Setting

Click on the images below to find out more about the setting of Hamlet and what we know about where the play is set.
  • Hamlet tour production photos_ 2018_2018_Photo by Manuel Harlan _c_ RSC_239133
    Denmark has a monarchy and is ruled by a king. It has just lost its king and crowned a new one.
  • Hamlet_ 2013_ the Norwegian captain_2013_Photo by Keith Pattison _c_ RSC_41873
    Denmark is under threat from Norway, and the young Prince Fortinbras wants revenge for his Father who died fighting Denmark.
  • Hamlet _2006_Suzanne Worthington _c_ RSC_55157
    Ghosts and the supernatural exist in this world, though characters are sometimes not sure of them.
  • Hamlet_ 2008_ Polonius and Ophelia_2008_Photo by Ellie Kurttz _c_ RSC_111844
    Polonius is an advisor to the new king and his family live with him at court, or nearby.
  • Hamlet _2013_Keith Pattison _c_ RSC_41898
    Denmark is a religious state and there are a lot of references to God and Christianity. Suicide is against their religion and they also believe that anyone who asks for forgiveness from God can go to heaven when they die.
  • Hamlet _2008_Ellie Kurttz _c_ RSC_50874
    The whole play takes place at Elsinore Castle, where the king and queen of Denmark live.

Every performance of Hamlet will be set in a place that has all of the things above but they can do that in lots of different ways. For example, the play could be set in any sudden regime change, such as a European dictatorship or in a contemporary African state after the death of a monarch.

Why do you think it might be helpful for modern audiences to change the world of a play? What worlds can you think of where Hamlet might be set?

Teacher Notes

On this page students can explore some of the key things that we know about the setting of Hamlet by clicking on the pictures.

You can use these pictures, or other images, as a starting point to discuss what they know about the setting of the play and to think about where they would set the play if they were creating their own production. A great way of doing this visually is for students to create a mood board or collage of images that could be used as design inspiration.