The Tragedy of HAMLET, Prince of Denmark
William Shakespeare, Annotation by D. Vecchio
eBook
(, Nov. 20, 2015)
Shakespeare (1564-1616) was the greatest playwright and poet in the English language. This edition of Shakespeareâs "Hamlet" is from The First Folio that was published posthumously in 1623. "Hamlet" was written between 1599 to 1601 and was Shakespeareâs longest play. The story was set in the Late Middle Ages (14th - 15th centuries) in Kronborg Castle in Helsingør (renamed by Shakespeare to Elsinore), Denmark. Shakespeareâs telling of the story of Prince Hamlet was derived from several notable sources:1.Books III and IV of "Gesta Danorum" (âHistory of the Danes,â 1200 CE) by Saxo Grammaticus (surname acquired because of his eloquent and flawless Latin); Saxoâs "Gesta Danorum" was the first important work of Danish history and tells of the rise and fall of their great rulers; and 2.Volume 5 (1570 CE) of "Histoires Tragiques," a French translation of Saxo by François de Belleforest. Saxoâs account of "Amleth" is thought to be the source for Hamletâa clue is âHamletâ is an anagram of âAmleth.â However, Shakespeareâs Hamlet owes but the outline of his story to Saxo. Following is a version of Amlethâs story adapted from âThe Traditional Hamlet,â Chapter XXII of Donald A. Mackenzieâs Teutonic Myth and Legend (1912?):"King Rorik (a Viking and King of Denmark and Sweden) made two brothers, Horwendil and Feng, joint governors of Jutland. Their father, Gerwendil, was governor before them. Horwendil, the chief ruler, sought glory as a sea rover and challenged King Koll of Norway to fight a duel on a sea island they both wanted. Horwendil, being the bolder, suddenly flung his shield aside and grasped his sword with both hands. He made such a furious attack upon the King of Norwayâs shield that it split in two, and Horwendil severed his foot. Relentless, Horwendil continued his vicious attack until King Koll fell dead before him. As Horwendilâs victories increased, so did his many gifts to King Rorik, who made him King of Jutland. The Kingâs beautiful daughter, Gerutha, wed Horwendil, and they had a son, Amleth. Due to his brotherâs fortune and renown, Feng was stricken with jealously and killed Horwendil. Thereafter, he married Gerutha and usurped his brotherâs throne. Feng declared to his new subjects that he had slain his brother to rescue Gerutha from Horwendilâs cruelty and threat of murder. Amleth was not deceived and, fearing for his own safety, feigned madness with great cunning so that he could live to slay the usurper."This annotated version of Shakespeareâs longest play includes the following:â˘385 endnotes that reference historical and mythological explanations as well as definitions of âEarly Modern English.â The editor was determined to remain as close as possible to Shakespeareâs poetry and the timeless rhythm of his writing.â˘30 illustrations. Even though twenty-first century audiences are still enthralled by Shakespeareâs plays, he wrote for seventeenth century audiences. Sword fights were combined with a wealth of allegory, metaphor, and humorous caricatures that regaled audiences. During their reigns, both Queen Elizabeth I and King James I were his patrons.