Hamlet and Horatio in the Graveyard
1827-28
Delacroix was absolutely obsessed with Shakespeare, and this moody sketch captures a pivotal, spooky moment from *Hamlet*. You can see the Prince of Denmark holding poor Yorick's skull, contemplating mortality while his loyal friend Horatio looks on and a gravedigger crouches nearby. The loose, expressive brushstrokes and dramatic shadows are classic Romanticism, focusing on raw emotion and atmosphere rather than perfect polish. It feels like a quick, passionate study, showing how the artist wrestled with the play's dark themes long before he finished his famous series of Hamlet lithographs.
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