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   chicagorilke23

   eNotes Editor

   While there could be many reasons why Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, there is not one reason or another that scholars can point to and say, "He wrote it for this reason and here is the proof." Shakespeare was influenced, as most writers and artists were of the time, by the world around him. Early works with similar elements existed and there were the works of Thomas Kyd which Shakespeare was aware of and most likely borrowed from. One work that scholars have pointed to as a possible source is the Ur- Hamlet. Though there has not been definitive proof of who wrote this work, it has served to influence both Thomas Kyd and Shakespeare. Hamlet was first performed around 1600 and first published in 1603; one suggestion would be to research events that transpired during this period, perhaps through more research, a better idea of why he wrote Hamlet can be gained.

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   http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/historical-background

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   Posted by chicagorilke23 on Thursday November 5, 2009 at 2:30 PM