Hamlet AND Contemporaneous Denmark

Hotson, Leslie, I, William Shakespeare, do appoint Thomas Russell Esquire, New York 1938. First hypothesis about a close friendship between the Digges family and William Shakespeare, mainly based on the supposal that "Thomas Digges had a copy of his learned friend's portrait, bearing the names Rosenkrans and Guldenstern, at his house in Heminges's parish. Perhaps Shakespeare saw them there." (p. 124).
Meadows, Arthur Jack, The High Firmament. A survey of astronomy in English literature, Leicester 1969. Acceptance of Hotson's theory: "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern happen to be the names of two ancestors of the Danish astronomer, Tycho Brahe. Shakespeare could have learned of this from Digges" (p. 77).
Thoren, Victor E., The Lord of Uraniborg, Cambridge 1990. The prototypes for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were the two fellow-students Frederik Rosenkrantz and Knud Gyldenstjerne who went to England in 1592 and "somehow made an impression on the young William Shakespeare that was sufficient to get them 'bit parts' in Hamlet." (p. 429).
Usher, Peter D., A New Reading of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in: Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 28 (1996), p. 1305. First presentation of the author's interpretation of Hamlet as an astronomical allegory on the fight between old geocentric science represented by Tycho and new heliocentric science represented by Thomas Digges.
Olson, Donald W. & al., The Stars of 'Hamlet', in: Sky & Telescope 96,5 (1998), p. 68-73. The authors identify the bright star mentioned in the opening scene with the supernova observed by Tycho in 1572.
Usher, Peter D., Hamlet’s Transformation, in: Elizabethan Review 7,1 (1999), p. 48-64. Further developments of the author's theory.
Usher, Peter D., Advances in the Hamlet Cosmic Allegory, in: The Oxfordian 4 (2001), p. 25-49. Further developments of the author's theory.
Ferguson, Kitty, Tycho and Kepler, New York 2002. Acceptance of Thoren's identification of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with Frederik Rosenkrantz and Knud Gyldenstjerne (p. 265n).
Berney, Charles V., In Search of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, in: Shakespeare Matters 3,3 (2004), p. 1, 12-17. Discussion of the "Tycho Connection" (Hotson, Meadow), the "Student Connection" (Thoren, Ferguson), the "Cosmological Connection" (Usher, Olson), and presentation of a new theory: the "Willoughly Connection". The author speculates on Earl Edward de Vere as Hamlet's hidden poet and on his brother-in-law Lord Willoughby as informer for the names Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. On a visit in Denmark in 1582, Lord Willoughby had a dinner with 24 noblemen of whom Jørgen Rosencrantz, Peder and Axel Gyldenstjerne, all closely related to the Brahe familiy.
Chardak, Henriette, Tycho Brahé l'homme au nez d'or, Paris 2004. Novel-like biography of Tycho with quotations from Hamlet at the beginning of each chapter. In this way, the author suggests an identification of Hamlet with Tycho.
Usher, Peter D., Hamlet’s Universe, San Diego 2006. Hitherto most complete presentation of the author's theory. He identifies Hamlet with Thomas Digges, Claudius with Ptolemy, the couple Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with Tycho, and Marcellus with Marcellus Palingenius, i.e. Pietro Angelo Manzoli (p. 115).
Keller, Arne, Admiralskibet Victor, in: Siden Saxo 2007, No. 2, p. 5-11. Article about the royal ship Victor on which Christian IV made a dangerous journey to northern Norway in 1599. At the king's return, Venusinus composed the poem In regiam navem Victor. In his diary, the chief secretary of the chancellery Sivert Grubbe records the poem and he describes the journey thoroughly but does not mention the king's new-appointed musician John Dowland. Howover, the author argues that this Englishman must have taken part at the journey. Moreover, he supposes that Dowland told Shakespeare about the poet with the Horatian pseudonym. Consequently, the author interprets Horatio as a homage to Venusinus.
Lucas, Ib, Manden på Tapetet, Copenhagen 2008. Detective story about un unknown man on a royal tapestry from c. 1586. It represents Frederick II in the center. At his left, the king is surrounded by the crown prince Christian, at his right by Tycho discussing with some nobleman. The detective Julius Mendel discovers that this person is in fact Shakespeare and that the English poet is Tycho's son. The story is largely based on an interpretation of Hamlet's question "To Be or not To Be" as an abridgment for "Tycho Brahe or not Tycho Brahe". Thus, the detective identifies Hamlet with Shakespeare.
Vinilandicus, Kunstværket, Copenhagen 2009. Synthesis of Usher's, Keller's, and Lucas's theories, but with identifications of Hamlet with Christian IV, of Elsinore with Hven and of Venusinus of local informer for Hamlet's poet (cf. summary).