why did william shakespeare write hamlet Why did Shakespeare Write Hamlet

Alright people, question of the night for all the wondering souls out there, “Why did Shakespeare write Hamlet?”

Rather unfortunately, I was not able to get an answer directly from the writer himself because they wouldn’t let me in through the gates of Heaven. But, I did the research and here are the findings I have to share with you all.

Inspiration Behind the Writing of Hamlet

Hamlet, like Romeo & Juliet, also carries a tragic tonality with it. And for those of you who did not know this before, Hamlet is also referred to as “The Tragedy of Hamlet; Prince of Denmark”.

Also, as is the case with most of Shakespeare’s prominent works, the exact timing for Hamlet’s inking is not known but the common consensus says it was sometime amid 1599 & 1601; right at the turn of the 17th century. And quite similar to the way that the date is disputed, so are the reasons that influenced Shakespeare to write Hamlet.

Various Reasons Behind Hamlet’s Penning

Some are of the opinion that Shakespeare used Hamlet as a metaphor to highlight the tensions that existed and arose during the “English Reformation” that delved in to whether Catholics were legitimate or the Protestants. Shakespeare, quite outstandingly, brings both beliefs together in the play.

Others say that Shakespeare simply copied and plagiarized another play which went under the title of ‘Ur-Hamlet’. The original copy of this particular play is nowhere to be found and was believed to have been a work of the medieval Elizabethan days.

And lastly, there is a faction that accepts the fact that Shakespeare was driven by the demise of his eleven year old son Hamnet. Hamnet was Shakespeare’s only male off spring and his untimely passing away at such a tender age left the father in a state of despair and it is in that very moment of bereavement that he conceived the idea of writing down Hamlet.