Hamlet Group

Question:


rpg
Student
High School - 12th Grade

Why did Hamlet choose Denmark as the setting of the play? What was the political situation at the time which made Denmark so significant?

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Posted by rpg on Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30 PM and tagged with denmark, hamlet, setting.

Answers:

  1. hi1954
    hi1954 Teacher

    eNotes Editor

    I assume you mean why did Shakespeare choose Denmark as the setting for Hamlet.  He did so because the historic events the play was based on occured in Denmark. Helsingore, Denmark is about 30 miles north of Copenhagen, surrounded by the Sound (the body of water lying between Denmark and Sweden). This is the site of Kronborg Castle, the setting of the events of Hamlet. The city's history can be traced back to about AD 70, although it was mostly a marketplace and not a city per se until the 12th century.

    Sources:
    http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D02E7D611...

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    Posted by hi1954 on Sunday March 29, 2009 at 1:45 AM