“Elegy of Fortinbras” is a complex poem that hinges heavily on not just its “real world” context but also its intertextuality, its form, and its linguistic features. In the poem, Polish poet Zbigniew Herbert borrows from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to explore contemporary life in Poland as well as a slew of themes, including heroic choices, lost agency, and tragic results.

Herbert wrote “Elegy of Fortinbras” in either the late 1950s or early 1960s and had the poem published in 1961. At the time, Poland was under communist rule, and the country’s literary circles were closely monitored and often censored. In 1956, a Polish theater held a rare performance of Hamlet, which inspired Herbert to consider the classic play through the lens of communist restriction and oppression as he experienced it. 

In the poem, Fortinbras reflects—at least implicitly—on the tragedy and trials Hamlet experienced toward the end of his life. The Danish prince avenged his father’s murder but lost his own life in the process. In the play, Hamlet is plagued by Claudius (the murderous new king who killed his own brother to assume the Danish throne), who considers Hamlet a threat to his power. In fact, Claudius went so far as to order Hamlet’s murder.

Denmark became a “prison” for Hamlet, Fortinbras realizes; in a sense, it becomes a prison for Fortinbras, too. The two men are constrained by harsh necessity and boxed in by forces beyond their control, a feeling the poet can relate to, as his life in Communist Poland was also one of continual constraint and restriction.

This poem is also a prime example of intertextuality. It picks up where Hamlet leaves off, allowing a fairly minor character in the play, Fortinbras, to discuss and interpret events in a voice that belongs to both the literary character and the author. The Norwegian prince also looks to the future, reflecting on the realities of his own new rule in Denmark. His words echo the play’s original context, but they speak equally well to Herbert’s own, playing with the duality of fiction and reality to underscore the “boxed-in” feeling of life in a restricted role. 

To fully understand the poem, readers must know at least something about Hamlet’s plot and characterization. The play stands behind the poem; the poem builds upon the play. It cannot be read correctly without that context. Throughout, Herbert creatively inserts himself into the beloved play to imagine a continuation of the story and bring the tragedy to a different, more pragmatic, and perhaps less dramatic end. Life must go on even after tragic death; Fortinbras has a country to rule.

Herbert also gets creative with the form of his elegy. This, too, enhances the poem’s meaning. The poet divides the work into six unequal stanzas, each of which reflects on a different theme or idea. The line of reflection transforms throughout the poem, moving from the subject of death to a juxtaposition of Hamlet and Fortinbras’ world views and then back to the disunity of death.

Further, Herbert uses variations in form to mimic the spoken speech of Fortinbras. His stanzas lack punctuation, for instance. There are capital letters inserted in the middle of lines to suggest new sentences, as in this line: “They are as defenceless as before The end is exactly this.” In his elegy, Fortinbras is not considering proper grammar or punctuation as he speaks to Hamlet’s corpse; instead, he allows his words and ideas to flow freely and honestly, outside the normal structures and concerns of formal discourse.

The casual flow of the poem is also reflected in the...