This analysis of the performance history of "Hamlet" recreates more than a dozen productions from three centuries. It is intended both for students of Shakespearean theatre and for playgoers. Bringing together theatre history and the interests of cultural criticism and performance theory, Dawson traces the Anglo-American acting tradition and provides an account of the interpretative problems associated with texts, character, design, and the production of meaning. He offers an ongoing commentary on the cultural roles of various actors who have brought Shakespeare's most fully individualized characters to life, showing how the performances of such actors as Garrick, Irving and Olivier have mirrored changing notions of selfhood. The final chapters extend the analysis to a number of film versions, notably those of Olivier, Kozinstev and Zeffirelli, as well as to several important European stage productions.