It is only last night that I discovered this rare gem of a picture post-card amongst some of my possessions. The card was posted in Copenhagen dated 23rd July 1963. Just 46 years ago. The card shows the many actors who played the principal roles in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy >>Hamlet<<. It also shows views of the Castle at Kronborg, immortalized by the Danish Prince. Shakespeare’s Memorial Tablet is at Kronborg. A brief history about the performances of this famous play is reproduced from the back of the card itself.
The Performances of Hamlet
To find the beginning of the best-known play in the world, we must go back to the end of the 12th Century. At that time lived the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, and he tells us the legend of Prince Amleth, son of a king who lived in Jutland. Shakespeare reproduced the fate of the Danish prince, and connected it with the Castle of Kronborg, and thereby secured Hamlet an everlasting fame. Whether Shakespeare was ever at Elsinore is not known. But, we know that some of his friends have visited the town. English instrumentalists often accompanied the embassies exchanged with England and Scotland to entertain royalties. In the winter of 1585-86 the Danish Court was at Kronborg. A troupe of English actors was attached to the court. Another company of English actors arrived in June 1586 and stayed at Elsinore for three months. Among these were two of Shakespeare’s companions, George Bryan and Thomas Pope.
In 1816 the tragedy of >>Hamlet<< was performed in the Kronborg casemates, and in 1837 another troupe of actors performed >>Hamlet<< at Elsinore. In 1916 actors from the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen performed Shakespeare’s tragedy in the sea-batteries. From the year 1937 there have been >>Hamlet<< performances in the courtyard with famous actors from different nations in the principal parts.
(Kindly click on the card to have an enlarged view)
