Hamlet (Folger Shakespeare Library)

Customer Reviews:

Methinks it is like a weasel........2007-09-22

I'm going to take some hits for this (by rabid Shakespeare fans mostly), but this play, whether read in a straightforward manner, or analyzed to the hilt, is just somewhat better than mediocre.
Most folks who would read this work know that Shakespeare's plays are broken down, at the top, into two groups: tragedies and comedies. Hamlet is a tragedy -- the limited humor that one finds herein is pretty darn subtle, (e.g., the comment about Englishmen all being mad). I do not criticise "Hamlet" for that actuality, in fact, I prefer the tragedies. However, the play, as plays go, is simply just so-so. I think folks get 'caught up' in the fact that this is SHAKESPEARE, and therefore, they are SUPPOSED to like it if they have an ounce of culture.
For people who wish to delve into ecclectic classic works (of all genres), "Hamlet" is difficult to read (unless you're a genius, you sort of have to stumble along and concentrate on what has been said), due mostly to the archaic language. I think, to be a fan of Shakespeare, one must assidiously STUDY Shakespeare... and for those folks who just want 'to read some Shakespeare,' I think that "Julius Caesar" is a much better place to begin.
The story about Hamlet is essentially a good tale, if a bit drawn out, but some of the details are what make it most interesting. Also, I like any story where madness is a facet of the discussion (I LOVED "The Brothers Karamazov," Dostoyevsky!)
But to assert that this work is a wonderful read just because it's Shakespeare, is why I say: Methinks it is [just a bit] like a weasel.

Best Shakespearen Play Ever!.......2007-08-27

Hamlet is a must read...end of review.
No, seriously who can't pass up...
"to be or not to be that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outragous fortune or to take on a sea of troubles and by opposing end them. To die to sleep..."
You'll have to read the play to find out the rest.

it's settled........2007-08-25

oh yeah. what the world needs is my opinion on "hamlet," by william shakespeare. seems that the jury is still out on whether this is a good book or not. well, here it is: my seal of approval. great stuff mr shakespeare. i hope that i helped your writing career with this review. you go, guy.

Teachers and General Public.......2007-07-29

Despite its setting, Hamlet speaks to the average individual in ways that Julius Caesar or Macbeth do not, although they are obviously also very worthy in different ways. If you are either a teacher of disenfranchised (girls, in particular, but also boys) students or someone who has felt the hand of opression, this can be a very liberating text--not because of what actually happens, but due to the rich discussions/contemplations that it provokes around how *not* to end up like either Ophelia or Hamlet. Free or extremely inexpensive texts are available on-line; however, I have found the Folger edition particularly useful in helping me and my students understand some of the finer points.

Contemporary Relevance in a Four Hundred Year Old Play.......2007-07-03

Whatever your reason for picking up this book, or for wanting to re-familiarize yourself with it, you cannot help but be amazed at the contemporary relevance of a play penned with a goose quill by the light of candles four hundred years ago. Reading the text in its original language adds a special thrill. Shakespeare illustrates with dexterity and economy how our language can be employed to convey thought and action with precision, beauty, humor, and multi-layered meaning. You will see much that is familiar in Hamlet, because many lines have entered our contemporary usage:

Neither a borrower or a lender be...
To thine own self be true...
A custom more honored in the breach than the observance
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
Though this be madness, yet there is method in `t.
To be or not to be...
The lady doth protest too much...
Brevity is the soul of wit.
I must be cruel only to be kind.
...Hoist with his own petard
...the dog will have his day
Good night, sweet prince...

Even the time-honored concept of "innocent by reason of insanity" is one invented by Hamlet, in defense of his murder of Polonius, and it is now a cottage industry among trial lawyers.

It's a living play, and your fresh eyes will read fresh meaning into every line of it.

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How does one make a play by Shakespeare accessible to those disinclined to read one?The answer is Sixty-MinuteShakespeare Series
helpful
Great for studying Hamlet!
Helpful edition; entertaining play.
A good reading copy

Hamlet (Shakespeare Made Easy)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0812036387

Book Description

Here are the books that help teach Shakespeare plays without the teacher constantly needing to explain and define Elizabethan terms, slang, and other ways of expression that are different from our own. Each play is presented with Shakespeare's original lines on each left-hand page, and a modern, easy-to-understand "translation" on the facing right-hand page. All dramas are complete, with every original Shakespearian line, and a full-length modern rendition of the text.

Customer Reviews:

How does one make a play by Shakespeare accessible to those disinclined to read one?The answer is Sixty-MinuteShakespeare Series.......2007-07-14

Reviewed By: Beverly Krueger, Eclectic Homeschool Online

How does one make a play by Shakespeare accessible to those disinclined to read or see one? Or how do you make it possible for those who just don't have the time to do the play full justice, but nevertheless want to have more than just a taste of the bard, to find the time to read it? The answer is the Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series. I've got in my hands their version of Hamlet. There are two important distinctions to this edition. First, it is abridged. The core of the play is left untouched, so the play and its themes are still understandable. Famous soliloquies are also left untouched. The dialogue that fleshes out the minor characters is often abbreviated. Second, the play is rendered in the original language, but uses standard spelling. This is not a modernized version of the play.

The Sixty Minute Shakespeare series was also written to give a shorter, easier to produce version of the play for theater groups that wanted to put on a production of a Shakespearean play. Any of this series would be a great production piece for a homeschool theater group. I recommend Hamlet in particular because there are so many resources available to help young actors learn more about their roles, especially the many fine productions of Hamlet on video or DVD. A short section on staging a production gives useful advice for staging and pacing of a production.

For those who want to use this edition for a study of Hamlet, I suggest getting a study guide to help with understanding the themes of the play. The notes at the bottom of each page help with understanding some of the unfamiliar words used, but those who are not familiar with Shakespeare will benefit from additional explanations of what is happening in the text.

helpful.......2007-01-15

I have my degree in English... I like reading and teaching with this version as "help" not as a substitution. It gives a clearer understanding to Shakespeare for people who have difficulty with it.

Great for studying Hamlet!.......2007-01-10

I had to use this for a course I was taking. This book was very clear and very helpful. It definetely made reading Hamlet a lot clearer and simpler.

Helpful edition; entertaining play........2006-09-14

"Hamlet" was not a Shakespearean play I had plan on reading outside of my Movement in Theatre class and this edition made it one hundred times easier. I had to read the play in a week, so reading the modern English side made that process effortless. I then read over the original Shakespeare version when I had to focus on the character Ophelia. Overall, I found that this play was easier to read in Shakespeare's writing, as opposed to some of his other plays. The play is interesting, but I felt the ending to be boring. I "sorta" recommend.

A good reading copy.......2006-08-25

Once you get used to the layout, this is a good copy to read along with as you listen to the play. Some valuable insights too and not just for students.

Backwards & Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays

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excellent analysis tool for actors
. . . and Hamlet too.
Required reading for anyone working on the stage!!
Valuable advice
A great book to teach the art of reading and writing a play

Backwards & Forwards: A Technical Manual for Reading Plays
David Ball
Manufacturer: Southern Illinois University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0809311100

Book Description

This guide to playreading for students and practitioners of both theater and literature complements, rather then contradicts or repeats, traditional methods of literary analysis of scripts.

Ball developed his method during his work as Literary Director at the Guthrie Theater, building his guide on the crafts playwrights of every period and style use to make their plays stageworthy. The text is full of tools for students and practitioners to use as they investigate plot, character, theme, exposition, imagery, motivation/obstacle/conflict, theatricality, and the other crucial parts of the superstructure of a play. He includes guides for discovering what the playwright considers the play’s most important elements, thus permitting interpretation based on the foundation of the play rather than its details.

Using Hamlet as illustration, Ball assures a familiar base for illustrating script-reading techniques as well as examples of the kinds of misinterpretation readers can fall prey to by ignoring the craft of the playwright. Of immense utility to those who want to put plays on the stage (actors, directors, designers, production specialists) Backwards and Forwards is also a fine playwriting manual because the structures it describes are the primary tools of the playwright.

Customer Reviews:

excellent analysis tool for actors.......2007-03-12

This book may have been primarily written for directors and writers, but it is a great tool for actors to get to real active meanings in a script.

. . . and Hamlet too........2006-06-28

I agreee wholeheartedly with those below. But Mr Ball is not merely a theorist, he supplies a chapter in which he takes us on a brief journey backward through Hamlet for a distance, and through this method shows how single and specific Hamlet's action is. I can't approach a script now without setting up my dominoes and charting it backward. It seemes foolish not to.

Required reading for anyone working on the stage!!.......2006-01-21

I had a conversation yesterday in which the other theatre artist asked what approach this book advocated to script analysis:
"is it feminist theory? queer theory? Marxist?"

"No, it's the one where you read the script."

Seriously, I don't know what I was doing in the theatre prior to reading this book, and I am so excited to begin my next project now because I feel that I have so much improved in my grasp of how to read a play. Why I wasn't required to read this book in Intro to Theatre or one of my first design classes I don't know, but I am so happy that I did now.

Valuable advice.......2004-12-04

The scope of BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS is narrow, but its ambition is important. This is a book about how to read a play. More specifically, it's about how to read a play whose production you are planning. There are 96 pages in this book and many of them are only partially filled. Some of them are blank. So in very few pages, author David Ball gives some valuable and (I would say, essential) advice. So many bad productions are bad simply because of a basic misreading of the script. Ball tells prospective directors what's important and how to recognize what's important. His advice is very straightforward and concise. He does not pad the book by going off on tangents or use long anecdotes to illustrate a point. He makes a point and then moves on to the next one. I think this book should be compulsory reading for the director, but it is also valuable to the playwright, the actor and the designer. This book is basic. There is a great need to get back to basics. David Ball has done the theatre a great service by writing this valuable book.

A great book to teach the art of reading and writing a play.......2001-04-06

I have used this book as the basis of several theatre and playwriting classes that I have taught. Ball's language is simple, though the words he creates to explain his theories, such as "trigger" and "heap" (a trigger is the moment when people's motivations are exposed, while a heap is the result of that action) make it it easy for any non-theatre person to grasp the clever concepts.

By having a person read a play backwards, Ball shows how to grasp the playwright's intentions, and the character's movements. It's a basic theatrical literary theatre that is surprisingly effective, especially in trying to teach young writers how to create a play.

Customer Reviews:

Great series!.......2000-10-14

I am a high school student, and this edition of Hamlet was very easy to read. The definitions and footnotes on the side of each page were very useful, and the Related Readings gave me a better understanding of the play. I have also read other Shakespeare plays in the Global series, including Romeo & Juliet and Macbeth, and they were also very well put together.

Hamlet : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)

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Educational tool
Hamlet: It's Not Just For Grown-Ups Anymore
the magic of shakespeare

Hamlet : For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series)
Lois Burdett
Manufacturer: Firefly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1552095304

Book Description

Perhaps the best-known of Shakespeare's tragedies, Hamlet has all the ingredients for a gripping story: revenge and power, familial love and betrayal, dramatic sword fights, dark spooky scenes. Once again Lois Burdett has woven her own brand of magic by transforming Shakespeare's complex verse into rhyming couplets. She has created a version of Hamlet especially for children, even as young as seven, and one that readers of all ages will enjoy.

At the appropriately named Hamlet Elementary School in Stratford, Ontario, where Burdett has taught for over 20 years, her students have created wonderful drawings of Hamlet to illustrate Burdett's fluid rhymes. The students' interpretations are vivid evidence of Burdett's clever ability to bring Shakespeare's complex characters and intricate plots to life for young people.

Customer Reviews:

Educational tool.......2007-03-10

This series is wonderful to use in classrooms as a supplement for students with special needs. I use it at the high school level when including students with intellectual disablitites in the regular curriculum. It also serves as a fun review for the entire class!

Hamlet: It's Not Just For Grown-Ups Anymore.......2006-08-15

This was the perfect text to get my 10-year old reading Shakespeare! She's a bright girl, but I thought the "real" text of Hamlet might be a bit burdensome, so when I saw this book, I bought it right away. She loved it! Not only did she understand it, she liked reading it.
Yay, Lois Burdett!!!!! Applause! (can you hear it??)

the magic of shakespeare.......2001-05-04

I teach third grade in an urban school in a very large district and have used Burdett's version of Hamlet as my sole reading program component for the last 2 months. My students have showed more growth in comprehension, vocabulary, writitng skills and public speaking, than I have ever seen with any other class. Not only has their work showed such growth, but their passion for reading has flourished unbelievably. My class ranges from d's to average b's to high honor roll and every child has grown and every child now loves Shakespeare. The wording that Burdett uses is enjoyable and comprehendable yet challenging enough to keep the educational bar raised without compromising the accuracy and intent of Shakespeare's original version. Burdett also incorporates written material and illustrations by students in her second grade class. This helps the children in my class relate to the book even more. They have developed a thirst for Shakespeare that I enjoy trying to quench everyday. Every child is quoting Shakespeare and reciting soliloquys, and I credit much of that to Burdett and her brilliant writing. I loved this book so much that I have personally purchased her entire series and have displayed them all in my classroom. These books are checked out by students in my class everday. They are by far the most frequently read books in my class. She has truly brought Shakespeare back to life in the classroom and on behalf of my students and myself as well, I thank her. Classic literature is back!!!!!

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Hamlet with the Prince
Indispensable
Find and readThe Heart of Hamlet in addition to this book
A real discovery for a non-english speaking reader
The Road to Elsinore

What Happens in Hamlet
J. Dover Wilson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521091098

Book Description

John Dover Wilson’s What Happens in Hamlet is a classic of Shakespeare criticism. First published in 1935, it is still being read today throughout the English-speaking world and has been widely translated. Hamlet has excited more curiosity and aroused more debate than any other play ever written. Is Hamlet really mad? Does he really see his father’s ghost, or is it an illusion? Is the ghost good or bad? What does it all mean? Dover Wilson brings out the significance of each part of the complex action, against the background. His analysis of the play emphasises Shakespeare’s dramatic art and shows how the play must be seen and heard to be understood. This is a readable, entertaining and scholarly book.

Customer Reviews:

Hamlet with the Prince.......2006-08-24

This is of course a very well known book, which set a new standard for textual criticism of Shakespeare's plays. It performs the remarkable feat of casting a completely new light on the most familiar and apparently best known of the plays, and although one does not necessarily agree with all his interpretations one is immensely stimulated by the author's brilliance in extracting new meanings from familiar lines. Strongly recommended to any one with the least interest in Shakespeare the dramatist.

Indispensable.......2005-05-16

As has been said in other reviews, if you buy one book on Hamlet make it this one. I too was dismayed to see Mel Gibson on the cover - fortunately I have an earlier version.

This is an absolutely essential book for any student of Shakespeare. This had a profound influence on my understanding of the play.

I can't recommend this highly enough!

Find and readThe Heart of Hamlet in addition to this book.......2003-04-09

While Wilson's book is an interesting and worthwhile read, a far better book is The Heart of Hamlet by Bernard Grebanier (now sadly out of print). By a close reading of the play, particularly in terms of plot structure, coupled with a knowledge of the Elizabethan mind, Grebanier convincingly dismantles many of Wilson's interpretations. Some of Grebanier's major points, which are opposed to Wilson (and many commentators): Hamlet is not mad and never pretends to be; Hamlet does not procrastinate or hesitate, except for good reason; his tragic flaw is that not that he hesitates (or can't make up his mind) but that he is too rash; Hamlet is a man of action, capable of brutality, caught in extraordinary circumstances, not an etherial, delicate romantic philosopher; "To be or not to be" is not about suicide.

Having studied the play, reading many commentaries on it prior to directing it, I found Grabanier's book to be generally (not always) on target, where Wilson's left me very unsatisfied. Read both, and make up your own mind.

A real discovery for a non-english speaking reader.......2002-01-05

For many years I questioned myself about Shakespeare's greatness and I did not find any answer in italian translations , perhaps because of the treachery nature of the translation itself: the Wilson's precise and meticulous analysis of Hamlet's tragedy enabled me to fully appreciate plot,carachters, and witty shakespearean art.
I strongly recommend this book to beginners, expecially of non-english-native language

The Road to Elsinore.......2000-09-30

A magnificent book! I'm so glad they came out with a new edition of this book so I had the chance to purchase it (even if I was a bit dismayed to see Mel Gibson on the cover instead of Kenneth Branagh)! My friend had the older edition, which I borrowed frequently while taking a Shakespeare course. Each scene is covered in depth, almost like a summary. It might actually be better titled "What Happens TO Hamlet" because once you finish the book, you feel like you know the man! Great for any student of Shakespeare, or for that matter, anyone interested in Shakespeare or the Prince of Denmark at all!

Average customer rating:

it's settled.
Hamlet Spark Notes No Fear Shakespeare
Golden Gate to Shakespeare
Getting Into Shakespeare

Hamlet (No Fear Shakespeare)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: SparkNotes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1586638440

Customer Reviews:

it's settled........2007-08-25

Hamlet Spark Notes No Fear Shakespeare.......2007-05-28

This is truly a No Fear way to understand Shakespeare. There is a modern day interpretation writing on one side of the book and the Shakespeare way on the other. It was a lifesaver!

Golden Gate to Shakespeare.......2006-01-25

Bravo to the writers, editors, and publishers of the entire No Fear Shakespeare series. Rendering Shakespeare into prosaic, colloquial American English not only explains what Shakespeare was saying, but reveals how much better he said it! Here's a few examples from HAMLET:

Hamlet sees the Ghost, but his mother doesn't. In modern lingo, she says, "This is only a figment of your imagination." That's a cliche. In the original, she says, "This is the very coinage of your brain." That's vivid.

Rosencrantz tells Hamlet in modern lingo, "You're not doing yourself any good by refusing to tell your friends what's bothering you." Sounds like a reprimand. The original line sounds like a threat: "You do surely bar the door upon your own liberty if you deny your griefs to your friend."

Hamlet remembers his mother's relationship with his father: "She would hang on to him, and the more she was with him the more she wanted to be with him; she couldn't get enough of him." Sounds good, but the original sounds disturbing: "Why, she would hang on him / As if increase of appetitite had grown / By what it fed on . . ." Change the word "she" to "it" and you have the image of a parasite. That alone says a lot about Hamlet's view of women and sex.

I know of no better guide to reading, understanding, and appreciating Shakespeare than Spark Notes' No Fear Shakespeare series.

Getting Into Shakespeare.......2005-10-29

Man, I wish I would've had this book 25 years ago!

I've always been interested in Shakespeare but it's been hard introducing anyone else I know to the greatness of his plays: the language is just too hard for most people to follow.

Thankfully, the No Fear Shakespeare books have come along, and I've been buying them for myself as well as others. It's wonderful to have a side-by-side comparison of the Bard's original lines with a modern translation that makes the play easy to read.

I hope the publishers do this with all of Shakespeare's plays!

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To thine own self be true ...
You will be absorbed into the story

Hamlet (Folger Shakespeare Library)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743482786

Book Description

Each edition includes:

• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

• Scene-by-scene plot summaries

• A key to famous lines and phrases

• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Michael Neill

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

Customer Reviews:

To thine own self be true ..........2006-03-27

William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is arguably the most famous play ever written in the English language; it presents the world with questions and characters that have been the subject of thespian and scholarly debate ever since the Prince of Denmark's first appearance on the stage of London's Globe Theatre. Probably written and first performed in 1601 (estimates vary between 1600 and 1602), the play draws on Saxo Grammaticus's late 12th/early 13th century chronicle "Gesta Danorum," which includes a popular legend with a similar plot centering around a prince named Amleth; as well as several more contemporaneous sources, primarily Francois de Belleforest's "Histoires Tragiques, Extraicts des Oeuvres Italiennes de Bandel" (1559-1580), which expands on the story told in the "Gesta Danorum," and a lost play known as the "Ur-Hamlet" (i.e., original "Hamlet"), sometimes also attributed to Shakespeare, but equally likely written by a different author a few decades earlier. Another work frequently cited in this context is 16th century playwright Thomas Kyd's "Spanish Tragedie."

Pursuant to Shakespeare's wishes and like all of his works, "Hamlet" was not immediately published, and the original manuscript did not survive. However, in the absence of copyright laws or other forms of protection of what today would be called the playwright's intellectual property rights, first bootleg copies (so-called quartos) based on transcripts made during or after performances began to appear in 1603. Yet, it would not be until 1623 - seven years after Shakespeare's 1616 death - that his former fellow actors John Hemmings and Henry Condell published 36 of his plays (including this one) in a collection known as the First Folio.

As no print version of any of Shakespeare's plays has a bona fide claim to its author's first-hand blessings, ever since the Bard's death the world is left with numerous questions about his characters' motivations and psychological makeup; first and foremost, in this particular case: who is this Prince of Denmark anyway, and what's driving him - is he a reluctant suicide or reluctant avenger? A Renaissance man? Wrecked by Freudian guilt? Genuinely mad, or merely putting on a clever act of deception? Or is he someone else entirely? - Indeed, we're even left in doubt as to what exactly it was that Shakespeare meant his characters to say, with all attendant interpretative consequences: Does the Prince wish for his "too too sullied" or his "too too solid" flesh to "melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew" in his first major soliloquy (Act I, Scene 2)? Does he really contemplate "the stamp of [that] one defect" which may fatally taint the perception of a man's other virtues, "be they as pure as grace," before meeting his father's ghost (I, 4)? Does Polonius, when sending Reynaldo on a spying mission after Laertes, refer to his scheme as "a fetch of wit" or "a fetch of warrant" (II, 1)? Do Hamlet's musings in "To be, or not to be" (III, 1) concern "enterprises of great pith and moment" or "of great pitch and moment," whose "currents turn awry and lose the name of action" by his doubts? Does or doesn't the sight of the Norwegian army while Hamlet is on his way to England (IV, 4) prompt him, who has so far failed to carry out his purpose, to reflect "How all occasions do inform against me," and conclude his soliloquy with the vow "from this time forth my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth"?

How you answer any of these questions, and how you consequently view the play's characters, depends in no small part on the text you read. Like all Folger Shakespeare editions, this one is based on what the editors have deemed the "best early printed version," while allowing the reader a unique direct comparison of the principal reliable versions by including a text essentially combining these versions, with unobtrusive markers characterizing those passages appearing only in one particular version. For "Hamlet," the editors eschewed the play's very first (1603) quarto, which was possibly compiled by a journeyman actor and whose inconsistencies with all subsequent versions (textually as well as plot-wise and even regarding character names) have caused it to be generally considered a "bad" quarto, in favor of the 1604 Second Quarto, which some even believe to be based on Shakespeare's own first draft of the play and which, in any event, while more extensive than the 1623 First Folio (in turn, thought to be closest to the version(s) actually produced on the Globe Theatre stage), boasts about as secure a claim of authenticity as the latter. In some instances, the text follows the Second Quarto (Q2) without visually alerting the reader to the differences vis-a-vis the First Folio (F1), thus compelling those more used to the latter version to seek out the extensive end notes to reassure themselves that (in the examples given above) it might indeed be "solid flesh," "warrant," and "pith and moment" (F1) instead of "sullied flesh," "wit," and "pitch and moment" (Q2). In other instances, however, the First Folio's language (clearly marked as such) is given preference over that of the Second Quarto; while crucially, the text also includes all those passages *only* contained in the latter, including the "stamp of one defect" and "bloody thoughts" monologues, whose interpretation has such a direct bearing on many a reader's understanding of Hamlet's character.

The text is amplified by illustrations and annotations for those unfamiliar with 16th century English, scene-by-scene plot summaries, a short biography of Shakespeare, and introductory and concluding essays on this and the Bard's other plays and on Shakespearean theatre, as well as extensive suggestions for further reading, and a key to the play's most famous lines. While it is unlikely that after 400 years of debate any one version, be it in print, on stage or on screen, will be able to generate unanimous acceptance as the "definitive" rendition of this complex play, this is an excellent starting point for an in-depth excursion into the Prince of Denmark's world.

You will be absorbed into the story.......2005-12-30

This really is "The Tragical History of Hamlet Prince of Denmark" and not only the Prince but his family. Not only his family but his friends. Not only his friends but all though that came before him and is told to those that came after him.

You can take time to scrutinize and pick apart many underlying themes or may of the phrases that now challenge Bible sayings in today's sound bites. But the real fun is in just reading the story and you will find that it is not as foreign as you may have thought.

A quick synopsis is that Old Hamlet conquered Old Fortinbras seizing his land. Now that Old Hamlet is dead, Young Fortinbras wants his land back and is willing to take it by force. Meanwhile back in Dänemark Young Hamlet who is excessively grieving for the loss of his father, gets a now insight from his fathers ghost. Looks like he was a victim of a "murder most foul"; it looks like his mother and uncle were in cahoots on the murder.

The story is about what each person felt and acted or did not act upon the situation.

You will find many movies and perverted imitations of the story but nothing will replace the original scripts that were intended to be watched.

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You will be absorbed into the story
Best Yet

Hamlet (Arkangel Complete Shakespeare)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: The Audio Partners
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1932219080

Book Description

Distressed by his father's death and his mother's hasty remarriage, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is haunted by a ghostly courier bearing a grim message of murder and revenge. The young prince is driven to the edge of madness as he struggles to understand the situation he finds himself in and to do his duty. Many others, including Hamlet's beloved, the innocent Ophelia, are swept up in his tragedy. Shakespeare's most famous play remains one of the greatest stories in Western literature. Performed by Simon Russell Beale, Imogen Stubbs, Jane Lapotaire, and the Arkangel cast.

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare marks the first time in audio publishing history that all of Shakespeare's plays have been produced by a single creative team. Based word-for-word on The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, each play is presented uncut.

Customer Reviews:

You will be absorbed into the story.......2006-09-23

This really is "The Tragical History of Hamlet Prince of Denmark" and not only the Prince but his family. Not only his family but his friends. Not only his friends but all though that came before him and is told to those that came after him.

You can slow down and pick apart many underlying themes and may of the phrases that now challenge Bible sayings in today's sound bites. But the real fun is in just reading the story and you will find that it is not as foreign as you may have thought.
A quick synopsis is that Old Hamlet conquered Old Fortinbras seizing his land. Now that Old Hamlet is dead, Young Fortinbras wants his land back and is willing to take it by force. Meanwhile back in Dänemark Young Hamlet who is excessively grieving for the loss of his father, gets a now insight from his fathers ghost. Looks like he was a victim of a "murder most foul"; it looks like his mother and uncle were in cahoots on the murder.

The story is about what each person felt and acted or did not act upon the situation.
You will find many movies and perverted imitations of the story but nothing will replace the original that was intended to be watched but reads well.
You may like different audio and audio dramatizations.

Best Yet.......2005-10-22

What a terrific find! I got the Romeo and Juliet cd from the same company and was very pleased. So, I tried Macbeth. This is the finest interpretation of the parts I have ever heard. The readers even speak with Scottish accents. This a dramatized version, complete with sound effects. My students love it.

Average customer rating:

Helped me get an `A' in Shakespeare!
Very useful!

Hamlet (Cliffs Notes)
Carla Lynn Stockton
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764586033

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. The latest generation of titles in this series also feature glossaries and visual elements that complement the classic, familiar format.

Something may be rotten in the state of Denmark, but your grades will be sweet when you rely on CliffsNotes on Hamlet as you digest Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece. In this play, Hamlet explores the meaning of life, death, eternity, relationships, hypocrisy, truth, the existence of God, and almost anything else that concerns mankind.

Character studies shed new light on Prince Hamlet, his father King Hamlet, the malevolent Claudius, the troubled Ophelia — and the rest of the cast. You'll also explore the life and times of William Shakespeare, and unlock the play's themes and literary devices. Count on CliffsNotes on Hamlet for detailed summaries and commentaries on every scene to help you appreciate the complexity of the play.

Other features that help you study include

Character analyses of major players
A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
Critical essays
A review section that tests your knowledge

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Customer Reviews:

Helped me get an `A' in Shakespeare!.......2006-01-27

I remember well using Cliffs Notes for Hamlet when I was in high school. I did not like Shakespeare at all. I couldn't understand it. I didn't just read the Cliffs Notes, but used it as I read the book to help me interpret what I was reading. The book explains the play passage by passage.

As useful as the Cliffs Notes are for understanding Shakespeare, I found the analyses at the end an excellent extra for diving deeper into the story. In fact, I used one of the analyses for a paper I had to complete in my class. I did my paper on the idea that there were two parts to Hamlet's personality. He was a morally-conscious seeker of truth as well as a man obsessed with bloody revenge and avenging truth. Cliffs Notes not only gave me this idea for the paper, but cited passages throughout the play as evidence. My paper discussed the two sides of Hamlet and how his changing emotions steered the course of the play. I covered Hamlet's encounters with Claudius, his mother Queen Gertrude, Polonius (showcasing Hamlet'wicked side), Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Ophelia (Cliffs notes reveals certain passage that might imply Hamlet stole her virginity) as proof of my thesis. I ended up getting 100% on the paper which was amazing considering how poor I was in understanding Shakespeare. The class was 14 years ago and I still have the paper. I owe it all to Cliffs Notes!

Very useful!.......2001-06-06

I had to write an essay on "Hamlet" in English class this year, and the Cliffsnotes helped me tremendously (considering that I hadn't even read the book, I wrote a pretty good essay with its help). Each scene is given a thorough explanation, and it has an index of themes and a tree of all the characters. Not only does it simplify the book, it also analyzes further and clears up any confusion about the plot. It helped me a lot, I recommend it highly!

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