Key Facts About Hamlet
Publication and Historical Context
- Written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601
- First performed around 1602 at the Globe Theatre, London
- Based on the legend of Amleth, a figure from medieval Scandinavian legend
- Set in Denmark's Elsinore Castle
The play was published in multiple versions during Shakespeare's lifetime, with the First Folio version (1623) being considered the most authoritative.
Genre and Style
- Tragedy with elements of revenge drama
- Five-act structure following classical dramatic form
- Written primarily in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)
- Contains some of Shakespeare's most famous soliloquies
Main Characters
- Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, melancholic protagonist
- Claudius: Current King, Hamlet's uncle and stepfather
- Gertrude: Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother
- Ophelia: Polonius's daughter, Hamlet's love interest
- Polonius: Lord Chamberlain, father to Laertes and Ophelia
- Horatio: Hamlet's loyal friend and confidant
- Ghost: Spirit of Hamlet's dead father
