Polonius and Hamlet, plate 4 from Hamlet

Polonius and Hamlet, plate 4 from Hamlet, created by Eugène Delacroix French, 1798-1863, is a compelling example of 19th-century French Romanticism and the artist’s deep engagement with English literature. Executed between 1835 and 1843, this classification of print was realized as a lithograph in black, utilizing the expressive capacity of the medium to capture a scene of intense psychological tension.

The artistic process involved printing the sharp, detailed image onto delicate off-white China paper, which was subsequently laid down onto a supportive sheet of white wove paper. This method allowed Delacroix to achieve the rich, velvety blacks and dramatic tonal contrasts essential to the emotional charge of the scene. The subject matter derives from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, reflecting the Romantic era's fascination with drama, pathos, and the exploration of complex literary figures. Delacroix interprets the fraught encounter between the young, melancholic Prince Hamlet and the verbose, unwitting courtier Polonius, emphasizing the underlying conflict that drives the tragedy.

As a central figure in the Romantic movement in France, Delacroix utilized the accessible medium of the lithograph to share his personal interpretations of literary works with a broader audience, solidifying his role in promoting the narrative power of prints. The continued study of Delacroix’s approach to these literary scenes provides invaluable insight into the visual culture of France during the 1830s and 1840s. This significant print is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Because of its age and institutional status, the image of this Delacroix work is often considered part of the public domain, ensuring widespread scholarly access to this crucial visual dialogue with Shakespeare.