Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare that tells of the Prince of Denmark, who is urged by his father's ghost to avenge his murder by his uncle Claudius, who has taken the throne and married the prince's mother. The play follows Hamlet's hesitation, feigned madness and philosophical doubts, and ends in a bloodbath at the court of Elsinore. Written around the turn of the seventeenth century, it was registered for publication in 1602 and first printed in quarto form soon after. It draws on an older Scandinavian legend of Amleth. Hamlet is regarded as one of the greatest plays in the English language and has been endlessly staged, adapted and analysed.
Before and after
- 1601Construction of Jerónimos Monastery
- 27 September 1601Birth of Louis XIII of France
- 24 October 1601Death of Tycho Brahe
- from 1602 to 1799Founding of Dutch East India Company
- 1602Publication of Hamlet
- from 1603 to 1868Edo period
- 1603Birth of Abel Tasman
- from 24 March 1603 to 9 November 1867Tokugawa shogunate
- 24 March 1603Death of Elizabeth I of England
More in Art, literature & culture
- c. 1500sMona Lisa
- 18 April 1506Construction of St. Peter's Basilica
- from 31 October 1517 to 1 January 1648Protestant Reformation
- 1 January 1519Origins of Reformed Christianity
- 1605Publication of Don Quixote
- from 1660 to 1725Rise of Classicism
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.