Hamlet and the Corpse of Polonius (Hamlet et le Cadavre de Polonius), from the Hamlet series
Eugène Delacroix
French, 1798–1863

Details
Title
Hamlet and the Corpse of Polonius (Hamlet et le Cadavre de Polonius), from the Hamlet series
Artist/Maker
Eugène Delacroix (French, 1798–1863)
Date
1835, printed 1843–1864
Medium
Black and white lithograph on wove paper
Dimensions
10 1/16 × 7 inches
Credit
Purchase in honor of Mrs. Robert Wells, President 1972-1973 of the Members Guild
Accession #
73.46
On View
Currently not on view
Hamlet realizes he has killed the hapless Polonius rather than the king. Contemplating the corpse, he sums up the situation carelessly with the words, “Indeed, this counsellor is now most still, most secret, and most grave, who was in life a foolish prating knave.”
More from this Artist

Hamlet and Horatio Before the Gravediggers (Hamlet et Horatio Devant les Fossoyeurs), from the Hamlet series
Eugène Delacroix

Hamlet Makes Comedians Play the Scene of His Father’s Poisoning (Hamlet Fait Jouer aux Comediens la Scene de l’Empoisionnement de son Pere), from the Hamlet series
Eugène Delacroix