Mary Saunderson, then aged about twenty-five, played Ophelia, her first Shakespearian role in a career which, to quote Colley Cibber, 'was to the last, the Admiration of all true Judges of Nature and Lovers of Shakespeare'.

But above all, Batterton did the Prince's part beyond imagination'. Pepys, who was at the first performance, wrote that it was 'done with Scenes very well. However, the power of the play prevailed. Davenant's version of Hamlet (printed 1676) was severely cut - largely of course because of its length - and some of its diction altered in the supposed interest of clarity and intelligibility. By 1661 Shakespeare had been dead for nearly half a century his language would have seemed old-fashioned, his plots were unfamiliar, and tastes had changed. Later on he no doubt told his young son about the production: thus William Davenant, the man mainly responsible for the return of Shakespeare's plays to the London stage at the Restoration, would have had the unique advantage of hearing a firsthand account of how Richard Burbage played the prince. 'Sir William's father, the devotee of Shakespeare, had probably left London just before the first performance of Hamlet at the Globe on Bankside he would certainly have seen it at Oxford by 1603 (title-page, first quarto). Sir William Davenant (1606-1668), manager of the Duke of York's theatre, was well placed to implement a revival in Shakespeare's fortunes. Thereafter there was only one further printing (1637) as the fashion for classical drama saw Shakespeare's plays fall out of favour, before this one. Hamlet was first published in 1603 with a further three quartos prior to the publication of the first folio in 1623, shortly after Shakespeare's death in 1616. Marginal annotation to M3, otherwise aside from the odd light mark, clean and very well preserved.Ī rare seventeenth century quarto of one of Shakespeare's most profound and popular works, based on Sir William Davenant's famous revival. Recently bound in period style roan, with decorative panels to the covers and morocco title label to the spine.Ī short, repaired, closed tear to the title page and occasional minor marginal repairs. The sixth quarto edition and first 'Davenant' edition.

Tragedy of hamlet prince of denmark