VATICAN CITY -- In April of this year, for the first ever time, one of Shakespeare's works will be performed in full in the Vatican, commemorating the fourth centenary of the writer's death. With the benediction of Pope Francis himself, the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre will be putting on a production of Hamlet in the Palazzo della Cancelleria, historically a centre of musical life in Rome and now a designated World Heritage Sight, Vatican officials said Thursday.

 It has been hailed as a symbolic performance, not least because of Shakespeare's renowned treatment of both spiritual and moral subjects throughout his cannon.

 Many of Shakespeare's works make reference to Catholic concepts and practices, such as the rosary, pilgrimages, and confession, during a period when these were outlawed by the Elizabethan regime.

 Pope Paul VI himself, after attending a Shakespearean recital in Palazzo Pio in 1964, remarked that "the profound humanity of Shakespeare, always open to audacious and poetic exploration, may lead to the discovery of moral laws which glorify and sanctify life, and which bring us to a religious understanding of the world." He reminded that "the plots of [Shakespeare's] theatrical works are, for the modern man, a useful reminder that God exists, that there is a life after this one, that evil is punished and goodness is rewarded."

 As relevant now as then, and just as true for many of Shakespeare's plays, Nigel Baker, the UK ambassador to the Holy See, recalled these words when lauding the arrival of Hamlet in the Vatican as "most fitting."

 Mr. Baker in News.va tells of an incident in 1964 during which Pope Paul VI was shown a precious First Folio edition of Shakespeare's complete works, printed in 1623 and of which only 233 remain. Misinterpreting the gesture for a gift, the Pope thanked the Royal Shakespeare Company for the book and installed it in the Vatican Library. It was only many years later that it was returned to the Shakespeare Birthday Trust, now residing in Stratford-upon-Avon.

 Symbolic indeed then that Hamlet, perhaps the greatest of Shakespeare's works, will now be appearing on stage for the first time before the Vatican, Il Messaggero quoted Vatican officials as saying.

 It will mark the central event of an ambitious international tour, Globe to Globe, in which this latest production of Hamlet will be performed in every country in the world.  

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