Hamlet Attempts to Kill the King

Eugène Delacroix|William Shakespeare|Villain

1834–43 · Lithograph; first state of three · Drawings and Prints

In 1834 Delacroix began a series of lithographs devoted to Hamlet, creating moody images that mirror the troubled psyche of the prince. Choosing key scenes and poetic passages, the artist's highly personal and dramatic images were unusual in France, where interest in Shakespeare developed only in the nineteenth century. Here, in act 3, scene 3, the prince pulls back from revenging himself upon his uncle. He reasons that since his potential target is at prayer, killing him would send his soul straightl to heaven, whereas his own murdered father was dispatched "unshriven"–without confessing his sins. Gihaut frères published the artist's thirteen-print set in 1843, with a second expanded edition of sixteen issued by Bertauts in 1864. Cooly received at first, the prints eventually were recognized as one of the artist's most significant achievements.

Artist

Eugène Delacroix|William Shakespeare|Villain

Date

1834–43

Medium

Lithograph; first state of three

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1922