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I believe the author of Hamlet had some decks of tarot cards at hand as he was writing the play. Several passages in Hamlet are quite suggestively related to the images on historical tarot cards. Tarot originated as a card game similar to bridge, and he may have played occasionally. That would be like being a bridge player nowadays. Tarot began in Italy, in the 15th century, and spread throughout Europe as a popular card game.

The historical tarot cards depict classical emblems of Death, the Fool, the Sun, the Moon, the Wheel of Fortune, and so on. Many tarot card concepts in the classical tradition are also ideas used in Hamlet, so the cards would have been a ready-made source for illustration for the play, in the Elizabethan era. Readers of Hamlet, at the time the Second Quarto was printed, who knew of the tarot card references, or recognized them, and who had tarot decks of their own, could have referred to their own decks of cards as they read the play, to have illustrations, even though only approximate ones.

It must be kept in mind that the card pictures are not going to be exact illustrations for Hamlet. Some details of the cards will be relevant, and some will not, depending on exactly what the author decided to use, determined by the play context.

Here is a list of the tarot card decks that might have been available to the author in Elizabethan times.

The Tarot of Milan, from the 15th and 16th centuries. The Visconti-Sforza is a luxury deck in this category.

The Tarots of Ferrara and Venice, from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Tarot de Marseille has been traced back at least to the 17th century, and possibly the 16th.

The Tarocco Bolognese, 16th century, and possibly earlier.

The Tarot of Florence, 16th century.

The Minchiate of Florence, 16th century.

The Tarocco Siciliano, which is known to go back to the 17th century. However, two designs on the tarocco Siciliano are so suggestively related to passages in Hamlet that I hypothesize the design goes back to Elizabethan times, or a similar design does.

Modern tarot card designs would be useless to look at in relation to Hamlet. Only the historical decks that could credibly have been available in Elizabethan times can be considered.

The modern occult uses of tarot cards can be ignored in connection with Hamlet. The occult use of tarot cards, such as for fortune telling, is a more modern development that did not arise until centuries after Hamlet was written. The author would only have referred to the cards for their illustrative symbolism.

It would also be incorrect to suppose that Hamlet was somehow written by dealing a deck of tarot cards. I suppose there might now be some who will try to interpret the play in such manner, but that way lies madness. The tarot card references that reasonably exist are a minor part of the play.

If others may wish to look at additional tarot cards in relation to Hamlet, I will advise that there is an important basic rule of interpretation that must be obeyed. One must always work FROM the play TO the card, to discover any valid relationship that exists (if any does.) Trying to start with a card, and then look from the card to the play in an attempt to find meaning, will lead to mistakes. In discussing the individual cards, at the links in the right column, I'll give an example of how such a mistake can happen, using the Wheel of Fortune card.

This first card is the one which piqued my curiosity about tarot cards in relation to Hamlet. It's the "World" card from the Visconti-Sforza deck. On this card, the World is being carried, not by Atlas as one would expect, but by boys, cherubs. Further, the boys have wings: the boys are birds, "little eyases." The World, as it turns out, is not the globe of the earth, but rather it's a castle by the sea, like Elsinore Castle.

While Laertes is talking to Ophelia before he leaves for France, he makes this interesting remark:

"The chariest maiden is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the Moon."

Here is the Visconti-Sforza Moon card, which does indeed show a chary maiden with her beauty unmasked to the moon.

When the Ghost beckons to Hamlet to follow, and Horatio and Marcellus try to hold Hamlet back, he tells them to unhand him, and proclaims he has a lion's courage. The allusion is to Hercules battling the Nemean lion. The Visconti-Sforza Strength/Fortitude card depicts Hercules and the lion.

At the Mousetrap play, Hamlet says to Ophelia that he could interpret between her and her love if he could see the puppets dallying. The Visconti-Sforza Lovers card shows the puppets dallying, and explains why Hamlet can't see them.

In talking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet mentions R & G living "about the waist" of Fortune. The Visconti-Sforza Wheel of Fortune card shows two fellows who are "about the waist" of Lady Fortune.

Early in the play, Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet rushed into her room, with his stockings down, his doublet unbraced, and looking as though he had seen Hell. The Visconti-Sforza Fool card gives an idea of how Hamlet may have looked when Ophelia saw him.

Ostrick is the Valet of Swords at the fencing match. Here's a picture of him, wearing his amazing feathery hat.

Polonius is the old man in Hamlet. During the Player's recital, shortly after the players arrive, Hamlet mentions that Polonius's beard needs trimming. Then, after the Mousetrap play, Hamlet mentions a camel to Polonius, and a camel is a hump-backed creature. The Visconti-Sforza Old Man/Hermit card shows an elderly fellow with a hunched back, and a long beard that would be improved by a trip to the barber.

The Magician card in tarot has also been known as the Mountebank card. When Claudius and Laertes are plotting to kill Hamlet, Laertes mentions he bought poison from a mountebank. Here's the Visconti-Sforza Magician/Mountebank card.

Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that he advised Ophelia: "Lord Hamlet is a Prince out of thy star." Here's the Star card from the Visconti-Sforza deck, which shows Ophelia reaching for the Star.

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