sourceHamlet

Source Hamlet refers to the hypothetical lost play that is believed to have served as a source for William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This earlier play, often referred to as the Ur-Hamlet, is thought to have been written by Thomas Kyd, though this attribution is not definitively proven. Evidence for the existence of the Ur-Hamlet comes from various contemporary references, including a passage in a pamphlet by Gabriel Harvey in 1598 which mentions "Hamlet revenge" and suggests it was a popular play. Anthony Munday, in his 1594 tract, also alludes to a play about Hamlet.

The theory posits that Shakespeare either rewrote or adapted this Ur-Hamlet to create his famous tragedy. Scholars infer the content and structure of the Ur-Hamlet by comparing Shakespeare's play with these contemporary accounts and by analyzing internal inconsistencies or narrative elements within Shakespeare's Hamlet that seem to suggest an earlier, possibly less refined, version. The Ur-Hamlet is believed to have contained the core elements of the Hamlet story, including the revenge plot, the ghost, and perhaps even some of the iconic soliloquies. While the Ur-Hamlet itself is lost, its influence on Shakespeare's masterpiece remains a significant topic of literary scholarship.