It must be recollected that in 1602 Shakespeare was in the zenith of his
dramatic power. His tragedy of _Hamlet_ was produced on the stage either
in 1601 or 1602, as appears from the entry of it on the books of the
Stationers' Company on July 26, 1602: "James Robertes--Entered for his
copie under the handes of Mr. Pasfeild and Mr. Waterson, warden, a booke
called the _Revenge of Hamlett, Prince (of) Denmarke_, as yet was
_latelie acted_ by the Lo: Chamberleyne his servantes."
No copy of this date is known to exist, but a surreptitious and imperfect
transcript of portions of the tragedy appeared in the following year
under the title of "_The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of
Denmarke_. By William Shakespeare. As it hath been diuerse times acted
by his Highnesse seruants in the Cittie of London: as also in the two
Vniuersities of Cambridge and Oxford, and elsewhere. At London, printed
for N. L. and Iohn Trundell, 1603." In the next year, 1604, N. L., who
was Nicholas Ling, obtained by some means a playhouse copy of the
tragedy, not a copy in the state in which it left the hands of the
author, but representing in the main the genuine words of Shakespeare. It
was published under the following title: "_The Tragicall Historie of
Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke_. By William Shakespeare.
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