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Hamlet

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Aerial view of Kronborg Castle in Denmark, a famous historical landmark.

Hamlet

Prince Hamlet is a very famous character from a play called Hamlet. The play was written by William Shakespeare a long time ago, between 1599 and 1601. It is one of the most well-known plays in the world!

The story happens in Denmark. Hamlet is the son of the old king, but the king passed away. His uncle, King Claudius, became the new king by marrying Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Hamlet has many friends and family in the story, like Horatio, his close friend, and Ophelia, whom he cares about.

People all over the world know about Hamlet because the play teaches us about feelings, choices, and what it means to do the right thing even when it is very hard. The play has been performed many times and has inspired many other stories, books, and movies.

The play Hamlet is very long and has many characters, but it all takes place in one wonderful castle called Elsinore in Denmark. It is a story that has been loved for hundreds of years!

Images

Painting of Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare's play, surrounded by flowers and water in an artistic style.
An illuminated detail from a medieval manuscript depicting historical scenes.
John Barrymore as Hamlet in a 1922 theatrical performance.
Title page from a 1605 edition of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
The first page of Shakespeare's Hamlet from the First Folio published in 1623, an important historical document.
A comparison of how the famous 'To be, or not to be' speech from Hamlet appears in three early printed versions of the play.
Portrait of Michel de Montaigne, a famous French writer and philosopher from the 1500s.
Title page of a 1615 edition of the literary work 'The Spanish Tragedy' by Thomas Kyd.
An artwork by Eugène Delacroix from 1834 showing Queen Gertrude comforting Prince Hamlet from Shakespeare's play.

Related articles

Prince Hamlet
William Shakespeare
Denmark

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Hamlet, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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