Hamlet
PLOT SUMMARY
Written by William Shakespeare
Dated around 1600
Tragedy
Key characters include Hamlet, Claudius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Polonius and Laertes.
To be, or not to be, that is the question.
(Hamlet, Act III Scene 1)
Prince Hamlet of Denmark is shocked that his mother, the Queen, has married his uncle so soon after the death of his father, the King. And when his father’s ghost reveals a dark secret, it’s clear what he should do: exact revenge.
Caught between a perfect world of deceit and an uglier underlying reality, Hamlet is horrified by the role he seems required to play, as madness threatens to rip apart the lie around him and expose the truth beneath.
MEET THE CHARACTERS
PAST PRODUCTIONS
In winter 2021/22 Hamlet was performed for the first time in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse led by Associate Artistic Director, Sean Holmes.
Discover More2000 – dir. Giles Block, starring Mark Rylance
2008 – The Factory’s Hamlet
2011 – dir. Dominic Dromgoole
2012-2015 – performed around the world as part of Globe to Globe. Watch our production performed in Lithuanian with English subtitles
2018 – Watch Michelle Terry take on the title role
2021 – dir. Sean Holmes
WATCH ON GLOBE PLAYER
Hamlet (2018)
Encompassing political intrigue and sexual obsession, philosophical reflection and violent action, tragic depth and wild humour, Hamlet is a colossus in the story of the English language and the fullest expression of Shakespeare’s genius.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SHOP THE RANGE
Alas, poor Yorick… the letterforms of this design draw inspiration from woodcuts used in Shakespeare’s First Folio. These ornamental devices broke up the text and reflect the natural world.
HAMLET BLOGS
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