About how long has Hamlet's father been dead?

Answer 1

This is a tricky question. We know that it "followed hard upon" as Horatio says, but how soon after? In 3,2 Ophelia says it is twice two months, that is to say four months, since the King died but we do not know how much time has passed since the wedding when she says it. In his soliloquy in 1,2 Hamlet says "but two months dead, nay, not so much, not two", but later "within a month", "a little month" and "within a month" again. One suspects that he is exaggerating the shortness of the time to suit his anger at it (a good indication early on that what Hamlet says about the world is not necessarily to be trusted). Because this soliloquy happens in the same scene in which Claudius announces that he has "taken to wife" the queen, we may assume that there is no time between the wedding and scene 2 and Hamlet's soliloquy.

We are left with the somewhat uncertain idea that the wedding was within two months of the death, but probably not less than a month, despite what Hamlet says.

Answer 2

Hamlet tells Ophelia that his father has been dead for two hours. Ophelia tells hamlet that it his father has been dead twice the time of two months. So Ophelia doesn't outright say it, but she implies that Hamlets father has been dead for 4 months.

Answer 3

Less than a month, apparently. Hamlet says, "Within a month . . . why she, even she . . . married with mine uncle."

Answer 4

Yes he was. But we don't find out until Act 1 Scene 4

Answer 5

Not long. A couple months, tops.

Answer 6

At the University in Wittenberg.

Answer 7

2 months

Answer 8

2 months

Answer 9

6 months