The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. Set in Denmark, the play follows Prince Hamlet as he seeks revenge against his uncle Claudius, who murdered Hamlet's father to seize the throne and marry Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. The play explores themes of madness, revenge, mortality, and corruption, and features some of the most famous soliloquies in the English language, including "To be, or not to be."
The play exists in three early versions: the First Quarto (1603), the Second Quarto (1604), and the First Folio (1623), each containing lines and scenes missing from the others. Shakespeare drew on a variety of sources, including the legendary Danish prince Amleth from Saxo Grammaticus's 12th-century history and earlier Elizabethan revenge tragedies. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and the title role is one of the most demanding and sought-after in theatre.
Hamlet is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and influential works in world literature. It has been performed countless times on stage and adapted into numerous films, operas, ballets, and novels. The character of Hamlet, with his philosophical introspection and existential doubt, has become an archetype of the modern consciousness, and the play's exploration of grief, betrayal, and the nature of action continues to resonate across cultures and centuries.
