing of the king via the play within the play, and the mutually fatal nature of Hamlet's (nearly incidental) "revenge".<ref>Edwards, p.2</ref><ref>see Jenkins, pp. 82-122 for a complex discussion of all sorts of possible influences that found their way into the play.</ref>
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'''''Hamlet: Prince of Denmark''''' is a [[tragedy]] by [[William Shakespeare]].  It is one of his best-known works, and also one of the most-quoted writings in the English language.<ref> ''Hamlet'' has 208 quotations in the ''[[Oxford Dictionary of Quotations]]''; it takes up 10 of 85 pages dedicated to Shakespeare in the 1986 ''[[Bartlett|Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (14th ed. 1968)]]''</ref> ''Hamlet'' has been called "Shakespeare's greatest play"<ref>E.g. Professor James Shapiro, author of ''1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare''</ref> and it is universally included on lists of the world's greatest books.<ref> E.g. [[Harvard Classics]], [[Great Books]], [[Great Books of the Western World]], [[Harold Bloom]]'s [[The Western Canon]], [[St. John's College, U.S.#The Great Books|St. John's College reading list]], [[Core Curriculum|Columbia College Core Curriculum]].</ref>  It is also one of the most popular of Shakespeare's plays, judging by the number of productions; for example, it has topped the list at the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] since [[1879]].<ref>(Crystal, 2005, p.66)</ref> With 4,042 lines and 29,551 words, ''Hamlet'' is also the longest Shakespeare play.<ref>based on the first edition of The Riverside Shakespeare (1974)</ref> ''Hamlet'' is a tragedy of the "revenge" genre, in which the title character, and two other characters as well, seek revenge for their fathers' deaths.  It incorporates other major human themes, including love, justice, good and evil, and most notably, madness.
  
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==Text==
 
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The evidence suggests that it was complete and being performed by 1600, but had some topical references added (which still survive) the following year.<ref>Jenkins, pp. 1-6; the topical material concerned the "war of the theatres" and — possibly — the Essex rebellion in early 1601 ("the late innovation")</ref> There are three extant texts of ''Hamlet'' from the early 1600s: two quarto editions, and one from the first folio.
 
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[[Image:To be or not to be (Q1).jpg|thumb|right|300px|The first quarto's rendering of the 'To be or not to be' speech]]
 
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The text of the play we know today was essentially bequeathed to us in 1733 by Lewis Theobold, one of the first editors of Shakespeare. He combined the material he had from the two earliest sources of ''Hamlet'' that he knew about, the quarto of 1604/5 and the First Folio of 1623. The quarto had some material the folio lacked, and vice-versa. Basically, his approach was to include everything, since he didn't want to lose any of Shakespeare's words. (Of course it was not that simple: he still had to make many editorial choices for all those passages that were in both versions but differed somewhat in each. Plus there was much that made no sense in either.) Theobold's knowledge of Shakespeare's reading and of Elizabethan English allowed him to produce a version that became the standard for a very long time.<ref>Hibbard, pp. 22-3</ref> Certainly, the "full text" philosophy that he established has held to the current day. Modern editors do essentially the same thing Theobold did, also using, for the most part, the 1604/5 quarto and the 1623 folio. However, in 1823<ref>Jenkins, p.14</ref> there was discovered another quarto publication of the play — the "bad" quarto — that was obviously corrupt as compared to the known 1605 quarto and 1623 folio versions, with garbled passages and mixed-up and missing scenes. It was drastically shorter than either of the other two and was published in 1603 — a year before the "good" quarto. Thus, the Good Quarto of 1604/5 is now called "Q2" and the Bad Quarto of 1603 is "Q1".
 
  
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Publication date does not, however, indicate priority — Q1 was not an earlier version of a play that was then revised and bulked-up for publication in 1604. Rather, ''Hamlet'' (based on other evidence) had been written and in performance since 1600 or 1601 at the latest<ref>Jenkins, pp. 1-14</ref>, and James Roberts had entered its particulars into the Stationer's Register in 1602, either an intention to print or a blocking entry to keep others from doing so. It seems, though, that the 1603 version was pirated by an actor who had played Marcellus and Voltemand and reconstructed from memory the acting version he had actually played in, and then printed in defiance of Roberts. Its printing was not authorized, and the title page of the 1604/5 quarto (Q2) that was finally printed by Roberts refers disparagingly to this 1603 version.
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== Sources ==
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The story of the Danish Prince "Hamlet", who plots revenge on his uncle, the current king, for killing his father, the former king, is an old one. Many of the story elements, from Hamlet's feigned madness, his mother's hasty marriage to the usurper, the testing of the prince's madness with a young woman, the prince talking to his mother and killing a hidden spy, and the prince being sent to England with two retainers and substituting for the letter requesting his execution for one requesting theirs are already here in this medieval tale, recorded by [[Saxo Grammaticus]] in his ''Gesta Danorum'' around 1200. A reasonably accurate version of Saxo was rendered into French in 1570 by [[François de Belleforest]] in his ''Histoires Tragiques''.<ref>Edwards, pp. 1-2</ref>
  
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Bad as the Bad Quarto is, it does however give us, as through a glass darkly, a glimpse of how ''Hamlet'' was mounted in Shakespeare's day. Q2 and the Folio provide full-text rather than "acting" versions of the play. They are too long and their stage directions — in Q2 in particular, though still to some degree in the Folio — are insufficient. A performance text had to be short enough and precise enough about entrances, exits and stage business to provide a playable script to run through in two hours or so of an Elizabethan afternoon. If Q1 has any use, it is in showing us something of what was done rather than what was said. For while "Marcellus" failed often and egregiously to reproduce the wording of speeches, he was unlikely to forget whether Hamlet jumped into the grave to fight Laertes, or Laertes jumped out.
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Shakespeare's main source, however, is believed to be an earlier play&mdash;now lost (and possibly by [[Thomas Kyd]])&mdash;known as the ''Ur-Hamlet''. This earlier Hamlet play was in performance by 1589, and seems to have introduced a ghost for the first time into the story.<ref>Jenkins, pp. 82-5</ref> Scholars are unable to assert with any confidence how much Shakespeare took from this play, how much from other contemporary sources (such as Kyd's ''The Spanish Tragedy''), and how much from Belleforest (possibly something) or Saxo (probably nothing). In fact, popular scholar [[Harold Bloom]] has advanced the (as yet unpopular) notion that Shakespeare himself wrote the ''Ur-Hamlet'' as a form of early draft.<ref> Bloom advances this theory in both his major popular works on Shakespeare, ''Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human'' and ''Hamlet: Poem Unlimited''.</ref> No matter the sources, Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' has elements that the medieval version does not, such as the secrecy of the murder, a ghost that urges revenge, the "other sons" (Laertes and Fortinbras), the testing of the king via a play, and the mutually fatal nature of Hamlet's (nearly incidental) "revenge."<ref>Edwards, p.2</ref><ref>see Jenkins, pp. 82-122 for a complex discussion of all sorts of possible influences that found their way into the play.</ref>
  
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John Dover Wilson made an heroic study of Q2<ref>Wilson, 1934</ref> that started modern editors thinking more critically about its reliability. Today, while some use Q2 as the base text for the play while still (as is traditional) including any extra material from the First Folio text, there are others who assume that the First Folio ''Hamlet'', with its excisions and additions ''vis a vis'' Q2, is the more reliable, and that ''where Q2 disagrees with the Folio, Q2 is wrong.'' This implies a somewhat different play, especially in a few key areas. Hibbard and Edwards, for example, would leave out the "trust as I will adders fanged...hoist with his own petard" speech that Hamlet makes as he is leaving his mother's "closet". This speech ''is'' illogical — it contradicts Hamlet's later telling Horatio that he only learned of the king's treachery when he was on shipboard. But it is such a lovely — and famous! — little speech! Likewise, the "how all occasions do inform against me...my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth" soliloquy would have to go. In fact, the Folio Party would cut that scene (Act IV, scene iv) to a bare half-dozen lines, just to allow Fortinbras to march briefly through the play so the audience can be ready for him when he comes back at its end. [[Image:Hamlet play scene cropped.png|thumb|right|450px|A detail of the engraving of [[Daniel Maclise]]'s 1842 painting ''The Play-scene in Hamlet'', portraying the moment when the guilt of Claudius is revealed.]]
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==Date and Texts==
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This is another painful excision — of one of the most-loved speeches in literature. But it is quite possible that Shakespeare wanted it gone: it contributes nothing to the action and seems out of place as Hamlet is being hustled under guard out to a sea voyage.
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[[Image:Hamlet quarto 3rd.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The third [[quarto]] of ''Hamlet'' (1605); a straight reprint of the 2nd quarto (1604)]]
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''Hamlet'' was entered into the Register of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers on July 26, 1602. A so-called "bad" First Quarto (referred to as "Q1") was published in 1603, by the booksellers Nicholas Ling and John Trundell. Q1 contains just over half of the text of the later Second Quarto ("Q2") published in [[1604]] <ref>. Some copies of Q2 are dated 1605, possibly reflecting a second impression; so that Q2 is often dated "1604/5,"</ref> again by Nicholas Ling. Reprints of Q2 followed in 1611 (Q3) and 1637 (Q5); there was also an undated Q4 (possibly from 1622). The First Folio text (often referred to as "F1") appeared as part of Shakespeare's collected plays published in 1623. Q1, Q2, and F1 are the three elements in the textual problem of ''Hamlet'' (see '''Text''' below).
  
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==List of main characters==
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The play was revived early in the [[English Restoration|Restoration]] era; Sir [[William Davenant]] staged a 1661 production at Lincoln's Inn Fields. David Garrick mounted a version at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1772 that omitted the gravediggers and expanded his own leading role. William Poel staged a production of the Q1 text in 1881.<ref>Halliday,  p. 204.</ref>
  
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*'''Hamlet''', ''Prince of Denmark''
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There are three extant texts of ''Hamlet'' from the early 1600s: the "first quarto" ''Hamlet'' of 1603 (called '''Q1'''), the "second quarto" ''Hamlet'' of 1604/5 ('''Q2'''), and the ''Hamlet'' text within the First Folio of 1623 ('''F1'''). Later quartos and folios are considered derivative of these, so are of little interest in capturing Shakespeare's original text. Q1 itself has been viewed with scepticism, and in practice Q2 and F1 are the editions upon which editors mostly rely. However, these two versions have some significant differences that have produced a growing body of commentary, starting with early studies by J. Dover Wilson and G. I. Duthie, and continuing into the present.
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::'''[[Prince Hamlet]]''', the title character, is the son of the late [[King Hamlet|King]], also named Hamlet. He is just back from [[Wittenberg]], where he was a sometime student at the university.
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[[Image:To be or not to be (Q1).jpg|thumb|right|300px|The first quarto's rendering of the "[[To be or not to be]]" soliloquy]]
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*'''Claudius''', ''King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle''
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Early editors of Shakespeare's works, starting with Nicholas Rowe (1709) and Lewis Theobald (1733), combined material from the two earliest known sources of ''Hamlet'', Q2 and F1. Each text contains some material the other lacks, and there are many minor differences in wording, so that only a little more than 200 lines are identical between them. Typically, editors have taken an approach of combining, "conflating," the texts of Q2 and F1, in an effort to create an inclusive text as close as possible to the ideal Shakespeare original.  Theobald's version became standard for a long time.<ref>Hibbard, pp. 22-3</ref> Certainly, the "full text" philosophy that he established has influenced editors to the current day. Many modern editors have done essentially the same thing Theobald did, also using, for the most part, the 1604/5 quarto and the 1623 folio texts.
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::'''[[King Claudius|Claudius]]''' is the current King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle, who succeeded to the throne upon the death of his brother, the old King Hamlet. He also, in short order, married Gertrude, his brother's widow. He is revealed to be the killer of King Hamlet.
 
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*'''Gertrude''', ''Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother''
 
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::'''[[Gertrude (Hamlet)|Gertrude]]''' is Hamlet's mother. Widowed by King Hamlet's death, she rather too quickly wedded Claudius. In Shakespeare's England marriage to the brother of one's deceased husband was considered [[incest]] by the Church.<ref>Hibbard, p. 164, note 157</ref>
 
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*'''Ghost''' ''appearing to be Hamlet's father, the former king''
 
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::The ghost is, in form, the old '''[[King Hamlet]]''', but may be an evil spirit. The old king has died recently, so his spirit, while suffering in Purgatory, could be walking at night, vexed and vengeful.<!-- In the original 1500s performance of the play, his role was performed by [[William Shakespeare]])—>
 
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*'''Polonius''', ''counselor to the king''
 
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::'''[[Polonius]]''' (who was known as '''Corambis''' in the "bad" first quarto) is Claudius's chief advisor and father to Ophelia and Laertes. He is old, and often humourously played as fatuous and long-winded.
 
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*'''Laertes''', ''his son''
 
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::'''[[Laertes (character)|Laertes]]''' is a young aristocrat who has been living in Paris, come home for the coronation of Claudius. "Laertes" is, of course, the name of [[Odysseus]]'s father in [[Homer]]'s epics.
 
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[[Image:Ophelia 1894.jpg|thumb|right|''Ophelia'' by [[John William Waterhouse]].]]
 
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*'''Ophelia''', ''his daughter''
 
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::'''[[Ophelia (character)|Ophelia]]''' is Polonius's daughter. She and Hamlet have had a romance, although whether it was mainly in the form of letters, gifts, and significant looks, or had advanced further, is not clear.
 
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*'''Horatio''', ''Hamlet's friend and fellow-student''
 
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::'''[[Horatio (character)|Horatio]]''' is a friend of Hamlet's from Wittenberg. Apparently a Dane, he had come to Elsinore for old Hamlet's funeral and has stayed on. He is viewed as a "scholar", and converses easily with almost everyone in the court, from the guards to the royals.
 
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*'''Rosencrantz, Guildenstern''', ''former schoolfellows of Hamlet''
 
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::[[Rosencrantz and Guildenstern|'''Rosencrantz''' and '''Guildenstern''']] are old school-fellows of Hamlet. If they knew him at university, it must have been a while ago, as they seem not to know Horatio, a "scholar" from Wittenberg. Both their names were extant in Denmark at the time Shakespeare composed ''Hamlet'', so he could have gotten them from a number of sources.<ref>Jenkins, p.422</ref>
 
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*'''Fortinbras''', ''Prince of Norway''
 
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::'''[[Fortinbras]]''' is the Norwegian crown prince. He is the son of King Fortinbras, who was killed in battle by Hamlet's father, so he, too, has vengeance on his mind.  His firm and decisive action contrasts with Hamlet's procrastination. His name means "strong arm".
 
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*'''Osric, Lord, Gentleman''', ''courtiers''
 
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::'''Osric''' is a courtier, "full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse"<ref>T.S. Eliot, ''The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock''</ref>, who referees the sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes.
 
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*'''First Clown''', ''a gravedigger and sexton''
 
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::A popular character, he is almost never cut in performance. What would ''Hamlet'' be without Yorick's skull?
 
  
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<ref>character list (not indented commentary) taken from Edwards (2003)</ref>
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The discovery of Q1 in 1823,<ref>Jenkins, p.14</ref> when its existence had not even been suspected earlier, caused considerable interest and excitement, while also raising questions. The deficiencies of the text were recognized immediately&ndash;Q1 was instrumental in the development of the concept of a Shakespeare "bad quarto." Yet Q1 also has its value: it contains stage directions which reveal actual stage performance in a way that Q2 and F1 do not, and it contains an entire scene (usually labeled IV,vi) that is not in either Q2 or F1.  Also, Q1 is useful simply for comparison to the later publications. At least 28 different productions of the Q1 text since 1881 have shown it eminently fit for the stage. Q1 is generally thought to be a "memorial reconstruction" of the play as it may have been performed by Shakespeare's own company, although there is disagreement whether the reconstruction was pirated, or authorized. It is considerably shorter than Q2 or F1, apparently because of significant cuts for stage performance. It is thought that one of the actors playing a minor role (Marcellus, certainly, perhaps Voltemand as well) in the legitimate production was the source of this version.
  
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==Plot summary==
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Another theory is that the Q1 text is an abridged version of the full length play intended especially for traveling productions (the aforementioned university productions, in particular.) Kathleen Irace espouses this theory in her New Cambridge edition, "The First Quarto of Hamlet." The idea that the Q1 text is not riddled with error, but is in fact a totally viable version of the play has led to several recent Q1 productions (perhaps most notably, Tim Sheridan and Andrew Borba's 2003 production at the Theatre of NOTE in Los Angeles, for which Ms. Irace herself served as dramaturg).<ref>Thompson & Taylor, 2006</ref>
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{{spoiler}}
 
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[[Image:Henry Fuseli- Hamlet and his father's Ghost.JPG|thumb|right|''Marcellus, Horatio, Hamlet, and the Ghost'' by [[Henry Fuseli]].]]
 
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The plot focuses on the revenge of Prince Hamlet, whose father, the late King of [[Denmark]], victor over the Polish army, died suddenly while Hamlet was away from home at Wittenberg University, purportedly bitten by a venomous snake. Prior to the opening of the play, the King's brother Claudius has been proclaimed king, who cemented his claim to the throne by marrying Hamlet's mother Gertrude, the widowed Queen.
 
  
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===Setting the story===
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As with the two texts of ''[[King Lear]],'' some contemporary scholarship is moving away from the ideal of the "full text," supposing its inapplicability to the case of ''Hamlet.'' The Arden Shakespeare's 2006 publication of different texts of ''Hamlet'' in different volumes is perhaps the best evidence of this shifting focus and emphasis.<ref>ibid</ref> However, any abridgement of the standard conflation of Q2 and F1 runs the obvious risk of omitting genuine Shakespeare writing.
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The play opens on the battlements of Elsinore Castle, seat of the Danish monarchy, where a group of sentries are visited by the ghost of the recently deceased King Hamlet. Hamlet's friend Horatio joins the soldiers on their watch and when the ghost appears, bids it to speak. They suspect it has some message to deliver, but it vanishes without speaking.
 
  
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The next day, the Danish court meets to celebrate the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude. The new King urges Hamlet not to persist in his grief. When he is alone, Hamlet expresses his anger at the accession of his uncle Claudius to the throne and his mother's hasty remarriage. Horatio and the guards come to the scene and tell him of the appearance of the ghost of his father. Hamlet determines to investigate this.
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==Performance history==
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The earliest recorded performance of ''Hamlet'' was in June 1602; in 1603 the play was acted at both Universities, [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] and [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. Along with ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]],'' ''Hamlet'' was acted by the crew of Capt. William Keeling aboard the [[British East India Company]] ship ''Dragon,'' off [[Sierra Leone]], in September 1607. More conventional Court performances occurred in 1619 and in 1637, the latter on January 24 at Hampton Court Palace. Since Hamlet is second only to Falstaff among Shakespeare's characters in the number of allusions and references to him in contemporary literature, the play was certainly performed with a frequency missed by the historical record.<ref>Hibbard, G. R. ''Hamlet''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998: 17</ref>
  
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Joining Horatio on the watch on the battlements that night, the ghost appears again. It beckons him to come along with him and then reveals a fearful secret: his father was murdered. He was poisoned through the ear by Claudius, and the Ghost commands Hamlet to avenge him. Shocked by this discovery, Hamlet returns to Horatio and the sentries, making them swear an oath not to reveal details of the night's events to anyone.
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Actors who have played Prince Hamlet include [[Laurence Olivier]], (1937) [[John Gielgud]] (1939), Mel Gibson, and Derek Jacobi (1978), who played the title role of Prince Hamlet|Hamlet at Elsinore Castle in [[Denmark]], the actual setting of the play. Christopher Plummer also played the role in a [[television]] version (1966) that was filmed there. Actresses who have played the title role in ''Hamlet'' include [[Sarah Siddons]], [[Sarah Bernhardt]], [[Asta Nielsen]], [[Judith Anderson]], [[Diane Venora]] and [[Frances de la Tour]].  The youngest actor to play the role on film was [[Ethan Hawke]], who was 29, In [[Hamlet (2000 film)]].<ref>[http://www.filmhead.com/reviews/2000/hamlet2000.html Filmhead.com review] accessed 6 April 2007.</ref> The oldest is probably [[Johnston Forbes-Robertson]], who was 60 when his performance was filmed in 1913.<ref>Dworkin, Martin. "'Stay Illusion': Having Words About Shakespeare On Screen." ''Journal of Aesthetic Education'' 11 (1977): 55.</ref> [[Edwin Booth]], [[John Wilkes Booth]]'s brother (the man who assassinated [[Abraham Lincoln]]), went into a brief retirement after his brother's notoriety, but made his comeback in the role of [[Prince Hamlet]]. Rather than wait for Hamlet's first appearance in the text to meet the audience's response, Booth sat on the stage in the play's first scene and was met by a lengthy standing ovation.
  
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:"But know, thou noble youth,
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[[Edwin Booth|Booth's]] [[Broadway theatres|Broadway]] run of ''Hamlet'' lasted for 100 performances in [[1864]], an incredible run for its time. When [[John Barrymore]] played the part on Broadway to acclaim in [[1922]], it was assumed that he would close the production after 99 performances out of respect for Booth. But Barrymore extended the run to 101 performances so that he would have the record for himself.  Currently, the longest [[Broadway theatres|Broadway]] run of ''Hamlet'' is the 1964 production starring [[Richard Burton]] and directed by [[John Gielgud]], which ran for 137 performances. The actor who has played the part most frequently on [[Broadway theatres|Broadway]] is [[Maurice Evans (actor)|Maurice Evans]], who played Hamlet for 267 performances in productions mounted in [[1938]], [[1939]], and [[1945]]. The longest recorded [[London]] run is [[Henry Irving]]'s, who played the part for over 200 consecutive nights in 1874 and revived it to acclaim with [[Ellen Terry]] as [[Ophelia]] in [[1878]].
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:The serpent that did sting thy father's life
 
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:Now wears his crown."
 
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:      [Act 1, Scene 5]
 
  
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===Main Action===
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The only actor to win a [[Tony Award]] for playing Hamlet is [[Ralph Fiennes]] in [[1995]]. [[Richard Burton]] was nominated for the award in [[1964]], but lost to [[Alec Guinness]] in ''[[Dylan (play)|Dylan]]''. [[Hume Cronyn]] won the [[Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play]] for his performance as [[Polonius]] in that production. The only actor to win an [[Academy Award]] for playing Hamlet is [[Laurence Olivier]] in [[1948]]. The only actor to win an [[Emmy Award]] nomination for playing Hamlet is [[Christopher Plummer]] in [[1966]]. [[Margaret Leighton]] won an Emmy for playing Gertrude in the [[1971]] [[Hallmark Hall of Fame]] presentation.
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While the play is part of the tradition of the "revenger tragedy," much of the action revolves around Hamlet's internal deliberations as he tries to ascertain whether or not the ghost he has seen is really his father. According to the medieval Christian cosmology, the ghost might be his father's aggrieved spirit or it might be the [[Satan|Devil]] taking his father's appearance in order to take Hamlet's soul to [[hell]]. In order to test the veracity of the spirit, Hamlet undertakes to test the king's conscience through putting on an "antic disposition" (feigning madness), in the hope that his behavior might uncover the truth, and provide an opportunity to kill Claudius.  
 
  
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[[Image:Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Hamlet and Ophelia.JPG|left|thumb|''Hamlet and Ophelia'' by [[Dante Gabriel Rossetti]]]]
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==Characters==
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Feigning insanity, Hamlet delights in making a fool of Polonius, the king's chief councillor, and the voice of common sense and probity in the play. Unfortunately, in a world polluted by Claudius' treachery, such probity is out of place. Polonius, convinced of Hamlet's madness, is certain that it stems from his unrequited love for his daughter Ophelia, whom both he and Laertes, her brother, forbade to continue her relationship with Hamlet. As court councillor, Polonius also has to fear for his status at court, so his advice also serves the purpose of absolving himself of any guilt before the King. He suggests arranging a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia during which Polonius and Claudius will spy upon them both.  
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[[Image:Hamlet play scene cropped.png|thumb|right|450px|A detail of the engraving of [[Daniel Maclise]]'s 1842 painting ''The Play-scene in Hamlet'', portraying the moment when the guilt of Claudius is revealed.]]
  
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Because of his feigned madness, Hamlet puts Claudius in the same position as he is&ndash;trying to ascertain whether of not Hamlet is being truthful or not. He calls in Hamlet's schoolmates, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, hoping that in an unguarded moment they will be able to determine whether or not he is truly mad. But Hamlet quickly sees the intention behind his schoolmates' sudden visit.  
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*'''Hamlet''', the title character, is the son of the late king, for whom he was named.  He has returned to Elsinore Castle from Wittenberg, where he was a university student.
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*'''Claudius''' is the King of Denmark, elected to the throne after the death of his brother, King Hamlet.  Claudius has married Gertrude, his brother's widow.
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*'''Gertrude''' is the Queen of Denmark, and King Hamlet's widow, now married to Claudius.
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*'''the Ghost''', appears in the exact image of Hamlet's father, the late King Hamlet.
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*'''Polonius''' is Claudius's chief advisor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes.  (This character is called "Corambis" in the First Quarto of 1603.)
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*'''Laertes''' is the son of Polonius, and has returned to Elsinore Castle after living in Paris.
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[[Image:Ophelia 1894.jpg|thumb|right|''Ophelia'' by John William Waterhouse]].
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*'''Ophelia''' is Polonius's daughter, and Laertes's sister, who lives with her father at Elsinore Castle.
 +
*'''Horatio''' is a good friend of Hamlet, from the university at Wittenberg, who came to Elsinore Castle to attend King Hamlet's funeral.
 +
*''''''Rosencrantz''' and '''Guildenstern'''''' are childhood friends and schoolmates of Hamlet, who were summoned to Elsinore by Claudius and Gertrude.
 +
*'''Fortinbras''' is the nephew of old King Norway. He is also the son of Fortinbras Sr, who was killed in single combat by Hamlet's father.
 +
*'''Marcellus, Barnardo, and Francisco''' are sentinels who help guard Elsinore Castle.
 +
*'''Voltemand and Cornelius''' are ambassadors King Claudius sends to old King Norway.
 +
*'''Reynaldo''' is Polonius's servant.  (This character is called "Montano" in the First Quarto.)
 +
*'''First Player''' in a company of Players who arrive at Elsinore.
 +
*'''the Lad''' is the company's boy Player who plays the female characters.
 +
*'''Other Players''' of the Players' company.
 +
*a '''Captain''' in Fortinbras's army.
 +
*a '''Gentleman'''
 +
*'''Messengers'''
 +
*'''Switzers''' who are Claudius's bodyguards.
 +
*'''Ladies in waiting''' to Queen Gertrude
 +
*'''Townspeople''' who are followers of Laertes.
 +
*'''Sailors''' (are actually two pirates.)
 +
*'''First Clown''', a sexton.
 +
*'''Second Clown''', a coroner's court bailiff.
 +
*'''Doctor of Divinity'''
 +
*'''Osric''', a courtier. (Originally named "Ostricke" in the Second Quarto.)
 +
*'''English Ambassadors'''
 +
*Various Courtiers, Servants, Guards and other extras.
  
−
To sound out his uncle, he enlists a company of travelling performers to stage an existing play, ''The Murder of Gonzago'', which he has modified to re-enact the circumstances of his father's murder.
+
==Synopsis==
 +
[[Image:Henry Fuseli- Hamlet and his father's Ghost.JPG|thumb|right|325px|''Marcellus, Horatio, Hamlet, and the Ghost'' by [[Henry Fuseli]].]]
  
−
:"The play's the thing
+
The play is set at Elsinore Castle, (which is based on the real Kronborg Castle, Denmark.) The time period of the play is somewhat uncertain, but can be understood as mostly [[Renaissance]], contemporary with Shakespeare's England.
−
:Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King."
 
−
:      [Act II, scene II]
 
  
−
Shortly after the play begins, Claudius, who cannot bear to watch, rises calling for lights. The king's anguished reaction to the performance (which Horatio also notices) convinces Hamlet of his guilt. Now suspecting Hamlet's true purpose, Claudius arranges for Hamlet to be deported to the Danish territories of [[England]] along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, where he is to be killed upon arrival.  
+
''Hamlet'' begins with Francisco on watch duty at Elsinore Castle, on a cold, dark night, at midnight. Barnardo approaches Francisco to relieve him on duty, but is unable to recognize his friend at first in the darkness. Barnardo stops and cries out, "Who's there?" The darkness and the mystery, of "who's there," set an ominous tone to start the play.
  
−
In an unguarded moment, Claudius privately expresses his disgust at what he has done, and offers a prayer of repentance. Hamlet comes upon Claudius at prayer and prepares to kill him, but then stops, reasoning that he does not want his revenge to have the result of sending the repentant Claudius to [[Heaven]]. However, Hamlet leaves too soon, before Claudius reveals that he is unable to repent in his current state of mind. Had Hamlet not attempted to arrogate to himself the destiny of Claudius's soul, rather than just his life, he would have killed Claudius at that moment.
+
That same night, Horatio and the sentinels see a Ghost that looks exactly like their late king, King Hamlet. The Ghost reacts to them, but doesn't speak. The men discuss a military buildup in Denmark in response to Fortinbras recruiting an army. Although Fortinbras's army is supposedly for use against Poland, they fear he may attack Denmark to get revenge for his father's death, and reclaim the land his father lost to King Hamlet.  They wonder if the Ghost is an omen of disaster, and decide to tell Prince Hamlet about it.
−
[[Image:Eugène Delacroix, Hamlet and His Mother.JPG|right|thumb|"Hamlet and His Mother" by [[Eugène Delacroix]]]]
 
−
Hamlet confronts his mother about the murder of his father and her sexual relations with her new husband. During their conversation, he stabs Polonius, who has been hiding behind a tapestry and eavesdropping on their conversation.  Initially suspecting his victim was Claudius, he appears unrepentant and unconcerned when Polonius is revealed, continuing to admonish his mother. King Hamlet's ghost makes a reappearance to rebuke Hamlet. Hamlet's mother cannot see the ghost, but sees him conversing with it, convinced that her son has really gone mad.
 
  
−
Claudius, who has finally understood Hamlet's real motivation, sends Hamlet to England, purportedly for his safety, but accompanied by a sealed letter to the English ordering his death. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent along to ensure the orders are carried out. Through a ''deux ex machina'', Hamlet's ship is attacked by pirates, Hamlet discovered his uncle's intentions and sends Rosencranz and Guildenstern in his place to their deaths in England.
+
In the next scene, Claudius announces that the mourning period for his brother is officially over, and he also sends a diplomatic mission to Norway, to try to deal with the potential threat from Fortinbras. Claudius and Hamlet have an exchange in which Hamlet says his line, "a little more than kin and less than kind." Gertrude asks Hamlet to stay at Elsinore Castle, and he agrees to do so, despite his wish to return to school in Wittenberg. Hamlet, upset over his father's death and his mother's "o'erhasty" marriage to Claudius, recites a soliloquy including "Frailty, thy name is woman." Horatio and the sentinels tell Hamlet about the Ghost, and he decides to go with them that night to see it.
  
−
During Hamlet's absence, Ophelia, gravely disturbed by Hamlet's rejection and the death of Polonius, goes insane. She sings a number of rustic melodies that Shakespeare may have borrowed from the English folk tradition.  Meanwhile, Laertes, her brother, leads a mob to Elsinore when he hears of his father's death.  He also discovers his precious sister's madness, and is even more inclined to avenge his family.  Claudius turns Laertes's anger on Hamlet, and they plan to have Laertes fence with Hamlet in a fixed fencing match.  Laertes will be using an unbated and poisoned foil.  In addition, Claudius prepares some poisoned wine for Hamlet to drink as a toast, in case Laertes is unable to hit him.
+
Laertes leaves to return to France, after lecturing Ophelia against Hamlet. Polonius, suspicious of Hamlet's motives, also lectures her against him, and forbids her to have anything further to do with Hamlet.
  
−
:"I will do't.
+
That night, Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus do see the Ghost again, and it beckons to Hamlet. Marcellus says his famous line, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." They try to stop Hamlet from following, but he does.
−
:And, for that purpose, I'll anoint my sword.
 
−
:I bought an unction of a mountebank,
 
−
:So mortal that, but dip a knife in it,
 
−
:Where it draws blood... it may be death."
 
−
:      [Act 4, Scene 7]
 
  
−
:"I'll have prepared him a chalice for the nonce, wheron but sipping,
+
The Ghost speaks to Hamlet, calls for revenge, and reveals Claudius's murder of Hamlet's father. The Ghost also criticizes Gertrude, but says "leave her to heaven." The Ghost tells Hamlet to remember, says adieu, and disappears. Horatio and Marcellus arrive, but Hamlet refuses to tell them what the Ghost said. In an odd, much-discussed passage, Hamlet asks them to swear on his sword while the Ghost calls out "swear" from the earth beneath their feet. Hamlet says he may put on an "antic disposition."
−
:If he by chance escape your venomed stuck,
 
−
:Our purpose may hold there."
 
−
:      [Act 4, Scene 4]
 
  
−
But as they are plotting, Queen Gertrude enters and informs Laertes that his sister drowned in what is a suspected suicide.  Laertes runs out of the room, grief-stricken. [[Image:Hamlet+ophelia.jpg|thumb|200px|''Hamlet and Ophelia'', a Symbolist interpretation by [[Mikhail Vrubel]] (1884).]]
+
We then find Polonius sending Reynaldo to check up on what Laertes is doing in Paris.  Ophelia enters, and reports that Hamlet rushed into her room with his clothing all askew, and only stared at her without speaking. Polonius decides that Hamlet is mad for Ophelia, and says he'll go to the king about it.
  
−
Returning from his voyage, Hamlet meets Horatio at a graveyard outside [[Elsinore]] castle just as Ophelia's funeral cortege arrives there, where a gravedigger (jester/clown) is digging. Hamlet finds the skull of [[Yorick]] (see [[skull (symbolism)|skull as a symbol]]), an old jester to the court who carried him on his back during his childhood days, and proclaims, "Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft." As Hamlet broods on mortality, the cortege arrives with the King, Queen and Laertes. Hamlet is so distraught to learn of Ophelia's death that he leaps into the open grave and grapples with Laertes.
+
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (often called R & G for short) arrive, and are instructed by Claudius and Gertrude to spend time with Hamlet and sound him out. Polonius announces that the ambassadors have returned from Norway with an agreement. Polonius tells Claudius that Hamlet is mad over Ophelia, and recommends an eavesdropping plan to find out more. Hamlet enters, "mistaking" Polonius for a "fishmonger." R & G talk to Hamlet, who quickly discerns they're working for Claudius and Gertrude. The Players arrive, and Hamlet decides to try a play performance, to "catch the conscience of the king."
  
−
The scene then moves back to the castle, where Hamlet tells Horatio all that has happened at sea, and how he made his escape. There was a sea-battle in which pirates overtook the ship on which Hamlet was sailing. During the confusion, Hamlet found instructions from Claudius to the English court that Hamlet should be killed immediately upon his arrival in England. Hamlet re-writes this death warrant for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern instead. Suddenly, Hamlet and Horatio are interrupted by Osric, who comes to tell them that Claudius has set a large wager that Hamlet can out-fight Laertes (who is famous for his swordsmanship) in a fencing match. Horatio advises Hamlet against this, but Hamlet counters with the fact that if he does not die now, his death will be still to come.
+
In the next scene, Hamlet recites his famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy. The famous 'Nunnery Scene,' then occurs, in which Hamlet speaks to Ophelia while Claudius and Polonius hide and listen. Instead of expressing love for Ophelia, Hamlet rejects and berates her, tells her "get thee to a nunnery" and storms out. Claudius decides to send Hamlet to England.
  
−
When the match begins, Hamlet wins the first two rounds, and Gertrude drinks some of the wine to toast him, unaware that it is poisoned (although some critics and performances treat this as a deliberate suicide [http://www.hamlethaven.com/gertrude.html#shand]). Hamlet is hit with the sword and fatally poisoned, but in the ensuing brawl, he swaps blades with Laertes, and deals a deep wound to Laertes with the poisoned sword as well. The Queen dies from the wine, warning Hamlet that the drink is poisoned.  With his dying breath, Laertes also confesses the whole plot to Hamlet. Enraged, Hamlet kills Claudius with the poisoned weapon, forcing him also to drink the poisoned wine, at last avenging his father's death.
+
[[Image:Dante Gabriel Rossetti - Hamlet and Ophelia.JPG|left|thumb|270px|''Hamlet and Ophelia'' by [[Dante Gabriel Rossetti]]]]
  
−
Horatio, horrified at the turn of events, seizes the poisoned wine and proposes to join his friend in death, but Hamlet wrests the cup away from him. He orders him to tell his story to the world to restore his good name. Hamlet also recommends that the Norwegian prince, Fortinbras, be chosen as the successor to the Danish throne. Hamlet dies, and Horatio mourns his passing:
+
Next, Hamlet instructs the Players how to do the upcoming play performance, in a passage that has attracted interest because it apparently reflects Shakespeare's own views of how acting should be done.  The play begins, during which Hamlet sits with Ophelia, and makes "mad" sexual jokes and remarks. Claudius asks the name of the play, and Hamlet says "The Mousetrap."  Claudius walks out in the middle of the play, which Hamlet sees as proof of Claudius's guilt. Hamlet recites his dramatic "witching time of night" soliloquy.
  
−
:"Now cracks a noble heart: Good night sweet prince:
+
Next comes the 'Prayer Scene,' in which Hamlet finds Claudius, intending to kill him, but refrains because Claudius is praying.  Hamlet then goes to talk to Gertrude, in the 'Closet Scene.'  There, Gertrude becomes frightened of Hamlet, and screams for help.  Polonius is hiding behind an arras in the room, and when he also yells for help, Hamlet stabs and kills him.  Hamlet emotionally lectures Gertrude, and the Ghost appears briefly, but only Hamlet sees it.  Hamlet drags Polonius's body out of Gertrude's room, to take it elsewhere.
−
:And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!"
 
−
:      [Act V, scene II]
 
  
−
Fortinbras enters with English ambassadors. Shocked by the carnage, he orders a military funeral for Hamlet, whilst Horatio offers to relate the whole tale.
+
When Claudius learns of the death of Polonius, he decides to send Hamlet to England immediately, accompanied by R & G.  They carry a secret order from Claudius to England to execute Hamlet.
  
−
== Hamlet as a character ==
+
In a scene which appears at full length only in the Second Quarto, Hamlet sees Fortinbras arrive in Denmark with his army, speaks to a Captain, then exits with R & G to board the ship to England.
−
[[Image:Smoktun.jpg|thumb|[[Innokenty Smoktunovsky]] as Hamlet in the acclaimed [[Hamlet (1964 film)|1964 film]] by [[Grigori Kozintsev]].]]
 
  
 +
Next, Ophelia appears, and she has gone mad, apparently in grief over the death of her father.  She sings odd songs about death and sex, says "good night" during the daytime, and exits.  Laertes, who has returned from France, storms the castle with a mob from the local town, and challenges Claudius, over the death of Polonius.  Ophelia appears again, sings, and hands out flowers.  Claudius tells Laertes that he can explain his innocence in Polonius's death.
  
−
Prince Hamlet is by far Shakespeare's most famous creation. He is the major presence in the play, his problem is central to the plot, and his public wit and private speculations dominate the action. The part of the Prince is far longer than any other in all of Shakespeare's plays. While this most popular tragedy has many dark corners, the biggest mystery of all concerns Hamlet's character, his psychology, and his real motivations. There has been no dearth of speculation on these and many other questions about this central character in Western literature<ref>Jenkins, p.147</ref>.
+
Sailors (pirates) deliver a letter from Hamlet to Horatio, saying that Hamlet's ship was attacked by pirates, who took him captive, but are returning him to Denmark. Horatio leaves with the pirates to go where Hamlet is.
  
−
==Performances, adaptations, influences and references==
+
Claudius has explained to Laertes that Hamlet is responsible for Polonius's death.  Claudius, to his surprise, receives a letter saying that Hamlet is back.  Claudius and Laertes conspire to set up a fencing match at which Laertes can kill Hamlet in revenge for the death of Polonius.  Gertrude reports that Ophelia is dead, after a fall from a tree into the brook, where she drowned.
  
 +
Two Clowns, a sexton and a bailiff, make jokes and talk about Ophelia's death while the sexton digs her grave.  They conclude she must have committed suicide.  Hamlet, returning with Horatio, sees the grave being dug (without knowing who it's for,) talks to the sexton, and recites his famous "alas, poor Yorick" speech.  Hamlet and Horatio hide to watch as Ophelia's funeral procession enters.  Laertes jumps into the grave excavation for Ophelia, and proclaims his love for her in high-flown terms.  Hamlet challenges Laertes that he loved Ophelia more than "forty thousand" brothers could, and they scuffle briefly.  Claudius calms Laertes, and reminds him of the rigged fencing match they've arranged to kill Hamlet.
  
 +
In the final Scene, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he became suspicious about the trip to England, and looked at the royal commission during the night when R & G were asleep.  After discovering the truth, Hamlet substituted a forgery, ordering England to kill R & G, instead of him.  Osric then tells Hamlet of the fencing match, and despite his misgivings, Hamlet agrees to participate.
  
 +
At the match, Claudius and Laertes have arranged for Laertes to use a poisoned foil, and Claudius also poisons Hamlet's wine, in case the poisoned foil doesn't work.  The match begins, and Hamlet scores the first hit, "a very palpable hit."  Gertrude sips from Hamlet's poisoned wine to salute him.  Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned foil, then they grapple and exchange foils, and Hamlet wounds Laertes, with the same poisoned foil.  Gertrude announces that she's been poisoned by the wine, and dies.  Laertes, also dying, reveals that Claudius is to blame, and asks Hamlet to exchange forgiveness with him, which Hamlet does.  Laertes dies.
  
−
===References to ''Hamlet'' ===
+
Hamlet wounds Claudius with the poisoned foil, and also has him drink the wine he poisoned.  Claudius dies.  Hamlet, dying of his injury from the poisoned foil, says he supports Fortinbras as the next king, and that "the rest is silence."  When Hamlet dies, Horatio says "flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." Fortinbras enters, with ambassadors from England who announce that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Fortinbras takes over, says that Hamlet would have "proved most royal," and orders a salute to be fired, which concludes the play.
−
A number of films have also used lines from Hamlet's soliloquy as film titles.  See ''[[To be, or not to be]]'' for a list of these films.
 
−
*The [[Disney]] movie ''[[The Lion King]]'' is partly based on Hamlet.{{fact}}
 
−
*''[[A King in New York]]'' (1957), directed by [[Charlie Chaplin]], includes a scene in which Chaplin recites the "to be or not to be" speech, and is arguably on a par with other famous renditions.
 
−
*[[Tom Stoppard]]'s popular play and movie ''[[Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead]]'' depicts the two title characters contemplating their roles as minor players in a bigger drama. Occasional scenes are taken directly from ''Hamlet''.
 
−
*[[Tom Stoppard]] also has a short entitled ''[[The Fifteen Minute Hamlet]]'' which includes Philip Seymour Hoffman in the cast. The fifteen minute version is followed by an even shorter version.
 
  
−
===''Hamlet'' in literature===
+
==Significance==
−
* In his novel ''[[Ulysses (novel)|Ulysses]]'', [[James Joyce]] includes a lengthy discussion about ''Hamlet'', referring to it as one of a select few important artworks that outshine the rest.
+
Hamlet is not only the most famous of Shakespeare's [[tragedy|tragedies]], it is perhaps the most famous tragedy in all modern literature. It is widely viewed as the first "modern" play in that the themes it addresses have to do with the individual personality. Hamlet is unsure when to act and what to do. The play is filled with paradoxes.
−
::"Art has to reveal to us ideas, formless spiritual essences. The supreme question about a work of art is out of how deep a life does it spring? The painting of Gustave Moreau is painting of ideas, the deepest poetry of Shelley, the words of Hamlet bring our mind into contact with the eternal wisdom, Plato's world of ideas. All the rest is the speculation of schoolboys for schoolboys."
 
−
*''[[Gertrude and Claudius]]'', a [[John Updike]] novel, serves as a prequel to the events of the play. It follows Gertrude from her wedding to King Hamlet, through an affair with Claudius, and its murderous results, up until the very beginning of the play.
 
−
*''[[Ophelia's Revenge]]'', a novel by [[Rebecca Reisert]], tells the story of ''Hamlet'' from Ophelia's point of view.
 
−
*[[Anton Chekhov]] wrote a [[feuilleton]] titled ''I am a Moscow Hamlet'' (1891), the mutterings of a gossip-mongering actor who contemplates suicide out of sheer boredom.
 
−
*[[Arthur Rimbaud]] wrote a long poem on ''Ophelia'', likely inspired by a reproduction of the Waterhouse painting.
 
−
*In the novel ''[[The Journey of The Fool]]'', [[Faust Amoyo]] tries to think of all books that can be written in 200 pages, he laughs when he speculates a version of Hamlet where the word is everywhere replaced by 'Danish Butthead'.
 
−
*In the novel ''[[Something Rotten]]'', [[Jasper Fforde]] includes Hamlet as a major character.
 
−
*Throughout Aldous Huxley's ''[[Brave New World]]'', the character John ("the Savage") quotes ''Hamlet'', among other plays by Shakespeare.
 
  
−
===''Hamlet'' in music===
+
==References==
−
At least 26 operas have been written based on Hamlet, including:
+
{{reflist|2}}
−
* Ambleto, by [[Francesco Gasparini]] (1706)
 
−
* Ambleto, by [[Domenico Scarlatti]] (1715)
 
−
* Amleto, by [[Gaetano Andreozzi]] (1792)
 
−
* Amleto, by [[Franco Faccio]] (libretto by [[Arrigo Boito]]) (1865)
 
−
* Hamlet, by [[Ambroise Thomas]] (1868)
 
−
* Hamlet, by [[Humphrey Searle]] (1968)
 
−
* Hamlet (?), by [[Sandor Szokolay]] (year?)
 
−
 
 
−
[[Sergei Prokofiev]] also wrote incidental music to the play.
 
−
 
 
−
Instrumental works based on Hamlet include:
 
−
*[[Nocturne]] in G Minor, Op. 15 No. 3 by [[Frédéric Chopin]], inspired by Hamlet
 
−
*''Hamlet'' (1858), symphonic poem by [[Franz Liszt]]
 
−
*''Hamlet'' and ''Ophelia'', symphonic poems by [[Edward MacDowell]]
 
−
*''Hamlet'' (1888), Fantasy Overture in F Minor, Op. 67 by [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]
 
−
*''Hamlet'' (1888), [[Incidental music]] for a Russian stage production of the play, also by Tchaikovsky. This production used an edited version of the Fantasy Overture.
 
−
*''Hamlet'', the score for the 1963 film, by [[Dmitri Shostakovich]].
 
−
*''There is a willow grows aslant a brook'', a symphonic poem by [[Frank Bridge]], based on the speech of Queen Gertrude about the death of Ophelia.
 
−
 
 
−
Contemporary popular music includes:
 
−
* "What a Piece of Work is Man" from the 1967 musical ''[[Hair (musical)|Hair]]'' is Hamlet's speech from Act 2 Scene 2 set to music.
 
−
* The [[Dream Theater]] song "[[Pull Me Under]]" is influenced by, and makes reference to, ''Hamlet''.
 
−
* [[Lou Reed]]'s song "Goodnight Ladies", from his 1972 album ''[[Transformer (album)|Transformer]]'', uses a line from Ophelia's mad speech (Act 4, Scene 5) as its chorus.
 
−
* [[Darling Violetta]]'s song "Ophelia", from the band's debut album ''Bath-Water-Flowers'', references Ophelia's death/suicide.
 
−
* [[Rasputina]]'s song "Dig Ophelia" from the debut album ''[[Thanks for the Ether]]'' also references the death of Ophelia.
 
−
* [http://www.myspace.com/yfl Your Forgotten Love] has a song entitled "Her Fair Judgment", with lyrics rearranged from Ophelia's mad speech.
 
−
* [[Arcturus (band)|Arcturus]]' first album, ''[[Aspera Hiems Symfonia]]'', makes reference to Hamlet's most famous soliloquy in the song ''The Bodkin & The Quietus''.
 
−
* Folk singer Jewel makes a reference to Ophelia's suicide in the song "Innocence Maintained": ''Ophelia drowned in the water/pushed by her own weight''.
 
−
* the title track of the album [[Elsinore (album)|Elsinore]] by swedish musician [[Björn Afzelius]] is about a prince locked up in the castle of Elsinore.
 
−
* End Of All Hope, a song by Finnish metal band [[Nightwish]], contains the line "The rest is silence".
 
−
* Bands [[Flaming Youth (rock group)|Flaming Youth]] takes its name from the text {{citation needed}}, as does [[This Mortal Coil]] (from the end of the "To be or not to be" speech).
 
−
* [[The Band]] recorded a song called "Ophelia," released on their album ''[[Northern Lights - Southern Cross]]''.
 
−
*[[Bob Dylan]] references Ophelia in the song [[Desolation Row]].
 
−
* [[Abney Park (band)|Abney Park]] has a song titled "Dear Ophelia" which is a theoretical letter from Hamlet to Ophelia
 
−
* [[Emilie Autumn]] has a song entitled "Opheliac" wherein the chorus references the drowning.
 
−
*[[Beyonce Knowles]] uses "To be, or Not to Be," as the first line in her song ''Freakum Dress'' on her 2006 album '[[B'day]]'
 
−
 
 
−
==Notes==
 
−
<references />
 
−
 
 
−
==Listen to==
 
−
*[http://nigelbeale.com/?cat=42 ''Biblio File'': Professor Joseph Khoury and Nigel Beale analyze ''Hamlet'']
 
  
−
==References==
+
==Bibliography==
 +
*''Hamlet, Prince of Denmark''. Phillip Edwards, ed., Cambridge, 1985, 2003. (New Cambridge Shakespeare)
 +
*''Hamlet''. G.R. Hibbard, ed., Oxford, 1987. (Oxford World's Classics)
 +
*''Hamlet, The Texts of 1603, 1604, and 1623''. Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, eds, 2 vols, Thompson Learning, 2006.  (The Arden Shakespeare, Third Series)
 +
<br />
 +
*Brown, John Russell, ''Hamlet: a guide to the text and its theatrical life''. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. (Shakespeare Handbooks)
 
*Crystal, David, & Ben Crystal, ''The Shakespeare Miscellany''. New York, 2005.
 
*Crystal, David, & Ben Crystal, ''The Shakespeare Miscellany''. New York, 2005.
−
*''Hamlet, Prince of Denmark''. Phillip Edwards, ed. Cambridge, 2003. Updated 1985 edition.
+
*Dawson, Anthony B., ''Hamlet''. Manchester University Press, 1995. (Shakespeare in Performance)
−
*''Hamlet''. G.R. Hibbard, ed. Oxford, 1987. (Oxford World's Classics)
+
*Duthie, G. I., ''The "Bad" Quarto of "Hamlet," A Critical Study,'' Cambridge University Press, 1941.
−
*''Hamlet''. Harold Jenkins, ed. Methuen, 1982. (The Arden Shakespeare)
+
*Eliot, T.S., ‘Hamlet and his Problems’, in ''The Sacred Wood: Essays in Poetry and Criticism''. Faber & Gwyer, 1920.
 +
*Foakes, R. A., ''Hamlet versus Lear''. Cambridge University Press, 1993. 
 +
*Halliday, F. E., ''A Shakespeare Companion 1564-1964,'' Baltimore, Penguin, 1964.
 +
*Lennard, John, ''Shakespeare: Hamlet''. Humanities-Ebooks, 2007. (Literature Insights)
 +
*Pennington, Michael, ''Hamlet: A User’s Guide''. Nick Hern Books, 1996.
 +
*Tomm, Nigel ''Shakespeare's Hamlet Remixed''. BookSurge, 2006.
 
*Wilson, John Dover, ''The Manuscript of Shakespeare's Hamlet''. Cambridge, 1934.
 
*Wilson, John Dover, ''The Manuscript of Shakespeare's Hamlet''. Cambridge, 1934.
 +
* — ''What Happens in Hamlet.'' Cambridge University Press, 1935, 1959.
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
 
{{wikisourcepar|The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark}}
 
{{wikisourcepar|The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark}}
 
{{wikiquote}}
 
{{wikiquote}}
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{{wikibooks}}
 
 
{{commonscat|Hamlet}}
 
{{commonscat|Hamlet}}
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* {{gutenberg|no=2265|name=Hamlet}}
+
 
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* {{gutenberg|no=9077|name=the 'Bad Quarto' version of Hamlet}}
+
* [http://litsum.com/hamlet/ Hamlet Summary] Literature summary of the play.
 
* [http://shea.mit.edu/ramparts Hamlet on the Ramparts] - from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]]'s Shakespeare Electronic Archive
 
* [http://shea.mit.edu/ramparts Hamlet on the Ramparts] - from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]]'s Shakespeare Electronic Archive
 
* [http://www.leoyan.com/global-language.com/ENFOLDED/ Hamletworks.org] Multiple versions of Hamlet, numerous commentaries, concordances, facsimiles, etc.
 
* [http://www.leoyan.com/global-language.com/ENFOLDED/ Hamletworks.org] Multiple versions of Hamlet, numerous commentaries, concordances, facsimiles, etc.
 
* [http://wikisummaries.org/Hamlet Hamlet Summary] - wiki summary of characters, scenes, discussion and essay topics.
 
* [http://wikisummaries.org/Hamlet Hamlet Summary] - wiki summary of characters, scenes, discussion and essay topics.
 +
* [http://ise.uvic.ca/Library/plays/Ham.html ISE] - Internet Shakespeare Editions provides authentic transcripts and facsimilies of the First Quarto, Second Quarto, and First Folio versions of the play.
 
* [http://www.switzersguide.com The Switzer's Guide to Hamlet] An Extra's view of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2004 production of Hamlet with Toby Stephens in the title role
 
* [http://www.switzersguide.com The Switzer's Guide to Hamlet] An Extra's view of the Royal Shakespeare Company's 2004 production of Hamlet with Toby Stephens in the title role
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* [http://www.slashdoc.com/tag/hamlet.html Slashdoc : Hamlet] Scholarly essays on Shakespeare's Hamlet
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* [http://www.hamletregained.com Hamlet (Regained)] The original language of Hamlet side-by-side with a simplified modern English translation
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* [http://www.lynchmultimedia.com/hamlet.html Hamlet in original and modern language]
 
 
* [http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/51/hamlet.htm "Nine Hamlets" — An analysis of the play and 9 film versions, at the Bright Lights Film Journal]
 
* [http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/51/hamlet.htm "Nine Hamlets" — An analysis of the play and 9 film versions, at the Bright Lights Film Journal]
 
* [http://www.hyperhamlet.unibas.ch "HyperHamlet" - A project at the University of Basel]
 
* [http://www.hyperhamlet.unibas.ch "HyperHamlet" - A project at the University of Basel]
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*[http://thehamletweblog.blogspot.com "The Hamlet Weblog"] - a weblog about the play.
+
* [http://thehamletweblog.blogspot.com "The Hamlet Weblog"] - a weblog about the play.
 +
* [http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/audio/?podcastItem=hamlet.mp3 "The Women Who Have Played Hamlet"] - Interview with Tony Howard on research into female Hamlets
 +
* [http://www.webenglishteacher.com/hamlet.html Lesson plans for Hamlet] at Web English Teacher
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* [http://academia.wikia.com/wiki/Motifs_in_Hamlet Motifs in Hamlet] at academia.wikia.com
  
 
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Revision as of 21:40, 18 May 2007


Hamlet and Horatio in the cemetery by Eugène Delacroix
For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation).

Hamlet: Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is one of his best-known works, and also one of the most-quoted writings in the English language.[1] Hamlet has been called "Shakespeare's greatest play"[2] and it is universally included on lists of the world's greatest books.[3] It is also one of the most popular of Shakespeare's plays, judging by the number of productions; for example, it has topped the list at the Royal Shakespeare Company since 1879.[4] With 4,042 lines and 29,551 words, Hamlet is also the longest Shakespeare play.[5] Hamlet is a tragedy of the "revenge" genre, in which the title character, and two other characters as well, seek revenge for their fathers' deaths. It incorporates other major human themes, including love, justice, good and evil, and most notably, madness.


Sources

The story of the Danish Prince "Hamlet", who plots revenge on his uncle, the current king, for killing his father, the former king, is an old one. Many of the story elements, from Hamlet's feigned madness, his mother's hasty marriage to the usurper, the testing of the prince's madness with a young woman, the prince talking to his mother and killing a hidden spy, and the prince being sent to England with two retainers and substituting for the letter requesting his execution for one requesting theirs are already here in this medieval tale, recorded by Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum around 1200. A reasonably accurate version of Saxo was rendered into French in 1570 by François de Belleforest in his Histoires Tragiques.[6]

Shakespeare's main source, however, is believed to be an earlier play—now lost (and possibly by Thomas Kyd)—known as the Ur-Hamlet. This earlier Hamlet play was in performance by 1589, and seems to have introduced a ghost for the first time into the story.[7] Scholars are unable to assert with any confidence how much Shakespeare took from this play, how much from other contemporary sources (such as Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy), and how much from Belleforest (possibly something) or Saxo (probably nothing). In fact, popular scholar Harold Bloom has advanced the (as yet unpopular) notion that Shakespeare himself wrote the Ur-Hamlet as a form of early draft.[8] No matter the sources, Shakespeare's Hamlet has elements that the medieval version does not, such as the secrecy of the murder, a ghost that urges revenge, the "other sons" (Laertes and Fortinbras), the testing of the king via a play, and the mutually fatal nature of Hamlet's (nearly incidental) "revenge."[9][10]

Date and Texts

The third quarto of Hamlet (1605); a straight reprint of the 2nd quarto (1604)

Hamlet was entered into the Register of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers on July 26, 1602. A so-called "bad" First Quarto (referred to as "Q1") was published in 1603, by the booksellers Nicholas Ling and John Trundell. Q1 contains just over half of the text of the later Second Quarto ("Q2") published in 1604 [11] again by Nicholas Ling. Reprints of Q2 followed in 1611 (Q3) and 1637 (Q5); there was also an undated Q4 (possibly from 1622). The First Folio text (often referred to as "F1") appeared as part of Shakespeare's collected plays published in 1623. Q1, Q2, and F1 are the three elements in the textual problem of Hamlet (see Text below).

The play was revived early in the Restoration era; Sir William Davenant staged a 1661 production at Lincoln's Inn Fields. David Garrick mounted a version at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1772 that omitted the gravediggers and expanded his own leading role. William Poel staged a production of the Q1 text in 1881.[12]

There are three extant texts of Hamlet from the early 1600s: the "first quarto" Hamlet of 1603 (called Q1), the "second quarto" Hamlet of 1604/5 (Q2), and the Hamlet text within the First Folio of 1623 (F1). Later quartos and folios are considered derivative of these, so are of little interest in capturing Shakespeare's original text. Q1 itself has been viewed with scepticism, and in practice Q2 and F1 are the editions upon which editors mostly rely. However, these two versions have some significant differences that have produced a growing body of commentary, starting with early studies by J. Dover Wilson and G. I. Duthie, and continuing into the present.

The first quarto's rendering of the "To be or not to be" soliloquy

Early editors of Shakespeare's works, starting with Nicholas Rowe (1709) and Lewis Theobald (1733), combined material from the two earliest known sources of Hamlet, Q2 and F1. Each text contains some material the other lacks, and there are many minor differences in wording, so that only a little more than 200 lines are identical between them. Typically, editors have taken an approach of combining, "conflating," the texts of Q2 and F1, in an effort to create an inclusive text as close as possible to the ideal Shakespeare original. Theobald's version became standard for a long time.[13] Certainly, the "full text" philosophy that he established has influenced editors to the current day. Many modern editors have done essentially the same thing Theobald did, also using, for the most part, the 1604/5 quarto and the 1623 folio texts.

The discovery of Q1 in 1823,[14] when its existence had not even been suspected earlier, caused considerable interest and excitement, while also raising questions. The deficiencies of the text were recognized immediately–Q1 was instrumental in the development of the concept of a Shakespeare "bad quarto." Yet Q1 also has its value: it contains stage directions which reveal actual stage performance in a way that Q2 and F1 do not, and it contains an entire scene (usually labeled IV,vi) that is not in either Q2 or F1. Also, Q1 is useful simply for comparison to the later publications. At least 28 different productions of the Q1 text since 1881 have shown it eminently fit for the stage. Q1 is generally thought to be a "memorial reconstruction" of the play as it may have been performed by Shakespeare's own company, although there is disagreement whether the reconstruction was pirated, or authorized. It is considerably shorter than Q2 or F1, apparently because of significant cuts for stage performance. It is thought that one of the actors playing a minor role (Marcellus, certainly, perhaps Voltemand as well) in the legitimate production was the source of this version.

Another theory is that the Q1 text is an abridged version of the full length play intended especially for traveling productions (the aforementioned university productions, in particular.) Kathleen Irace espouses this theory in her New Cambridge edition, "The First Quarto of Hamlet." The idea that the Q1 text is not riddled with error, but is in fact a totally viable version of the play has led to several recent Q1 productions (perhaps most notably, Tim Sheridan and Andrew Borba's 2003 production at the Theatre of NOTE in Los Angeles, for which Ms. Irace herself served as dramaturg).[15]

As with the two texts of King Lear, some contemporary scholarship is moving away from the ideal of the "full text," supposing its inapplicability to the case of Hamlet. The Arden Shakespeare's 2006 publication of different texts of Hamlet in different volumes is perhaps the best evidence of this shifting focus and emphasis.[16] However, any abridgement of the standard conflation of Q2 and F1 runs the obvious risk of omitting genuine Shakespeare writing.

Performance history

The earliest recorded performance of Hamlet was in June 1602; in 1603 the play was acted at both Universities, Cambridge and Oxford. Along with Richard II, Hamlet was acted by the crew of Capt. William Keeling aboard the British East India Company ship Dragon, off Sierra Leone, in September 1607. More conventional Court performances occurred in 1619 and in 1637, the latter on January 24 at Hampton Court Palace. Since Hamlet is second only to Falstaff among Shakespeare's characters in the number of allusions and references to him in contemporary literature, the play was certainly performed with a frequency missed by the historical record.[17]

Actors who have played Prince Hamlet include Laurence Olivier, (1937) John Gielgud (1939), Mel Gibson, and Derek Jacobi (1978), who played the title role of Prince Hamlet|Hamlet at Elsinore Castle in Denmark, the actual setting of the play. Christopher Plummer also played the role in a television version (1966) that was filmed there. Actresses who have played the title role in Hamlet include Sarah Siddons, Sarah Bernhardt, Asta Nielsen, Judith Anderson, Diane Venora and Frances de la Tour. The youngest actor to play the role on film was Ethan Hawke, who was 29, In Hamlet (2000 film).[18] The oldest is probably Johnston Forbes-Robertson, who was 60 when his performance was filmed in 1913.[19] Edwin Booth, John Wilkes Booth's brother (the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln), went into a brief retirement after his brother's notoriety, but made his comeback in the role of Prince Hamlet. Rather than wait for Hamlet's first appearance in the text to meet the audience's response, Booth sat on the stage in the play's first scene and was met by a lengthy standing ovation.

Booth's Broadway run of Hamlet lasted for 100 performances in 1864, an incredible run for its time. When John Barrymore played the part on Broadway to acclaim in 1922, it was assumed that he would close the production after 99 performances out of respect for Booth. But Barrymore extended the run to 101 performances so that he would have the record for himself. Currently, the longest Broadway run of Hamlet is the 1964 production starring Richard Burton and directed by John Gielgud, which ran for 137 performances. The actor who has played the part most frequently on Broadway is Maurice Evans, who played Hamlet for 267 performances in productions mounted in 1938, 1939, and 1945. The longest recorded London run is Henry Irving's, who played the part for over 200 consecutive nights in 1874 and revived it to acclaim with Ellen Terry as Ophelia in 1878.

The only actor to win a Tony Award for playing Hamlet is Ralph Fiennes in 1995. Richard Burton was nominated for the award in 1964, but lost to Alec Guinness in Dylan. Hume Cronyn won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Polonius in that production. The only actor to win an Academy Award for playing Hamlet is Laurence Olivier in 1948. The only actor to win an Emmy Award nomination for playing Hamlet is Christopher Plummer in 1966. Margaret Leighton won an Emmy for playing Gertrude in the 1971 Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation.

Characters

A detail of the engraving of Daniel Maclise's 1842 painting The Play-scene in Hamlet, portraying the moment when the guilt of Claudius is revealed.
  • Hamlet, the title character, is the son of the late king, for whom he was named. He has returned to Elsinore Castle from Wittenberg, where he was a university student.
  • Claudius is the King of Denmark, elected to the throne after the death of his brother, King Hamlet. Claudius has married Gertrude, his brother's widow.
  • Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, and King Hamlet's widow, now married to Claudius.
  • the Ghost, appears in the exact image of Hamlet's father, the late King Hamlet.
  • Polonius is Claudius's chief advisor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. (This character is called "Corambis" in the First Quarto of 1603.)
  • Laertes is the son of Polonius, and has returned to Elsinore Castle after living in Paris.
File:Ophelia 1894.jpg
Ophelia by John William Waterhouse

.

  • Ophelia is Polonius's daughter, and Laertes's sister, who lives with her father at Elsinore Castle.
  • Horatio is a good friend of Hamlet, from the university at Wittenberg, who came to Elsinore Castle to attend King Hamlet's funeral.
  • 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern' are childhood friends and schoolmates of Hamlet, who were summoned to Elsinore by Claudius and Gertrude.
  • Fortinbras is the nephew of old King Norway. He is also the son of Fortinbras Sr, who was killed in single combat by Hamlet's father.
  • Marcellus, Barnardo, and Francisco are sentinels who help guard Elsinore Castle.
  • Voltemand and Cornelius are ambassadors King Claudius sends to old King Norway.
  • Reynaldo is Polonius's servant. (This character is called "Montano" in the First Quarto.)
  • First Player in a company of Players who arrive at Elsinore.
  • the Lad is the company's boy Player who plays the female characters.
  • Other Players of the Players' company.
  • a Captain in Fortinbras's army.
  • a Gentleman
  • Messengers
  • Switzers who are Claudius's bodyguards.
  • Ladies in waiting to Queen Gertrude
  • Townspeople who are followers of Laertes.
  • Sailors (are actually two pirates.)
  • First Clown, a sexton.
  • Second Clown, a coroner's court bailiff.
  • Doctor of Divinity
  • Osric, a courtier. (Originally named "Ostricke" in the Second Quarto.)
  • English Ambassadors
  • Various Courtiers, Servants, Guards and other extras.

Synopsis

Marcellus, Horatio, Hamlet, and the Ghost by Henry Fuseli.

The play is set at Elsinore Castle, (which is based on the real Kronborg Castle, Denmark.) The time period of the play is somewhat uncertain, but can be understood as mostly Renaissance, contemporary with Shakespeare's England.

Hamlet begins with Francisco on watch duty at Elsinore Castle, on a cold, dark night, at midnight. Barnardo approaches Francisco to relieve him on duty, but is unable to recognize his friend at first in the darkness. Barnardo stops and cries out, "Who's there?" The darkness and the mystery, of "who's there," set an ominous tone to start the play.

That same night, Horatio and the sentinels see a Ghost that looks exactly like their late king, King Hamlet. The Ghost reacts to them, but doesn't speak. The men discuss a military buildup in Denmark in response to Fortinbras recruiting an army. Although Fortinbras's army is supposedly for use against Poland, they fear he may attack Denmark to get revenge for his father's death, and reclaim the land his father lost to King Hamlet. They wonder if the Ghost is an omen of disaster, and decide to tell Prince Hamlet about it.

In the next scene, Claudius announces that the mourning period for his brother is officially over, and he also sends a diplomatic mission to Norway, to try to deal with the potential threat from Fortinbras. Claudius and Hamlet have an exchange in which Hamlet says his line, "a little more than kin and less than kind." Gertrude asks Hamlet to stay at Elsinore Castle, and he agrees to do so, despite his wish to return to school in Wittenberg. Hamlet, upset over his father's death and his mother's "o'erhasty" marriage to Claudius, recites a soliloquy including "Frailty, thy name is woman." Horatio and the sentinels tell Hamlet about the Ghost, and he decides to go with them that night to see it.

Laertes leaves to return to France, after lecturing Ophelia against Hamlet. Polonius, suspicious of Hamlet's motives, also lectures her against him, and forbids her to have anything further to do with Hamlet.

That night, Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus do see the Ghost again, and it beckons to Hamlet. Marcellus says his famous line, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." They try to stop Hamlet from following, but he does.

The Ghost speaks to Hamlet, calls for revenge, and reveals Claudius's murder of Hamlet's father. The Ghost also criticizes Gertrude, but says "leave her to heaven." The Ghost tells Hamlet to remember, says adieu, and disappears. Horatio and Marcellus arrive, but Hamlet refuses to tell them what the Ghost said. In an odd, much-discussed passage, Hamlet asks them to swear on his sword while the Ghost calls out "swear" from the earth beneath their feet. Hamlet says he may put on an "antic disposition."

We then find Polonius sending Reynaldo to check up on what Laertes is doing in Paris. Ophelia enters, and reports that Hamlet rushed into her room with his clothing all askew, and only stared at her without speaking. Polonius decides that Hamlet is mad for Ophelia, and says he'll go to the king about it.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (often called R & G for short) arrive, and are instructed by Claudius and Gertrude to spend time with Hamlet and sound him out. Polonius announces that the ambassadors have returned from Norway with an agreement. Polonius tells Claudius that Hamlet is mad over Ophelia, and recommends an eavesdropping plan to find out more. Hamlet enters, "mistaking" Polonius for a "fishmonger." R & G talk to Hamlet, who quickly discerns they're working for Claudius and Gertrude. The Players arrive, and Hamlet decides to try a play performance, to "catch the conscience of the king."

In the next scene, Hamlet recites his famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy. The famous 'Nunnery Scene,' then occurs, in which Hamlet speaks to Ophelia while Claudius and Polonius hide and listen. Instead of expressing love for Ophelia, Hamlet rejects and berates her, tells her "get thee to a nunnery" and storms out. Claudius decides to send Hamlet to England.

Hamlet and Ophelia by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Next, Hamlet instructs the Players how to do the upcoming play performance, in a passage that has attracted interest because it apparently reflects Shakespeare's own views of how acting should be done. The play begins, during which Hamlet sits with Ophelia, and makes "mad" sexual jokes and remarks. Claudius asks the name of the play, and Hamlet says "The Mousetrap." Claudius walks out in the middle of the play, which Hamlet sees as proof of Claudius's guilt. Hamlet recites his dramatic "witching time of night" soliloquy.

Next comes the 'Prayer Scene,' in which Hamlet finds Claudius, intending to kill him, but refrains because Claudius is praying. Hamlet then goes to talk to Gertrude, in the 'Closet Scene.' There, Gertrude becomes frightened of Hamlet, and screams for help. Polonius is hiding behind an arras in the room, and when he also yells for help, Hamlet stabs and kills him. Hamlet emotionally lectures Gertrude, and the Ghost appears briefly, but only Hamlet sees it. Hamlet drags Polonius's body out of Gertrude's room, to take it elsewhere.

When Claudius learns of the death of Polonius, he decides to send Hamlet to England immediately, accompanied by R & G. They carry a secret order from Claudius to England to execute Hamlet.

In a scene which appears at full length only in the Second Quarto, Hamlet sees Fortinbras arrive in Denmark with his army, speaks to a Captain, then exits with R & G to board the ship to England.

Next, Ophelia appears, and she has gone mad, apparently in grief over the death of her father. She sings odd songs about death and sex, says "good night" during the daytime, and exits. Laertes, who has returned from France, storms the castle with a mob from the local town, and challenges Claudius, over the death of Polonius. Ophelia appears again, sings, and hands out flowers. Claudius tells Laertes that he can explain his innocence in Polonius's death.

Sailors (pirates) deliver a letter from Hamlet to Horatio, saying that Hamlet's ship was attacked by pirates, who took him captive, but are returning him to Denmark. Horatio leaves with the pirates to go where Hamlet is.

Claudius has explained to Laertes that Hamlet is responsible for Polonius's death. Claudius, to his surprise, receives a letter saying that Hamlet is back. Claudius and Laertes conspire to set up a fencing match at which Laertes can kill Hamlet in revenge for the death of Polonius. Gertrude reports that Ophelia is dead, after a fall from a tree into the brook, where she drowned.

Two Clowns, a sexton and a bailiff, make jokes and talk about Ophelia's death while the sexton digs her grave. They conclude she must have committed suicide. Hamlet, returning with Horatio, sees the grave being dug (without knowing who it's for,) talks to the sexton, and recites his famous "alas, poor Yorick" speech. Hamlet and Horatio hide to watch as Ophelia's funeral procession enters. Laertes jumps into the grave excavation for Ophelia, and proclaims his love for her in high-flown terms. Hamlet challenges Laertes that he loved Ophelia more than "forty thousand" brothers could, and they scuffle briefly. Claudius calms Laertes, and reminds him of the rigged fencing match they've arranged to kill Hamlet.

In the final Scene, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he became suspicious about the trip to England, and looked at the royal commission during the night when R & G were asleep. After discovering the truth, Hamlet substituted a forgery, ordering England to kill R & G, instead of him. Osric then tells Hamlet of the fencing match, and despite his misgivings, Hamlet agrees to participate.

At the match, Claudius and Laertes have arranged for Laertes to use a poisoned foil, and Claudius also poisons Hamlet's wine, in case the poisoned foil doesn't work. The match begins, and Hamlet scores the first hit, "a very palpable hit." Gertrude sips from Hamlet's poisoned wine to salute him. Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned foil, then they grapple and exchange foils, and Hamlet wounds Laertes, with the same poisoned foil. Gertrude announces that she's been poisoned by the wine, and dies. Laertes, also dying, reveals that Claudius is to blame, and asks Hamlet to exchange forgiveness with him, which Hamlet does. Laertes dies.

Hamlet wounds Claudius with the poisoned foil, and also has him drink the wine he poisoned. Claudius dies. Hamlet, dying of his injury from the poisoned foil, says he supports Fortinbras as the next king, and that "the rest is silence." When Hamlet dies, Horatio says "flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." Fortinbras enters, with ambassadors from England who announce that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Fortinbras takes over, says that Hamlet would have "proved most royal," and orders a salute to be fired, which concludes the play.

Significance

Hamlet is not only the most famous of Shakespeare's tragedies, it is perhaps the most famous tragedy in all modern literature. It is widely viewed as the first "modern" play in that the themes it addresses have to do with the individual personality. Hamlet is unsure when to act and what to do. The play is filled with paradoxes.

References
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  1. ↑ Hamlet has 208 quotations in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations; it takes up 10 of 85 pages dedicated to Shakespeare in the 1986 Bartlett's Familiar Quotations (14th ed. 1968)
  2. ↑ E.g. Professor James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare
  3. ↑ E.g. Harvard Classics, Great Books, Great Books of the Western World, Harold Bloom's The Western Canon, St. John's College reading list, Columbia College Core Curriculum.
  4. ↑ (Crystal, 2005, p.66)
  5. ↑ based on the first edition of The Riverside Shakespeare (1974)
  6. ↑ Edwards, pp. 1-2
  7. ↑ Jenkins, pp. 82-5
  8. ↑ Bloom advances this theory in both his major popular works on Shakespeare, Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human and Hamlet: Poem Unlimited.
  9. ↑ Edwards, p.2
  10. ↑ see Jenkins, pp. 82-122 for a complex discussion of all sorts of possible influences that found their way into the play.
  11. ↑ . Some copies of Q2 are dated 1605, possibly reflecting a second impression; so that Q2 is often dated "1604/5,"
  12. ↑ Halliday, p. 204.
  13. ↑ Hibbard, pp. 22-3
  14. ↑ Jenkins, p.14
  15. ↑ Thompson & Taylor, 2006
  16. ↑ ibid
  17. ↑ Hibbard, G. R. Hamlet. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998: 17
  18. ↑ Filmhead.com review accessed 6 April 2007.
  19. ↑ Dworkin, Martin. "'Stay Illusion': Having Words About Shakespeare On Screen." Journal of Aesthetic Education 11 (1977): 55.

Bibliography

  • Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Phillip Edwards, ed., Cambridge, 1985, 2003. (New Cambridge Shakespeare)
  • Hamlet. G.R. Hibbard, ed., Oxford, 1987. (Oxford World's Classics)
  • Hamlet, The Texts of 1603, 1604, and 1623. Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, eds, 2 vols, Thompson Learning, 2006. (The Arden Shakespeare, Third Series)


  • Brown, John Russell, Hamlet: a guide to the text and its theatrical life. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. (Shakespeare Handbooks)
  • Crystal, David, & Ben Crystal, The Shakespeare Miscellany. New York, 2005.
  • Dawson, Anthony B., Hamlet. Manchester University Press, 1995. (Shakespeare in Performance)
  • Duthie, G. I., The "Bad" Quarto of "Hamlet," A Critical Study, Cambridge University Press, 1941.
  • Eliot, T.S., ‘Hamlet and his Problems’, in The Sacred Wood: Essays in Poetry and Criticism. Faber & Gwyer, 1920.
  • Foakes, R. A., Hamlet versus Lear. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
  • Halliday, F. E., A Shakespeare Companion 1564-1964, Baltimore, Penguin, 1964.
  • Lennard, John, Shakespeare: Hamlet. Humanities-Ebooks, 2007. (Literature Insights)
  • Pennington, Michael, Hamlet: A User’s Guide. Nick Hern Books, 1996.
  • Tomm, Nigel Shakespeare's Hamlet Remixed. BookSurge, 2006.
  • Wilson, John Dover, The Manuscript of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Cambridge, 1934.
  • — What Happens in Hamlet. Cambridge University Press, 1935, 1959.

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