Hamlet

TheTragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is atragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamletexacts revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering the old KingHamlet, Claudius's own brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and thensucceeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude, the King Hamlet'swidow and mother of Prince Hamlet. The play vividly charts the courseof real and feigned madness—from overwhelming grief to seethingrage—and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moralcorruption.Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the mostpowerful and influential tragedies in the English language. Itprovides a storyline capable of "seemingly endless retelling andadaptation by others".During Shakespeare's lifetime, the playwas one of his most popular works, and it still ranks high among hismost-performed, topping, for example, the Royal Shakespeare Company'slist since 1879.It has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens toJoyce and Murdoch and has been described as "the world's mostfilmed story after Cinderella". The title role was almostcertainly created for Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian ofShakespeare's time. In the four hundred years since, it has beenperformed by highly acclaimed actors and actresses from eachsuccessive age.