Hamlet takes place in the early seventeenth century, at he royal castle in Elsinore, Denmark. The theme of the story.. "revenge" ..becomes Prince Hamlet's obsession. His split personality--one of warm, poetic sensitivity, the other, cruel madness--hypnotizes the reader. Other immortal characters such as Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Horatio, and Ophelia are just a few in the tradition of Shakespeare's unforgettable characterization.