"Hamlet" by William Shakespeare is a tragedy written between 1599 and 1601. Set in Denmark, the play follows Prince Hamlet as he grapples with his father's sudden death and his mother's hasty marriage to his uncle Claudius. When a ghost resembling the late king appears and reveals a terrible secret about murder and betrayal, Hamlet vows revenge. But uncertainty, madness—feigned or real—and deadly court intrigue complicate his mission in this powerful exploration of vengeance, mortality, and human nature.