Shakespeare wrote Hamlet in 1599, when intrigue and violence infected the streets and royal courts of a dirty and brawling Elizabethan London. The phrase “To be or not to be” comes from it, and along with Macbeth, it is considered the best of Shakespeare.
The story of Hamlet was very popular in Shakespeare's time. There had been another popular play also called Hamlet presented on stage not long before Shakespeare came out with his, and he knew he could improve on it.
Shakespeare Created Several Versions That Survived
According to James Shapiro in his book A Year in the Life of Shakespeare—1599, the playwright worked hard on Hamlet, and several early versions survive, allowing scholars to compare how he made improvements constantly.
Some have implied that Shakespeare was so good at writing that near perfect lines flowed from his pen. But Shapiro dismisses that, saying he made many revisions in his works. The playwright must have been busy as a shareholder, actor, principal playwright, and father.
Original Shakespeare Version of Hamlet was 4,000 Lines
Shapiro tells of its evolution from 4,000 lines to a much shorter work, as such a long play could have never been performed in the two hours or so of a normal length production.
Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar ran 2,500 lines, and As You Like it 2,800, so scholars thought that Shakespeare had created a rough draft of Hamlet, and perhaps it would be published as a book, rather than a play. But Shakespeare made no effort to publish it.
By 1600 Shakespeare had turned in a slightly shorter version, though still not short enough for his fellow players to present at the Globe. Soon after, he made one that was the right length, but it was not published or survived in print.
Actor in Hamlet Bootlegs His Own Version
Shapiro tells how one of the actors in Hamlet wrote down the play in 1603 and published it without permission. It is surprisingly accurate due to his excellent memory for his lines, except the lines of other actors often were missing or incomplete.
It is not clear why Shakespeare did not make a definitive version that could be presented in the typical length of the average play. He must have know he was setting himself up for problems, he was a savvy and sophisticated writer with extensive knowledge of the publishing world. There is no indication or clues why he did such a thing.
In the end, there are three different versions that have come down through the ages, and no definitive copy of Hamlet authorized by Shakespeare. There is a recent edition of Hamlet that contains all three versions for Shakespeare scholars to review, but the vast majority of playgoers don’t care which one they are seeing.
It was as if the Beatles had written Sgt. Pepper and performed it live, and three different shortened versions appeared as bootlegs, and no one knew exactly what the band had intended.
Shakespeare’s Son is Named Hamnet
In a footnote, Shakespeare’s son was named Hamnet, and he died very young. It is not certain why he named the boy that particular name, perhaps it was a subconscious nod to his fascination with the story.
One of Shakespeare’s greatest work is essentially incomplete, and no one will ever know what the definitive two-hour play was supposed to be.
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