Prince Charles surprised the public last Saturday by being on stage to play Hamlet alongside British actors most prominent, during a performance in Shakespeare's birthplace, where thousands of fans celebrated the 400th anniversary of the death of playwright. The show, played at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in central England, and celebrating the most famous scenes of the playwright, was the culmination of a day marked by street theater , dances, concerts and fireworks.

The heir to the throne, who attended "Shakespeare live!" in the room, stepped over the stage during a stage devoted to how to recite the famous monologue "To be or not to be" ( "To be or not to be" in English), opening monologue of Hamlet. "Can I say something?" asked Charles, 57, before embarking, with actors - Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch and Joseph Fiennes - while the performance was broadcast live on British television and in several European cinemas.

"I knew he would be leaving but I wanted to be sure it would be well done and fun," said Gregory Doran, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. On April 23, the day of Saint George, national holiday in England, Prince Charles also laid a wreath on the tomb of the playwright in the Church of the Holy Trinity. "It reminds you certainly your own mortality," he has launched in this regard. During the day, in front of over 10,000 spectators, a theatrical parade passed through this small town planted in the English countryside, and ended near the Church of the Holy Trinity, where the author of the tomb is located.

It's also the sound of a jazz band from New Orleans that the city began its celebration weekend in tribute to the famous bard. "He understood humanity triumphs, sorrows, deep intentions, emotions, he had picked up," he told AFP Monica Evans, who played Saturday Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, in the streets from the city. The most famous British authors died there April 23, 1616 at the age of 52, leaving behind forty plays, "Romeo and Juliet" to "Macbeth" through "Hamlet" in entries the world cultural heritage.

In London, US President Barack Obama was able to enjoy some passages of "Hamlet" and visit Shakespeare's Globe, circular theater open rebuilt in 1996 after being burned in 1613 while played one of the last plays of William Shakespeare . "I did not want it to stop," Obama said, delighted at the end of these few passages from "Hamlet" played by the cast of the Shakespeare Company in this theater located on the south bank of the Thames.

Photo Credits: Paris Match