The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, was written between 1599 and 1602. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlet's father. Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brother's widow. Hamlet is ranked among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English literature.