The opening titles explain that this film is based on a theory from an American literary researcher: "Hamlet is a woman!"

When she hears that the king has been killed in a battle with Norway, she announces that she has given birth to a boy named Hamlet, as only males can inherent the crown.

They decide they can't take back the queen's proclamation, and raise Hamlet as a boy.

Hamlet, wistful, stares out the window at people socializing, and an intertitle describes the prince as having clipped wings.

Hamlet talks to the groundskeeper who found the king's body, who reveals there was a snake from the castle dungeon nearby.

Hamlet decides to investigate further, and to feign madness so that Claudius would not consider the prince a threat.

Acting mad, Hamlet carves a faux crown for Claudius, then makes it disappear with sleight of hand.

Part four: Hamlet's antagonistic feelings towards Ophelia leak out: the prince brushes her off in person and writes a letter calling her a numbskull.

When the king stops the production, Hamlet is convinced, running to Claudius's room with a sword.

[1] Other women to play the part on stage include Sarah Siddons, Julia Glover, Charlotte Cushman, and Alice Marriott.

[2] The film was inspired by the 1881 book The Mystery of Hamlet: An Attempt to Solve an Old Problem by American writer Edward P. Vining, who argues that Prince Hamlet is a fundamentally feminine character and best conceived as being secretly a woman.

[3][4] The New York Times, in a contemporaneous review, called it an "extraordinary work", said "It holds a secure place in the class with the best", and praised Asta Nielsen's performance.