Hamlet

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. It was written at an uncertain date between 1600 and the summer of 1602.

Hamlet in music

At least 26 operas have been written based on Hamlet, including:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Ambleto, by Francesco Gasparini (1706)
• Ambleto, by Domenico Scarlatti (1715)
• Amleto, by Gaetano Andreozzi (1792)
• Amleto, by Franco Faccio (libretto by Arrigo Boito) (1865)
• Hamlet, by Ambroise Thomas (1868)
• Hamlet, by Humphrey Searle (1968)

Instrumental works based on Hamlet include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Nocturne in G Minor, Opus 15 No. 3 by Frédéric Chopin, inspired by Hamlet
• Hamlet (1858), symphonic poem by Franz Liszt
• Hamlet and Ophelia, symphonic poems by Edward MacDowell

Contemporary popular music includes:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The Dream Theater song Pull Me Under is influenced by, and makes reference to, Hamlet.
• Lou Reed's song "Goodnight Ladies", from his 1972 album Transformer, uses a line from Ophelia's mad speech (Act 4, Scene 5) as its chorus.