Among the many stunts and promotions marking the 400th anniversary this week of Shakespeare’s death, here’s one that strikes close to home: Hamlet’s home, that is, where he kept his unhappy household of mothers, lovers, plotters and ghosts—offered for one night as a sleepover for a contest winner.
Kronborg Castle, at Helsingor, Denmark is the model for the Bard’s fictional Elsinore and his equally fictional wavering prince. The Helsingor municipality teamed with Airbnb for a contest in which participants were asked to write a letter to Hamlet, asking for the room.
The winner, a self-described “die-hard Shakespeare enthusiast” from London, wrote her letter in iambic pentameter. She and a companion will spend tonight, the anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, in a secret room of the King’s Tower within the castle; they will be the first overnight guests in over 100 years.
They will also be guests at a banquet at the castle with Danish artists, writers and actors. Among the other guests will be the contest runner-up, U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford. However, after dinner he’ll have to go home…or perhaps pace the battlements all night, waiting for a conference with the ghost of Hamlet’s father.
More details from TheLocal.dk HERE. Photo of Kronborg by Dr.Splif/Wikimedia
