Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering the old King Hamlet, Claudius's own brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude, the King Hamlet's widow and mother of Prince Hamlet. The play vividly charts the course of real and feigned madness—from overwhelming grief to seething rage—and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. Hamlet is the longest of Shakespeare's 37 plays.
Characters
King Claudius
Gertrude
Prince Hamlet
Polonius
Laertes
Ophelia
Horatio
Rosencrantz
Gildenstern
Themes
Appearance vs. Reality
Sanity vs. Insanity
Web Resources
Full Text of Hamlet
William Shakespeare
Virtual Tour of the Globe
