Eventually, the legend of Amleth was translated into French during the 16th century, which is where Shakespeare would likely have first encountered this story and character. While the lore of Amleth is certainly appears analogous, historic literature is riddled with interpretations of mad princes, including Icelandic sagas and Roman legends. Beyond just the similarity between the names, the themes of madness and revenge are concrete plot points in each story and it becomes relatively easy to see how Amleth was the predecessor to the Elizabethan tragedy. “Amleth” or “Amlóði” actually is translated into “mad” or “not sane” in Norse. Scholars can trace a similar story to a 9 th century Scandinavian folktale of Amleth, a prince who feigned madness to exact revenge on his uncle for killing his father. There are several theories about the inspiration for Hamlet, from 12 th century Danish literature to Indo-European character tropes. While Hamlet reigns as a cultural staple, the play’s origin is often contested. Most people unknowingly quote Hamlet with phrases such as “in my mind’s eye” or “what a piece of work.” The play has even been translated into Klingon and featured in an episode of Star Trek (in case you were curious “To be or not to be” in Klingon is, “taH pagh taHbe.”) In fact, it is speculated that Hamlet is performed somewhere every minute of every single day. It was Shakespeare’s most popular play during his lifetime and remains the most produced work of his to date. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet precedes its own reputation.
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