First performed in 1603, Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark is probably the best known of William Shakespeare's works, and may well be the most famous English-language play ever written. Categorized as one of Shakespeare's "later tragedies," Hamlet and its namesake hero display fully the mature Bard's extraordinary talents. But while Hamlet has been the subject of admiring critical commentary since Elizabethan times, it has also developed a reputation as a difficult work to analyze, one that features a very complicated central character, addresses many complex themes, and presents the reader with a multi-layered text which defies easy interpretation.

The character of Hamlet is one of the most compelling characters to ever rise from the pages of English literature. He has been subjected to numerous interpretations and studies over the centuries, his actions and thoughts analyzed and analyzed again. And this, probably more than anything else, is the reason for Hamlet's enduring appeal. Indeed, in her notable work, Hamlet and Revenge (excerpted in the criticism section), Eleanor Prosser concludes that the dilemma faced by Hamlet is in some ways the same dilemma faced by civilized man at large. As a reader, you can come to any number of reasonable conclusions about Hamlet, but coming to a firm conviction about this complex character is a difficult task.