Museo Antropológico de la Ciudad de México, Mexico City, Mexico – Aztec Calendar (photo (c) Ulrike Boehm; all rights reserved)
There are a number of things that we know for sure about the timeline of events in "Hamlet," others are subject to conjecture, beginning with the very era in which the play is supposed to take place: Saxo Grammaticus's chronicle "Gesta Danorum," which contains the play's primary source material, the Amleth legend, dates from approximately 1185, but the temporal setting of the legend itself lies in Denmark's even more remote (and unspecified) past. On the other hand, the social order described in the play is no longer that of the early Scandinavian and Germanic tribal societies but that of an organised state, such as they began to form in the Middle Ages; and Shakespeare's audience would undoubtedly even have understood some of the items and institutions referenced in the play as contemporary, such as the play's very location, Elsinore (Helsingør), which was rebuilt as a Renaissance castle in the last quarter of the 16th century, as well as the university of Wittenberg, which was founded in 1502 and came to particular fame as a place of innovative, even revolutionary thinking due to the 1517 publication of Martin Luther's "95 Theses;" and also rapiers, those high-precision duel weapons brought to England from Spain, where they had been forged from the combined legacy of medieval Christian weaponry and the sharp sabers of the Moors, and from where they had subsequently been exported, only to become the weapon of choice of all of Europe's nobility in the course of the expeditions to the New World and the 16th century's naval warfare. – So, too, Hamlet's professed interest in the metaphysical (such as underlying his – albeit hyperbolic – ruminations about this goodly frame, the earth and the piece of work that is [a] man), and more generally speaking, his philosophical searching of the meaning of life, death, and everything beyond, seem to characterize him as the quintessential Renaissance man. Thus, it's certainly tempting to set the play in a late 16th century/ early 17th century context – the very time when it was written.
Yet, Helsingør was not a newly-erected castle but stood on the foundations of an earlier (1420) fortress named Krogen, and rapiers, too, had been introduced in England for quite a while by the time that "Hamlet" was written. Even more to the point, for all its apparent Renaissance overtones, taken as a whole the play seems to be (to me, at least) fairly firmly anchored in a school of thought that hearkens back to the time before the reign of Elizabeth I, and even before her father Henry VIII: Most notably, it is fairly drenched in Catholic doctrine, in its condemnation of suicide as against God's will, and as barring a person from burial in sacred ground, as much as in its understanding of Purgatory and of women's role in society; and if the lines Doubt that the sun doth move [... but never doubt I love] in Hamlet's love letter to Ophelia indicate that Shakespeare was familiar with Copernicus's theory of a heliocentric solar system (as first published in 1514 and expounded on in the astronomer's main work, the six-volume treatise "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri VI," 1534), at the same time it nevertheless affirms the traditional view, which had the sun moving around the earth. While such adherence to established doctrine might on the one hand be nothing more than the expected attitude of most men of the time, on the other hand it again underscores a world view rooted in the pre-Elizabethan world, which (were the play to be set in that very era) should surprise not only in light of the then-prevailing intellectual climate in England, where scientific research was expressly encouraged by the Queen, and where religious doctrine had openly broken with the teachings of Rome, to the point that after decades of religious warfare, unity of belief had finally come at the price of as wholesale a suppression of Catholicism as Anglicanism had met under the reign of Elizabeth's half-sister, "Bloody" Mary I (indeed, few things carried greater peril in the days of the Virgin Queen than to be known as a practising Catholic): Even in the Catholic Church, Copernicus's theories had initially gone unchallenged – 1534's "De revolutionibus orbium coelestium" had even been dedicated to Pope Paul III. Only as a result of the trial and comdemnation of Galileo Galilei in the year of Shakespeare's death, 1616 (i.e., about 15 years after "Hamlet" was written), the theory of a heliocentric solar system was outlawed by Catholic doctrine along with Galilei's related scientific theories. Thus, arguably, rather than simply reiterate the traditional belief system, one might have expected Hamlet the "Renaissance man" at least to speculate openly on the issue, and also to do it in the context of his expostulations on this goodly frame, the earth, rather than alluding to it in a love letter to Ophelia. Yet, here, as in his and the other men's dealings with the women, our Prince shows himself decidedly more a man of long-established, conventional, rather than of innovative views. Thus, it seems to me that even though he may be attending the famous reform university of Wittenberg, he is probably doing so at a time just prior the arrival of pioneering thinkers like Luther (whose tenure began in 1508), and in any event, prior to the 1517 publication of Luther's "95 Theses" and the ensuing dispute over the validity of almost every single one of the core tenets of Catholic doctrine. (Then again, one may fairly wonder why Shakespeare, if he was indeed a closet Catholic himself – and this play in particular certainly suggests that he may have been – would have felt compelled to expressly reference Wittenberg, of all universities, in the first place. Yet, I do believe that he would have advocated peaceful religious reform if the climate had been right ... in any event I can't picture him, or a highly intellectual character like Hamlet for that matter, chanting along with John Tetzel, "When money in the coffer rings, the soul from Purgatory springs!")
Taken together, these instances then give us a play set at the dawn, rather than at the height of the Renaissance – in a world in many respects still engulfed by strife, oppression, and ignorance, which will have to overcome yet more strife, oppression, and ignorance, but where, nevertheless, the first glimmers of Enlightenment are already visible on the horizon; just as the darkness of Claudius's reign has yet to be overcome to allow Denmark to free itself from the oppression brought by that very reign, and where it is ultimately up to Fortinbras, the heir to the throne not connected by blood to the extinct ruling dynasty, who finally has the opportunity to make a fresh start and give the country a new direction. Allowing that Shakespeare was aware of the precise year when the university of Wittenberg was founded (1502), this would set the play at the very beginning of the 16th century – or possibly, if he had a larger temporal context in mind, the last years of the 15th century.
As for the sequence of events of the play itself, we are likewise, on the one hand, given a nuber of very precise pointers, while on the other hand we are left with little more than grounds for conjecture. We learn, first of all, that some time before the beginning of the play's main plot, King Hamlet of Denmark settled a territorial dispute with King Fortinbras of Noway by killing the Norwegian King. But while the exchange between Horatio and the Sentinels in the play's very first scene might imply that this can't have taken place very long before Claudius's murder of his brother (because Horatio mentions that the Norwegian King's son, "young Fortinbras, of unimproved mettle hot and full" makes preparations for an invasion of Denmark to recover the lands lost by his father, no doubt taking advantage of the volatile situation brought about by King Hamlet's death; and also because the special nightly watch during which the Ghost first appears is still a relative new one – not all of the Sentinels know why it has been ordered), from Hamlet's conversation with the First Clown/Gravedigger towards the tragedy's end we learn that this was in fact thirty years ago, the "very day that young Hamlet was born."
We also know that the play opens on a freezing cold winter night, but not directly "'gainst that season ... wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated;" in other words, not too close to Christmas. That sets the beginning of the play either at early December or January and February. Since we also know that the play opens "a little month" after the murder of Hamlet's father, and that that murder took place when the former King was sleeping in his orchard, I'd say January and February are out of the question – even a hardened military leader like King Hamlet would find the weather in December and January a bit harsh to go sleeping in his orchard in the afternoon. That puts the opening of the play into early December: provided the weather is still just about warm enough in early November, a person used to spending a lot of time out of doors might just be inclined to still take a brief nap outside then. (Of course, the murder could also have taken place in October, which would mean that the play opens in November; but since we're told expressly, and on two separate occasions, just how freezing cold the nights already are in the play's first act, I think a first act in early December is more likely.)
At some unspecified point in time between the King's murder and the beginning of the play, Prince Hamlet, Horatio, and Laertes have independently returned to Elsinore, and King Hamlet's earthly remains have been buried. What Shakespeare also doesn't tell us with precision is when exactly Claudius has become King in his brother's stead – whether this was immediately upon the latter's death, before or after his burial, or at a different time. Since Laertes expressly states that he returned to "show [his] duty in [Claudius's] coronation" (i.e. not also the last King's burial, which is what Horatio, in his turn, highlights as the reason for his return to Denmark), and since furthermore, the marriage to Gertrude is obviously of crucial importance to Claudius's position, the four events (murder – King Hamlet's burial – Claudius's ascendancy to the throne – Claudius's and Gertrude's marriage) may conceivably have been spread out over the month following the murder. Claudius may well have held back asserting his claim to the throne at least until he was reasonably sure he would be backed by the Queen, although on the other hand he would presumably have wanted to be able to present Prince Hamlet with a fait accompli.
Whether Hamlet had already begun to court Ophelia before he had last left for Wittenberg is likewise uncertain, but unlikely, as Polonius chides his daughter for having only "of late" permitted him to give "private time" to her. Thus, their courtship probably began shortly after Hamlet's most recent return home.
This finally brings us back to the beginning of the play, where – still during the first act, and over the course of two nights and the day in between these – the Ghost of Hamlet's father appears (first to the Sentinels, who have already seen him twice during the previous nights, and to Horatio; the following night also to Hamlet), Claudius announces his and Gertrude's betrothal and sends ambassadors to Norway to avert further hostilities, with her new husband's help Gertrude persuades a very reluctant Hamlet to stay in Elsinore, Laertes and Polonius warn Ophelia to keep Hamlet at a distance, and Laertes returns to France.
Acts Two and Three, as well as the beginning of the fourth act, take place three months later; in other words, most likely in March. We know this because during the "play within the play" Ophelia comments that it is now "twice two months" since the death of King Hamlet. That play, in turn, is set on the day after the arrival of the Players presenting it, as well as that of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the successful return of the Norwegian ambassadors. What we are not told expressly but can assume occurred in immediate temporal proximity with these events is Hamlet's wordless but frightening intrusion into Ophelia's "closet" (bedchamber), because upon learning about it from a distraught Ophelia, Polonius clearly considers it urgent for Claudius and Gertrude to be informed, and he proceeds to share this piece of news on the same occasion as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the Norwegian ambassadors are received by King and Queen. (Besides, from his exchange with Ophelia immediately after Hamlet's intrusion we learn that he so far didn't know how well Ophelia had obeyed his orders to stay away from Hamlet; yet during the audience with Claudius and Gertrude he is able to present a letter from the Prince, which Ophelia must thus have given him only after Hamlet had shown up in her bedchamber.) – We also don't learn for sure when Hamlet first began to show signs of madness, but can assume – based on his announcement towards the end of the first act – that it was probably not long after the appearance of his father's Ghost; on the other hand, the development is still recent enough for Claudius, Gertrude and Polonius not to have formed a definite opinion as to the cause of his his apparent sudden lunacy.
Except for the precise beginning of Hamlet's "madness" (as well as the exact moment of his bedchamber confrontation with Ophelia, of which she tells her father at the beginning of the second act), the timing of events is pretty precise in this part of the play:
After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been received by Claudius and Gertrude, the King welcomes back his Norwegian ambassadors; then Claudius and Polonius start to hatch plots how to find out the cause of Hamlet's cause of distemper, immediately after which Hamlet and Polonius have their "fishmonger" scene. This is followed by Hamlet's first meeting with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (during which he discovers that they were "sent for"), which is in turn followed by the arrival of the Players and the "Pyrrhus and Hecuba" monologue, split between Hamlet and the First Player. The second act closes with Hamlet's "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I" soliloquy, also still on that same day.
Act Three takes place one day later, which we know because (1) upon the Players' arrival in the previous act, Hamlet had ordered a play for "to-morrow," and (2) early in the third act's first scene, Rosencrantz reports to Claudius and Gertrude that a play is to be staged "this night."
Immediately following his and Guildenstern's "reporting back" audience with King and Queen, Hamlet enters for "To be, or not to be," followed by his "get thee to a nunnery" confrontation with Ophelia. Then there is a time lag for the rest of the day: when we see Hamlet again, he is with the Players (presumably in the backstage area), immediately before the beginning of the play. Horatio comes to meet him there, and is praised for his qualities as a friend and taken into Hamlet's confidence with regard to the play's "true" purpose ("Horatio, thou art e'en as just a man as e'er my conversation cop'd withal," and, "There is a play to-night before the King"). After some taunting of Claudius, Polonius and Ophelia by Hamlet, the play begins – and is stopped when Claudius can no longer conceal how much the goings-on on stage have hit home. A very short while later, Hamlet accuses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of trying to "sound [him] from [his] lowest note to the top of [his] compass" (then, when alone: "'Tis now the very witching time of night.") Claudius meanwhile resolves to send Hamlet to England (and there, to his death) and wrestles with his conscience ("O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven"). Hamlet happens on Claudius while he kneels in (purported) prayer but decides to delay his father's revenge (again), because to kill Claudius "when [due to his prayer] he is fit and seasoned for his passage" would be "hire and salary, not revenge." Instead, he proceeds to his mother's bedchamber, where he mistakenly kills Polonius and subsequently confronts Gertrude over Claudius's true character and the true nature of her marriage to him. After a renewed appareance by the Ghost (whom Gertrude can't see), he also reveals to her that he has merely been pretending to be mad.
Act Four begins immediately after Hamlet has left his mother's bedchamber, dragging Polonius's dead body out with him. Gertrude tells Claudius what has occurred. Sent by the King to find Hamlet (and Polonius's body), a little later Rosencrantz and Guildenstern happen upon the Prince and despite more taunts ("to be demanded of a sponge, what replication should be made by the son of a King?") manage to bring Hamlet before Claudius. Hamlet lectures the King on earthly decay and the value of a human life, advises him to send to heaven to find Polonius ("If your messenger find him not there, seek him i' th' other place yourself") and – not for the first time – deliberately confounds the concepts of parentage ("Father and mother is man and wife; man and wife is one flesh," etc.). Marshalled by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Claudius sends Hamlet off to England and to his "present death." On their way (presumably at most a day after the previous events, because the scene is set "near Elsinore"), Hamlet and his train encounter Prince Fortinbras of Norway's army, now set against a small patch of Polish territory instead of Denmark. Hamlet compares his valour to that of the Norwegian prince ("How all occasions do inform against me") and resolves, "from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!"
The last scenes of the fourth act, as well as the entire fifth act, take place at an unspecified later time. I set the intermittent time frame at about one month, or maybe one and a half months – which would mean that we're now in April (or early May) – because:
Taking all these factors into account, and recalling that the ambassadors Claudius had earlier sent to Norway needed three months to complete their mission, but based on their report (which covers a series of events), seem to have spent some time at the Norwegian court before returning to Denmark, that, moreover, England and France are farther away from Denmark than Norway, that news of Polonius's death first had to reach Laertes before he could decide to rush back home, and that Hamlet (as his secretive return implies) most likely had to avoid Claudius's spies and thus, couldn't take the most direct way on his own return, a month, or a month and a half at most, seems to be an about adequate period of time.
We can assume with a fair degree of certainty, however, that a few days go by between Laertes's confrontation with Claudius over his father's obscure burial and their conspiracy, that Horatio received his own letter from Hamlet before Claudius receives his, and that, in turn, Ophelia's burial at the beginning of the fifth act takes place a day after Claudius receives his letter from the Prince. Because (1) Claudius promises Laertes a hearing of his cause regarding his father, and by the time of their conspiracy, that hearing has (apparently: just) occurred; (2) in the meantime, Horatio is charged with giving the sailors who are Hamlet's messengers "some means to the King" to convey his letter to Claudius; (3) only after the latter has actually read Hamlet's message (announcing the Prince's return for "to-morrow") does he learn about Ophelia's drowning (which by this time, however, has already taken place in turn); (4) at the moment of her burial in a churchyard near Elsinore, Hamlet and Horatio are on their way to the castle, but Hamlet has not yet found the time to inform Horatio about the events surrounding his return and Rosencrantz's and Guildenstern's likely fate (he will only reveal those facts after the confrontation with Laertes over Ophelia's grave); and (5) lastly, Claudius expressly refers Laertes to "our last night's speech" (i.e., their conspiracy for Hamlet's death) when cautioning him to be patient after the churchyard altercation with Hamlet.
What we again don't know for certain is whether Hamlet's final revelations to Horatio, the Osric scene, and the duel occur on the same day as Ophelia's burial – we only know that each of the latter of these events, in turn, directly follows the preceding one.
Thus, the last scenes' timeline goes something like this:
Copyright 2002 – 2009: Ulrike Böhm, all rights reserved.
