Hamlet and Guildenstern, plate 6 from Hamlet

Hamlet and Guildenstern, plate 6 from Hamlet by Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798-1863), stands as a powerful testament to 19th-century French Romantic printmaking. Executed between 1835 and 1843, this lithograph series exemplifies Delacroix’s profound engagement with the tragedies of William Shakespeare, a key source of inspiration for Romantic artists. This particular impression is a lithograph printed in black ink on fragile off-white China paper, which was subsequently laid down onto a supportive sheet of white wove paper. The complexity of the layering suggests the high value placed on these limited-edition prints.

Delacroix leveraged the lithographic process to achieve dramatic chiaroscuro and expressive line work, perfectly capturing the turbulent psychological state of the Prince of Denmark. His interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet provided him an ideal stage to explore themes of melancholy, fate, and the high emotion favored by the Romantic movement in France. This plate captures a strained, intimate moment between Hamlet and his duplicitous former friend, Guildenstern, focusing on the psychological tension of the confrontation and illustrating the Prince’s deepening isolation.

The print’s intensity elevates the medium beyond mere illustration into high art, and the complete Hamlet series remains one of Delacroix’s defining graphic achievements. This important example of French printmaking history is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Works of this quality by Delacroix are frequently made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring widespread scholarly access to these masterful prints.