Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Shakespeare Network Educational Programme - SN ARCHIVES - Watch the full movie: youtu.be/BmjFgYdvcGI - SN Audio-Visual Archives - HAMLET AT ELSINORE - Christopher Plummer - Michael Caine - Donald Sutherland - Robert Shaw (1964)
"To be or not to be" soliloquy - William Shakespeare - Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1:
To be, or not to be, that is the question—
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep—
To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death—
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns—puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. [ Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia.—Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins rememb'red. ]
Subtitles "YouTube Translator": En, Fr, De, It, Es, Pt, He, Ja, Zh, Hi
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CAST
Christopher Plummer as Hamlet
Robert Shaw as Claudius, King of Denmark
Alec Clunes as Polonius
Michael Caine as Horatio
June Tobin as Gertrude, Queen of Denmark
Jo Maxwell Muller as Ophelia
Dyson Lovell as Laertes
Donald Sutherland as Fortinbras
Roy Kinnear as the Gravedigger
Hamlet at Elsinore is a 1964 television version of the play by William Shakespeare. Produced by the BBC in association with Danish Radio, it was shown in the U.S. on NET. Winning wide acclaim both for its performances and for being shot entirely at Helsingør (Elsinore in English), in the castle in which the play is set, it is the only version (with sound) of the play to have actually been shot at Elsinore Castle. This programme was recorded and edited on video tape (2" quadruplex) and not 'filmed'. The director was Philip Saville. It was the longest version of the play telecast in one evening up to that time, running nearly three hours. A 1947 telecast of the play had split it up into two ninety-minute halves over two weeks.
The Canadian actor Christopher Plummer took the lead role as Hamlet and earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance. In supporting roles were Robert Shaw as Claudius, Donald Sutherland as Fortinbras, Roy Kinnear as the Gravedigger and Michael Caine, in his only Shakespearean performance, as Horatio. Sutherland, Caine and Shaw were, at the time, almost completely unknown to American audiences, and just before the presentation's first U.S. telecast, Plummer began to gain popularity in the U.S. because of his appearance in the 1965 musical film The Sound of Music.
Copyright - All rights reserved to their respective owners.
Read the unabridged plays online: shakespearenetwork.net/works/plays
_______________________________
Screen Adaptation - Co-Production : MISANTHROPOS – Official Website - misanthropos.net
Adapted by Maximianno Cobra, from Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens", the film exposes the timeless challenge of social hypocrisy, disillusion and annihilation against the poetics of friendship, love, and beauty.
_______________________________
Why Donate?
Please consider giving a donation today to support our HD AUDIO / IMAGE Restoration Program.
______________________________________
Shakespeare Network Educational Program:
- A Companion to Shakespeare -masterclasses, reviews, reactions, Academic Studies, historical and original audio-visual content, etc. Enjoy unlimited ad-free YouTube videos with YouTube Premium.
Shakespeare Network Educational Programme - SN ARCHIVES - Watch the full movie: youtu.be/BmjFgYdvcGI - SN Audio-Visual Archives - HAMLET AT ELSINORE - Christopher Plummer - Michael Caine - Donald Sutherland - Robert Shaw (1964)
"To be or not to be" soliloquy - William Shakespeare - Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1:
To be, or not to be, that is the question—
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep—
To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death—
The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns—puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. [ Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia.—Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins rememb'red. ]
Subtitles "YouTube Translator": En, Fr, De, It, Es, Pt, He, Ja, Zh, Hi
_______________________________
Join - Donate - Subscribe - Support Us !
a) Become a Member: Please choose your membership level and provide recurring support for our Education Programs, Archives, and In-house Productions - Direct Link: youtube.com/channel/UCBD1uffdDBLhkapQvl3EBmg/join
b) Donate: Use the YouTube "Thanks" button. Your support truly makes a difference!
c) Please consider subscribing to our channel for More Insights: youtube.com/user/ShakespeareNetwork?sub_confirmation=1
_______________________________
CAST
Christopher Plummer as Hamlet
Robert Shaw as Claudius, King of Denmark
Alec Clunes as Polonius
Michael Caine as Horatio
June Tobin as Gertrude, Queen of Denmark
Jo Maxwell Muller as Ophelia
Dyson Lovell as Laertes
Donald Sutherland as Fortinbras
Roy Kinnear as the Gravedigger
Hamlet at Elsinore is a 1964 television version of the play by William Shakespeare. Produced by the BBC in association with Danish Radio, it was shown in the U.S. on NET. Winning wide acclaim both for its performances and for being shot entirely at Helsingør (Elsinore in English), in the castle in which the play is set, it is the only version (with sound) of the play to have actually been shot at Elsinore Castle. This programme was recorded and edited on video tape (2" quadruplex) and not 'filmed'. The director was Philip Saville. It was the longest version of the play telecast in one evening up to that time, running nearly three hours. A 1947 telecast of the play had split it up into two ninety-minute halves over two weeks.
The Canadian actor Christopher Plummer took the lead role as Hamlet and earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance. In supporting roles were Robert Shaw as Claudius, Donald Sutherland as Fortinbras, Roy Kinnear as the Gravedigger and Michael Caine, in his only Shakespearean performance, as Horatio. Sutherland, Caine and Shaw were, at the time, almost completely unknown to American audiences, and just before the presentation's first U.S. telecast, Plummer began to gain popularity in the U.S. because of his appearance in the 1965 musical film The Sound of Music.
Copyright - All rights reserved to their respective owners.
Read the unabridged plays online: shakespearenetwork.net/works/plays
_______________________________
Screen Adaptation - Co-Production : MISANTHROPOS – Official Website - misanthropos.net
Adapted by Maximianno Cobra, from Shakespeare's "Timon of Athens", the film exposes the timeless challenge of social hypocrisy, disillusion and annihilation against the poetics of friendship, love, and beauty.
_______________________________
Why Donate?
Please consider giving a donation today to support our HD AUDIO / IMAGE Restoration Program.
______________________________________
Shakespeare Network Educational Program:
- A Companion to Shakespeare -masterclasses, reviews, reactions, Academic Studies, historical and original audio-visual content, etc. Enjoy unlimited ad-free YouTube videos with YouTube Premium.
