Hamlet v. Fortinbras: The Real Conflict Of Hamlet:
Yes, people think that gloomy, cloudy, rainy weather where you rarely see the sun would be ideal for Hamlet. This certainly fits Shakespeare’s hero, but what if there were an historic Hamlet who was different? It might not be ideal for him. After all, Hamlet’s kingdom, poised on the sea with Sweden only miles away across the straits where Fortinbras ruled, was under siege and attack. (I think it makes more sense than having Fortinbras be from Norway). That might have been the real reason that Hamlet’s father had been killed instead of an incestuous murder plot on the part of his uncle who wanted to marry Hamlet’s mother. And of course the prince has to take over for his father and fight Fortinbras who is the real enemy of the piece instead of just some foreign monarch who wanders on the stage at the end and finds the Danish court all dead. In other words someone should have written the famous tragedy as the conflict between Hamlet and Fortinbras.
Another important point is that Hamlet is obviously a Viking type. Fortinbras would also be a Viking. They would live in a world of warfare by sea. If Shakespeare were true to type, he would have the Danish Prince from Elsinore revving up his long boats. Supposedly a more recent author named John Updike tried his hand at the story. He more recently wrote a novel called Gertrude and Claudius emphasizing the Viking the connection.
These new conflicts and perspectives are all incorporated in the upcoming Cheops Books LLC historical thriller, Murder at Hamlet’s Castle.
