Hello, I'm Ralph Holinshed and this is my co-host, Sarah Siddons; we'll be the guides for your "This Is Shakespeare" edition of Hamlet.

 And to give you a better understanding of the context in which Shakespeare was writing, we've also included several short films that you can watch before, during, or after studying the play.

 So, if you're interested in knowing what the medieval sport of bear-baiting has to do with the founding of the English theater...

 or if you’re wondering what purgatory has to do with burning in hell...

 then you’ll find these background episodes both enlightening and entertaining.

 So let’s get started, shall we?

 The story of Hamlet takes place in Denmark, and it derives from an old legend going back about 400 years before Shakespeare's time.  All the action happens at Elsinore Castle, which is the home of the Danish royal court.

 This first scene opens on a cold night at a guard post on the castle battlements. The soldiers are extremely edgy; we'll soon find out why.

 We’ll meet a couple of guards, and then we’ll be introduced to Prince Hamlet’s good friend Horatio, who’s there that night because he wants to see…

 Well, let’s not spoil it all right away, Ralph.

 Ah, yes.  Right.