Page "Hamlet" Paragraph 43

According to a popular theory, Shakespeare's main source is believed to be an earlier play — now lost — known today as the Ur-Hamlet.

Possibly written by Thomas Kyd or even William Shakespeare himself, the Ur-Hamlet would have been in performance by 1589 and the first version of the story known to incorporate a ghost.

Shakespeare's company, the Chamberlain's Men, may have purchased that play and performed a version for some time, which Shakespeare reworked.

Since no copy of the Ur-Hamlet has survived, however, it is impossible to compare its language and style with the known works of any of its putative authors.

Consequently, there is no direct evidence that Kyd wrote it, nor any evidence that the play was not an early version of Hamlet by Shakespeare himself.

This latter idea — placing Hamlet far earlier than the generally accepted date, with a much longer period of development — has attracted some support, though others dismiss it as speculation.