Hamlet By William Shakespeare

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy by Shakespeare, written between 1599 and 1602. It is set in Denmark and dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet is directed to enact on his uncle Claudius. Claudius had murdered his own brother, Hamlet’s father and subsequently seized the throne, marrying Hamlet’s mother Gertrude.

Hamlet is the most powerful and influential tragedy having modern connotation. It ranks among Shakespeare’s most-performed tragedy and has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch.

Hamlet has a peculiar appeal and fascination for the twentieth century. The more we study Hamlet the stranger becomes our impression that in Hamlet Shakespeare has depicted a man who belongs to our age. Hamlet has the impression of a revenge play but into its midst is a man who is a high-strung dreamer and has an undercurrent of an academic and a philosopher. Hamlet fascinates us because we see in him ourselves as we, too, are potential Hamlets.