Prince Hamlet of Denmark, the main character in Shakespeare's famous play Hamlet, is one of the most complex figures in Western literature. Faced with avenging the murder of his father by killing his uncle, Hamlet struggles with the conflict between good and evil, weakness and strength, and his own indecision.

Hamlet is based on a legendary character found in Danish and Icelandic myths and folktales. An early version appears in an Icelandic sagastory recounting the adventures of historical and legendary heroes; usually associated with Icelandic or Norse tales of the Middle Ages of the A.D. 800S. Later the Prose Edda, a book of Norsereferring to the people and culture of Scandinavia: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland mythology from the 1220s, mentions a man named Amloi or Amlothi, whose story...