Because Queen Elizabeth did not have an heir, audiences in Shakespeare’s time would likely have been interested in Hamlet’s focus on succession.[___]

The question connects Hamlet to a concern in Shakespeare’s own time: who would succeed Queen Elizabeth I, who had no heir. A historical lens examines how the play relates to the events and concerns of the period in which it was written. Therefore, the correct choice is “historical lens.”

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.