The Prince of Denmark

Beginning at the end of the play, where the Norwegian prince Fortinbras takes over the empty throne of Denmark, it backtracks to the year of Hamlet's birth, and the great duel fought between his father King Amled and Fortinbras' father Prince Fortenbrasse. Then re-examining the relationship between Hamlet and Ofelia, and probing the circumstances of Ofelia's mysterious suicide, the novel goes on to imagine the possibility of a different plot, that does not end with the prince's murder, one in which the conflicts and alliances between ancient Viking chivalry, Renaissance realpolitik and Christian forgiveness are dramatically explored.