Hamlet

'Hamlet, Prince of Denmark' is one of the most famous tragedies by the English playwright, poet, and actor William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and was also buried there in 1616. Shakespeare had an enormous influence on the English language; a great many words, expressions, and quotations originate from him. He can be considered the first modern playwright. He wrote sonnets and longer poems. His plays are divided into three genres: tragedies, historical plays, and comedies. In 1588, he left his birthplace for London and soon became a well-known actor and writer, and consequently no longer had any financial worries. 'Hamlet' became one of his greatest tragedies, along with 'Othello', 'King Lear', and 'Macbeth'. 'Hamlet' is a revenge tragedy with themes of revenge leading to madness, jealousy, illusions, reconciliation, and boundless ambition. The protagonist's father, the King of Denmark, is murdered by his brother Claudius. The latter claims the throne and marries his brother's widow, thereby becoming Hamlet's stepfather. At night, the ghost of Hamlet's real father haunts the castle. He tells his son that he was murdered at the hands of Claudius. Hamlet is in doubt: is the ghost telling the truth, or are dark forces acting upon him? His beloved Ophelia drowns (suicide?), driven mad by grief over Hamlet's departure and the death of her father, who was stabbed by Hamlet. Hamlet feigns insanity to find out if Claudius indeed murdered the aging Hamlet. The young Hamlet is killed in a fight in the final act; he is struck by the poisonous point of a sword. The two seals below depict the moment gravediggers are working on Ophelia's grave. There, Hamlet discovers the skull of Yorick, the court jester of his youth. He holds the skull in his hand and says, "Alas, poor Yorick," aware of his own mortality. Hamlet is a complex figure full of contradictions. He wants to be a hero but is also philosophical and contemplative by nature. Indecisiveness and a willingness to commit acts of violence alternate. Although quite a few deaths occur, all directly or indirectly due to Hamlet's actions, this hero comes to hate himself because of his own deeds and is destroyed by them. 'To be or not to be, that is the question.' The first line of the famous monologue in which Hamlet contemplates suicide to escape the situation in which he finds himself. 'The Swan', along with 'The Globe' and 'The Rose', the oldest Shakespeare theaters in England.

Shakespeare was buried in Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. It is claimed that the grave was made seven meters deep to prevent theft. On the heavily worn stone above his grave is an epitaph warning not to disturb or move the bones.   ‘Blest be the man who spares these stones and cursed be he who moves my bones’ China 2016. Two postcards: one by the writer Tang Xianzu and one by Shakespeare with the caption: Drama Shines in China and the West.

 

The 100th birthday of the Dutch actor and director Eduard Verkade (1879-1961) was commemorated by the Dutch postal service in 1979 with a stamp on which he portrays Hamlet. Die Haghespelers is the name of four Dutch theater companies founded by Eduard Verkade that were active between 1908 and 1935. Verkade's initials are at the bottom. 'Hamlet' was one of the favorite performances. The design of the image above was created by Chris Lebeau in 1917.