Hamlet Attempts to Slay the King, plate 8 from Hamlet

Hamlet Attempts to Slay the King, plate 8 from Hamlet by Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798-1863) is a powerful example of Romantic graphic art created in 1843. This piece is a lithograph executed in dense black ink, printed on delicate off-white China paper which has been expertly laid down upon a sturdier white wove paper support. Delacroix created a celebrated series of lithographs illustrating William Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, a literary source that served as a central dramatic inspiration for 19th-century French artists.

The subject matter depicted in this dramatic print captures the protagonist contemplating avenging his father’s death by slaying Claudius while he prays. Delacroix, who worked extensively from 1798-1863, was the leading figure of the French Romantic movement, utilizing the high-contrast medium of lithography to effectively evoke the psychological intensity inherent in Shakespearean drama. His interpretations emphasize theatricality, shadow, and emotional conflict, characteristics that define his entire corpus of prints and paintings. This work highlights the artist’s lifelong fascination with literature and the powerful narrative potential of the graphic arts across 19th-century France.

As a key print in the Hamlet series, this particular impression is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The detailed technique and emotional power of such works make them central to the history of fine art prints. Because of their historical age and cultural significance, high-resolution prints of many of Delacroix’s graphic works are often made available in the public domain for research and scholarly study.