Page "Hamlet" Paragraph 95

Shakespeare almost certainly wrote the role of Hamlet for Richard Burbage.

He was the chief tragedian of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, with a capacious memory for lines and a wide emotional range.

Judging by the number of reprints, Hamlet appears to have been Shakespeare's fourth most popular play during his lifetime — only Henry IV Part 1, Richard III and Pericles eclipsed it.

Shakespeare provides no clear indication of when his play is set ; however, as Elizabethan actors performed at the Globe in contemporary dress on minimal sets, this would not have affected the staging.