the Prince of Denmark: Hamlet and Vikings

This newly revised fictional re-writing of the Hamlet story is set in a time somewhere between the Scandinavian Dark Ages - out of which the original tale of Hamlet came - and the Renaissance society of Shakespeare's play. / Graham Holderness begins at the end of Shakespeare's play, where the Norwegian prince Fortinbras takes over the empty throne of Denmark. It then backtracks to the year of Hamlet's birth, and the great duel fought between his father King Amled and Fortinbras' father Prince Fortenbrasse. / In the light of this history, as a new ruler takes over Denmark after Hamlet's death, the conflicts and alliances between ancient Viking chivalry, Renaissance realpolitik and Christian forgiveness are dramatically explored.