The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare [1] (1564–1616).

The original text

Written and first performed some time between 1599 and 1602.

It is believed that Shakespeare based the play on the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest.

Translations into South African languages

For performances in translation, see below "Performance history in South Africa"

Afrikaans

At least three published translations of Hamlet into Afrikaans exist:

Hamlet by L.I. Coertze, published by Stewart, Cape Town in 1945 and performed in 1947.

Hamlet by D.P. de Klerk published by Tafelberg, 1959.

Hamlet by Eitemal, published by Tafelberg, 1973.

Southern Sotho

Translated into Southern Sotho as Hamlet, kgosi ea Denmark by I. Mahloane. Published by Mazenod in 1964.

Performance history in South Africa

As elsewhere in the world, this is one of the more popular of the tragedies and often performed in South Africa.

1608: According to Jill Fletcher (quoting Keeling and Bonner) the first production of a European play in Southern Africa was when (scenes from) Hamlet were when Captain W. Keeling had it performed on board his ship the Dragon off the coast of Southern Africa in 1608, on his way to the Cape.

1854: According to F.C.L. Bosman (1928, p426) the first recorded performance of a substantial excerpt from Hamlet on land only ocurred in 1854 in Cape Town, when Act 3 was performed by the City Amateur Theatrical Society on Wednesday, 26th July in the Dutch Company's Bree Street Theatre (corner of Dorp Street), Cape Town. (It was followed by A Race for Dinner (Rodwell), The Secret (Morris), and Ion (Talfourd).)

1858: The first recorded (semi-) professional performance of the full play came with the arrival of Sefton Parry and his 1858 season of Shakespeare plays,

1876: followed by Disney Roebuck's production of 1876.

1896: Done by the Ben Wheeler Theatre Company in Cape Town in 1896 (with Leonard Rayne), **.

1957: Presented by the University of Stellenbosch Department of Speech and Drama's Arena '57, directed by Robert Mohr. Some of the cast members were Limpie Basson, Cecile Buurman, Jozua van der Lugt (???) and Roelf Laubscher.

1962: Wits university Players directed by Peggy Marks and Stanley Peskin.

1964: In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birthday it was staged by René Ahrenson and Cecilia Sonnenberg at Maynardville in Cape Town, directed by Leslie French, with Will Jamieson (Claudius), Michael McGovern (Hamlet), Alan Prior (Polonius), Roy Sargeant (Horatio), Michael Newell (Laertes), Cecilia Sonnenberg (Gertrude), Judith Gibson (Ophelia), Gordon Sixsmith (Rosencrantz), Drew Wood (Guildenstern), Mickey van der Westhuizen (Marcellus/Osric), Glynn Day (Barnardo), Peter Norman (Francisco), Andrew Wood (A Priest), Alan Wray (Ghost of Hamlet's Father) and others.

1964: Staged by PACT in the Johannesburg Civic and the Aula in Pretoria, directed by Margaret Inglis, with François Swart (Hamlet), Reinet Maasdorp (Ophelia), Joe Stewardson (Claudius), Joan Blake (Gertrude), Bruce Anderson (Polonius), Michael Stevenson (Horatio), James White (Laertes), Ronald Wallace (Player King), John Hayter (Fortinbras), Arthur Hall (Osric), Billy Matthews (First gravedigger), Louis Ife (Second gravedigger), Roger Spence (Rosencrantz) and John Whiteley (Guildenstern). Sets by Raimond Schoop and Robert Langford and costumes by Margaret Louttit.

1969: Staged by the University of Cape Town Drama Department in the Little Theatre, directed by Robert Mohr, with David Haynes (Hamlet), Limpie Basson (Claudius), Harry Victor (Polonius), Paul Slabolepszy (Horatio), Peter Krummeck (Laertes), Johan van Jaarsveld (Voltemand), Philip Graham (Rosencrantz), Nic Goodwin (Guildenstern), Anthony Fagin (Osric), John Eckley (Priest), Ian Peters (Marcellus), Christopher Prophet (Barnardo), William Flynn (Francisco), Farouk Valley-Omar (Reynaldo), Marko van der Colff (Player King), Michael Burke (Player Queen), Johann Bernard (Player Villain), Aubrey Berg (Player Prologue), Denis Raphaely (Player Prompter), Neels Bezuidenhout (Grave-digger), Mike Hough (Fortinbras), Richard Haines (Norwegian Captain), Janice Honeyman (Gertrude), Grethe Fox (Ophelia), Robert Mohr (Ghost), Iain Finley (Guard), Tim Huisamen (Guard), Pierre Knoesen (Guard), Rob Rawlinson (Guard), John Caviggia (Lord) and others. Sets designed by Limpie Basson and lighting by Pip Marshall.

1973: The Eitemal Afrikaans translation, adapted and edited for this production by Robert Mohr, was staged by CAPAB in association with PACOFS, directed by Mohr, opening at the Bloemfontein Civic Theatre on Thursday 15 February 1973 and at the Nico Malan Theatre on Tuesday 13 March 1973 with Cobus Rossouw as Hamlet, also starring Pieter Joubert (Claudius), Jannie Gildenhuys (Polonius]], Errol Ross (Horatio), Neels Coetzee (Laertes), Roelf Laubscher, Price Coetzee, Anton Welman, Raymond Davies, William Egan, Cobus Visser, Johan Botha, Ernst Eloff, Annelize van der Ryst, Pierre Knoesen, Babs Laker and Annelisa Weiland. Decor and costumes designed by Stephen de Villiers. This production was also presented at the Ernst Oppenheimer Theatre in Welkom (28 February to 3 March) and the H.B. Thom Theatre 7 to 10 March).

1974: Presented by NAPAC Drama at The Alhambra Theatre, Durban, directed by English director Peter Dews, from 18 March 1974. It featured Hywell Bennett (as "Hamlet"), Peter Dews (as "Claudius") , Ingride Mollison.

1978: Staged by PACT, directed by Robert Mohr, with Michael Richard (as Hamlet), Ron Smerczak, Michael McCabe, Diane Britz, Bobby Heaney, Charles Whaley, Clifford Lilley, David Sherwood, Alan Swerdlow, Ian Steadman, Jeff Shapiro, Vaughan Girdlestone, Frantz Dobrowsky, Nigel Vermaas, Ronald Wallace, Gillian Harris and Lesley Nott. Designed by Johan Engels and lighting by Jannie Swanepoel.

1982: Painstakingly abridged by Michael O'Brien assisted by Peter Piccolo, at the Glass Theatre opening on 3 February starring Peter Piccolo (Hamlet), Glynn Day, Brümilda van Rensburg, Tjaart Potgieter, Joanna Weinberg, Gary Carter, David Alcock, Seton Bailey, Rodney Venner, Silamour Philander, Fats Bookholane, Flora Barrow, Gys de Villiers. Directed by Michael O'Brien, set designed by Bee Berman and Anton Johnson, costumes designed by Birrie le Roux, lighting by Michael O'Brien and Leon Benzakein. Music by Alain Barker.

1987: The Eitemal Afrikaans translation was staged by PACT, directed by Francois Swart, with Marius Weyers (as Hamlet), Louis van Niekerk, Don Lamprecht, Ben Kruger, Wilna Snyman, Sandra Prinsloo, Richard van der Westhuizen, Bill Curry, William Cronje, Pierre Knoesen, Tobie Cronje, Tjaart Potgieter, Percy Pretorius, Frans Kalp, Andre Odendaal, Johan Malherbe, Usha Khan and Aletta Bosch. Designed by Chris van den Berg.

1992: Presented by CAPAB Drama, opening at the Nico Theatre on 18 July, with Ralph Lawson, André Jacobs, Keith Grenville, Diane Wilson and others.

1994: Directed by David Peimer for SODA, Downstairs Theatre, Johannesburg.

1999: Directed by Tina Johnson at the Amphitheatre, Wits, Johannesburg.

2005: Staged by The Baxter Theatre Centre in association with The National Arts Festival, directed by Janet Suzman, with Rajesh Gopie (Hamlet), John Kani (Claudius), Dorothy-Ann Gould (Gertrude), Royston Stoffels (Polonius), Roshina Ratnam (Ophelia), Clyde Berning (Laertes), Adam Neill (Horatio), Marcel Meyer(Rosencrantz), Brett Goldin (Guildenstern), Tauriq Jenkins (Osric and other roles), Mbulelo Grootboom (Fortinbras and other roles), Adrian Collins (Player King and other roles) and Duncan Macfarlane (Attendant and other roles). Design by Peter Cazalet and lighting by Mannie Manim.

In 2013 performed by the Port Elizabeth Shakespearean Festival (PESF) in the Noel Morgan Auditorium at the Little Theatre of the Port Elizabeth Musical and Dramatic Society (PEMADS). Directed by Linda-Louise Swain, with Andrew White, , Cameron Robertson, Lesley Barnard, Gift Buqa, Jessica Rijs, David Emery, Dennis Slattery and Ray Saunders.

Other notable productions were at Maynardville (Leslie French directing, 1964 and 1975), at the Johannesburg Civic in 1964 (by PACT, directed by Margaret Inglis with François Swart , Reinet Maasdorp, Joe Stewardson and Joan Blake). NAPAC (1964), **and CAPAB at the Nico Malan Theatre from 29 August 1977 directed by Roy Sargeant starring Ralph Lawson, Peter Curtis, Helen Bourne, Lois Butlin, Roger Dwyer, Bill Jervis. PACT (198*, directed by Francois Swart, with Marius Weyers and **), Baxter Theatre (197*/8*? With Brumilda van Rensburg?*) *** (19**, with **, ** and Peter Butler); Loft Theatre Company in Durban (19**); Natal Performing Arts Council [NAPAC] Quartercentenary Festival (1988)? production of Hamlet, directed by Norman Marshall, with Pieter Scholtz as Hamlet and Carel Trichardt, Roger Orton, Fred Hageman and Ivor Kissin amongst others in the cast, signed by the cast; a NAPAC production in 1989 directed by Murray McGibbon with Frantz Dobrowsky as Hamlet, Baxter Theatre and National Arts Festival, (1992, directed by Chris Weare with Ralph Lawson, Diane Wilson, Michelle Scott, Gys de Villiers, Blaise Koch, Neels Coetzee; Ilse van Hemert directing at the Rhodes University Theatre 1992; and 2005, directed by Janet Suzman with John Kani, Dorothy-Ann Gould and Rajesh Gopie), **.

Perhaps one of the most important Hamlet productions, however, was the Afrikaans production in 1947, translated by L.I. Coertze, produced by André Huguenet in conjunction with African Consolidated Theatres, directed by Anna Neethling-Pohl and Siegfried Mynhardt, and featuring André Huguenet and Berdine Grünewald as Hamlet and Ophelia, alongside a stellar cast of Afrikaans performers, including Anna Neethling-Pohl as Gertrude, [Siegfried Mynhardt|Mynhardt]] as Laertes, Gideon Roos, Olivier Burgers, Jan Schutte. It opened to enormous ovation in the Opera House, Pretoria on *** 1947, and the clamour surrounding its success led directly to the founding of the National Theatre Organisation. (The same Afrikaans version was used to open the Wynand Mouton Theatre in Bloemfontein on Thursday October 13 1983.) Notable other performances of this text were those of *** in 19**, Cobus Rossouw and Pieter Joubert for CAPAB and PACOFS in 19**? *** in 19**, Marius Weyers for PACT in 198*?, etc?? Hamlet has also been translated into a number of other South African languages, including Southern Sotho as Hamlet, kgosi ea Denmark by I. Mahloane. (Published by Mazenod in 1964).