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''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare at an uncertain date between 1599 and 1602. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is called upon to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius by the ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet. Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brother's widow. ''Hamlet'' is Shakespeare's longest play, and is among the most powerful and influential tragedies in English literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others."〔Thompson and Taylor (2006a, 74).〕 The play likely was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime,〔 and still ranks among his most-performed, topping the performance list of the Royal Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879.〔Crystal and Crystal (2005, 66).〕 It has inspired many other writers -- from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch -- and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after ''Cinderella''".〔Thompson and Taylor (2006a, 17), who are quoting McKernan and Terris in an unpublished program note (1994).〕 The story of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' was derived from the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his ''Gesta Danorum'', as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. Shakespeare may also have drawn on an earlier (hypothetical) Elizabethan play known today as the ''Ur-Hamlet'', though some scholars believe he himself wrote the ''Ur-Hamlet'', later revising it to create the version of ''Hamlet'' we now have. He almost certainly wrote his version of the title role for his fellow actor, Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time.〔See Taylor (2002, 4); Banham (1998, 141); Hattaway asserts that "Richard Burbage ... played Hieronimo and also Richard III but then was the first Hamlet, Lear, and Othello" (1982, 91); Peter Thomson argues that the identity of Hamlet as Burbage is built into the dramaturgy of several moments of the play: "we will profoundly misjudge the position if we do not recognise that, whilst this is Hamlet talking ''about'' the groundlings, it is also Burbage talking ''to'' the groundlings" (1983, 24); see also Thomson on the first player's beard (1983, 110).〕 In the almost 400 years since its inception, the role has been performed by numerous highly acclaimed actors in each successive century. Three different early versions of the play are extant: the First Quarto (Q1, 1603), the Second Quarto (Q2, 1604), and the First Folio (F1, 1623). Each version includes lines, and even entire scenes, missing from the others. The play's structure and depth of characterisation have inspired much critical scrutiny. One such example is the centuries-old debate about Hamlet's hesitation to kill his uncle, which some see as merely a plot device to prolong the action, but which others argue is a dramatisation of the complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder, calculated revenge, and thwarted desire. More recently, psychoanalytic critics have examined Hamlet's unconscious desires, while feminist critics have re-evaluated and rehabilitated the often maligned characters of Ophelia and Gertrude. ==Characters== *Hamlet – Son of the late King and nephew of the present king *Claudius – King of Denmark and Hamlet's uncle *Gertrude – Queen of Denmark and mother to Hamlet *Polonius – Chief counsellor to the king *Ophelia – Daughter to Polonius *Horatio – Friend to Hamlet *Laertes – Son to Polonius *Voltimand and Cornelius – Courtiers *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – Courtiers, friends to Hamlet *Osric – a Courtier *Marcellus – an Officer *Bernardo – an Officer *Francisco – a Soldier *Reynaldo – Servant to Polonius *Ghost of Hamlet's Father *Fortinbras – Prince of Norway *Gravediggers – a Sexton *Player King, Player Queen, Lucianus etc. – Players *A Priest *A Captain in Fortinbras' army *English Ambassadors *Messengers, Sailors, Lords, Ladies, Guards, Danes (supporters of Laertes) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hamlet」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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