Hamlet and the Queen

Eugène Delacroix|Villain|William Shakespeare

1834 · Lithograph; third state of four · Drawings and Prints

After Goethe’s "Faust," Delacroix chose "Hamlet" as his next major illustration project. The artist’s interest in Shakespeare began early—he wrote about reading and translating passages in 1819. Among the first subjects he undertook from the play was act 3, scene 4, in which Hamlet shows his mother a portrait of his late father, reproaching her for marrying his murderous uncle Claudius.

Artist

Eugène Delacroix|Villain|William Shakespeare

Date

1834

Medium

Lithograph; third state of four

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922