| Fortinbras | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Fortinbras |
|
First Appearance |
Hamlet (1599–1601) |
|
Created by |
William Shakespeare |
Origin[]
Fortinbras is a minor fictional character from William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. A Norwegian crown prince with a few brief scenes in the play, he delivers the final lines that represent a hopeful future for the monarchy of Denmark and its subjects.
His father, the fictional former king of Norway, is also named Fortinbras and was slain in the play's antecedent action in a duel with King Hamlet. The duel between the two is described by Horatio in Act One, Scene One (I,i) of the play.
His name is not Norwegian in origin, but is a French–English hybrid (fort in bras) meaning "strong in arm."
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Fortinbras from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Theatrical Appearances[]
- Hamlet (1599–1601)
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (1891)
- Ambleto by Francesco Gasparini (1706)
- Amleto by Domenico Scarlatti (1715)
- Amleto by Gaetano Andreozzi (1792)
- Amleto by Franco Faccio (libretto by Arrigo Boito) (1865)
- Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas (1868)
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Le Duel d'Hamlet (France 1900)
- Hamlet (France 1907)
- Hamlet (Italy 1908)
- Hamlet (UK 1910)
- Hamlet (Denmark 1910)
- Amleto (Italy 1910)
- Hamlet (UK 1913)
- Hamlet (Italy 1917)
- Oh'Phelia (UK, 1919)
- Hamlet (Germany 1921)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Stories by Famous Authors #8