Hamlet at Folger Shakespeare Library

“To be or not to be?” Shakespeare’s most celebrated play returns to the playwright’s American home. Helmed by acclaimed Broadway director Kate Whoriskey, winner of the Drama League Award for Clyde’s, this bold and deeply considered production reexamines Shakespeare’s “poem unlimited” with fresh urgency and insight.

Haunted by the sudden death of his father and feeling alienated in the royal court, Hamlet becomes the ultimate anti-hero, a tortured prince who is by turns cruel and kind. A poet, lover, philosopher, and madman, Hamlet remains a character full of contradiction and meaning for each generation. This great revenge tragedy revolves around the complexities of human experience and—after 400 years—it remains as radical and profound as ever.