What is Stephen's theory about Hamlet in Ulysses?
Stephen's Hamlet theory is his argument, set out in the National Library in Episode 9, that Shakespeare is not Hamlet but the ghost of Hamlet's father, a man betrayed by his wife. Mulligan sums it up mockingly in Episode 1: Stephen proves by algebra that Hamlet's grandson is Shakespeare's grandfather.
Edited by Aidan O'Leary · Last updated 30 October 2026
Where it appears
Episode 9, Scylla and Charybdis. Buck Mulligan, explaining Stephen's theory to Haines.
He proves by algebra that Hamlet’s grandson is Shakespeare’s grandfather and that he himself is the ghost of his own father.
What it means in plain English
Stephen links Shakespeare's son Hamnet, who died at eleven, and his wife Anne Hathaway, whom he believes was unfaithful, to the plot of Hamlet.
When asked if he believes it, Stephen says promptly, “No.”
Literary context
Joyce gave lectures on Hamlet in Trieste in 1912–13.
References
- Ulysses, Episodes 1 and 9
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet
- Richard Ellmann, James Joyce (revised edition, 1982)
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Questions readers ask
Does Stephen believe it?
He says no, though he defends it brilliantly.
Related terms
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