Hamlet

Hamlet one of William Shakespeare's plays and perhaps his most popular, and most puzzling. It follows the form of a "revenge tragedy," in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father's murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. Much of its fascination, however, lies in its uncertainties.

Among them: What is the Ghost--Hamlet's father demanding justice, a tempting demon, an angelic messenger? Does Hamlet go mad, or merely pretend to? Once he is sure that Claudius is a murderer, why does he not act? Was his mother, Gertrude, unfaithful to her husband or complicit in his murder?

Shakespeare is thought to have written Hamlet in 1599-1601. It was published as a quarto in 1603 and in a much fuller version in 1604-05. The 1623 First Folio version is much closer to the second quarto, but differs from it by hundreds of lines. There are thus three texts of the play. An earlier Hamlet play, now lost, may have been a major source. Sources may also include other contemporary works, including accounts of drinking at the Danish court and of "melancholy."

Productions at the Folger

• Hamlet (Shakespeare's Globe, 2012)
• Hamlet (Folger Theatre, 2010)
• Hamlet (1999)

Early editions

First Folio

LUNA: First Folio: 2n4v - 2q1v

Hamnet: STC 22273 Fo. 1 no. 68

Second Folio

LUNA: Second Folio: 2p2v - 2r5v

Hamnet: STC 22274 Fo. 2 no. 07

Second Quarto

LUNA: Second Quarto (not linked)

Hamnet: STC 22276

Third Quarto

LUNA: Third Quarto (not linked)

Hamnet: STC 22277 Copy 1

Fourth Quarto

LUNA: Fourth Quarto (not linked)

Hamnet: STC 22278 Copy 1

Fifth Quarto

LUNA: Fifth Quarto (not linked)

Hamnet: STC 22279 Copy 1

Modern editions

Hamlet can be read online with Folger Digital Texts and purchased from Simon and Schuster.

The Folger Luminary Shakespeare App can be purchased on iTunes.

Hamnet link to Folger Edition: PR2807 .A2 M69 2012

Notes

<references>