Hamlet

Hamlet, the hero of Shakespeare's tragedy, was an early Prince of Denmark, whose story is related in the Historia Danica of Saxo Grammaticus (about 1180-1208). The leading incidents of Shakespeare's play occur in the original narrative, but, according to Saxo, Hamlet returned to England after his revenge, married two wives, became King of Denmark, and was ultimately slain in battle. Shakespeare probably derived the tale from the prose Hystorie of Hamblet, translated from the Histoires Trayiques of Belleforest, who followed Saxo. He may also have made use of an earlier play on the same subject, which is known to have existed as early as 1589.