when was hamlet written

Shakespeare's play Hamlet was written sometime between 1599 and 1601. Scholars have different views on the exact date, with estimates ranging from 1599 or 1600 to early 1601. The play was registered in the Stationers' Register in 1602, indicating it was recently performed then. It was first published in quarto in 1603 and again in a fuller version in 1604–05. The composition likely took place during the final years of Queen Elizabeth I's reign, reflecting the political uncertainty of the time. Hamlet draws on earlier works, including a lost play called the Ur-Hamlet and historical sources from Saxo Grammaticus. The date of writing is closely connected to Shakespeare's other works around 1600 such as Julius Caesar. Thus, the best-supported timeframe for when Hamlet was written is between 1599 and 1601, with 1601 commonly suggested as the likeliest date of composition.