Give us the foils : fencing in Hamlet

Abstract

Hamlet is indubitably one of the most well-known and well-loved plays that Shakespeare has ever penned. However, as times began inevitably changing, and the ways of old were forgotten beneath the surge of progress and modernity, a crucial aspect of the play—one that had a bearing on the play itself and also provided an exhilarating spectacle to its audience—was also similarly forgotten, despite the play’s survival in three different versions. This aspect is the staging of the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. The loss of this aspect is not felt as much nowadays, since the scene has still been recreated and re-enacted multiple times, albeit with fencing techniques that are anachronistic and largely influenced by modern sport fencing. This essay is an attempt to understand how the match might have been staged—especially with regards to the exchange of swords—and with what weapons. At the same time, it will contextualise the fight’s staging with regards to its historical setting, elaborate on the context of fencing in Shakespeare’s contemporary England, and highlight the importance of the fight in the context of the play.