Hamlet (Character)

Hamlet is the main character in the tragedy, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. Some of the famous players in this role include Sir Johnston Forbes-Robertson, E.H. Sothern, Sir Henry Irving, Sir Martin Harvey, and Sarah Bernhardt.

The Shakespeare Blog recounts this anecdote from actress Elizabeth Robins about one of Bernhardt’s performances: “Madame Bernhardt’s assumption of masculinity is so cleverly carried out that one loses sight of Hamlet in one’s admiration for the tour de force of the actress… She gives us…a spirited boy; doing it with an impetuosity, a youthfulness, almost childish.”