Hamlet
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Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous play, a 400-year old tragedy about incest, revenge and madness.
The title character is the son of King Hamlet, who as the action begins appears in a ghostly meeting to the young prince. The dead king accuses his brother (young Hamlet's uncle) of murdering him. As Prince Hamlet investigates, he faces a conspiracy involving schoolmates Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; Ophelia's father Polonius; and even his own mother. Homicide, suicide and duels to the death follow.
Major film versions of the play have starred Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh and Ethan Hawke.