For all its veneer of Renaissance culture, the triple-revenge tragedy Hamlet is rooted in Viking culture. Discover how the genius of Shakespeare was carried on the waves of England's growing naval power, which helped the Western literary canon go global. If Shakespeare is considered the central figure of the Western canon, then Hamlet is one of his most important literary achievements. In the first of two lectures devoted to the Bard, chart the development of Hamlet and the role of Shakespeare's work in the Elizabethan world.