Kronenborg Castle

On a sunny, rainy, blustery, hailing day, we took a trip up to Helsinger (Elsinore) to visit Kronenborg Castle, the inspiration for Shakespeare's Hamlet. It stands just a few miles across the sea from Sweden, protected by ramparts rising from the earth, canons and double moats. Sitting on a promintory, the castle provided a great vantage point for spotting and combatting enemies from the sea. Like many castles from the 1200s, it was destroyed by fire, then wonderfully restored in the 1600s. It's been home to the earliest Danish kings. Like Hamlet's father, in the 13th century, King Eric VI was killed by his brother Abel, who lusted after the crown. There is no evidence that Shakespeare ever visited the castle at Helsinger. Rather it is thought he learned of the castle intrigues from sailors having brought news to England. It is believed that a play often called "The Original Hamlet" was written by Kyd and that Shakespeare retold the story more dramatically.