Eugène Delacroix became interested in Shakespeare’s Hamlet after seeing a performance of the play in Paris in 1827. Between 1834 and 1843, he produced a series of sixteen lithographs that illustrate the story, thirteen of which he initially published as a portfolio in 1843. The impressions at the High were printed between 1843 and 1864. This print portrays an encounter between Hamlet and Guildenstern, a childhood friend just arrived at court. Hamlet suspects that Guildenstern has been summoned by the king to spy on him. He unsettles the visitor by insisting he play music instead and mocks him with puns on the theme of manipulation.