Book Description
This second volume gives readers the First Quarto text of 1603 and The Folio Text of 1623, fully modernised and edited to the usual Arden standard. A companion to the core volume, it will be of particular interest to scholars and students of textual history, or to anyone studying Hamlet at an advanced level. Both play texts are fully edited and collated and the volume has a full Introduction which gives special attention to the 1603 First Quarto text
Customer Reviews:
An Antti Keisala Comment: Beyond The Cosmic Doors.......2007-03-06
This is a must-have for any of us Bardolators.
I'll reserve my thoughts on the play itself for the Second Quarto Edition of Arden, and give here some thoughts on the editions themselves. In brief. Well, to begin with, I've found the ability to read three variations of Hamlet very useful. It's fun, and it's acutely rewarding, especially if you're even slightly obsessed. The beauty of the editions is in the wealth of information; and to clarify, this edition doesn't repeat - in bulk - things already stated in the 1605 edition but concentrates on textual matters that arise from these two texts.
Firstly, I recommend buying both editions. In fact, I own several Hamlets, so I'd recommend buying pretty much what you like of Hamlet. I prefer, just for fun, to go from one edition to the other. It gives you perspective not only to the wealth of literary criticism poured from the heavens in the name of Hamlet, it also gives a healthy perspective on the seemingly infinite possibilities of editorial choice. Arden is succint and it's informative. But I'm still the most interested in the text itself, so if you're looking for an edition in which the annotation doesn't distract from the play, this is a great edition whereas the 1605 is not. That's because this edition is designed as an add-on to the stand-alone Second Quarto edition, thus liberating it from undertaking a thorough annotation. This gives an opportunity to dwell in not the contextual but textual differences, simply put a pseudo-linguist's dream come true.
These are editions that should be both acquired; what you can't get with the 1605 is the extensive research on the textual differences of the quartos/folios. And it's different to have the First Quarto/Folio passages in the appendix (as the 1605 has) to reading them fully in context, having the language and arrangement of action creating a deeper understanding the changes themselves. Whereas the 1605 edition is a treasure chest of supplements, this is constructed more pragmatically; the only qualm I have against the single edition is that if you want to read the text without annotation, which I often do, and only once in a while looking for the overbearing annotation, you can't really do it. This edition gives a chance. I am an Orthodox Shakespearean myself in that I regard Shakespeare might've authored, at least collaborated on, the much-debated Ur-Hamlet, and whether you agree or not, this gives an interesting perspective on the whole idea of how the text of Hamlet has been revised not during hundreds of years, but between the short and artistically fruitful timespan of some thirty years of Shakespeare's life.
With best regards,
AK
Hamlet: A Fresh Look at the Danish Prince.......2007-01-10
The folks at Arden decided to bring forth all three versions of Shakespeare's revenge (or anti-revenge) tragedy so that those who care can study the similarities and differences between the texts for themselves. I teach many Shakespearean plays and using the "bad quarto" of 1603 in conjunction with the oft used conflated text is an eye-opener for students who get a chance to truly engage in the text when comparing, say, Hamlet's third act soliloquy of the Folio (1623) version with the often maligned 1603 version. As usual, the people at Arden do an excellent job at editing the works. This is an excellent companion piece to the recently released third edition of Hamlet by the same editors of the 1604 Quarto text. A welcome addition to any Bardolators library.
Book Description
The core of the ground-breaking, three text edition, this self-contained, free-standing volume gives readers the Second Quarto text (1604-5) and includes in its Introduction, notes and Appendices all the reader might expect to find in any standard Arden edition. As well as a full, illustrated Introduction to the play's historical, cultural and performance contexts and a thorough survey of critical approaches to the play, an appendix contains the additional passages found only in the 1623 text. "The new Arden Hamlet is a pathbreaking edition, one that promises to change irrevocably our understanding of Shakespeare's greatest play." - Professor James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare “Hamlet's latest editors have undertaken a heroic task with great skill and thoroughnesss.” - Stanley Wells, The Observer "(The) new Arden Hamlet is quite simply the most comprehensive edition of the play currently available, a status I suspect it will enjoy for many years to come" - The British Theatre Guide "Stunning! There is absolutely no doubt about this being the text to buy if you are studying the play at A Level. And the same stands for those students who will be studying the play at university. This critical edition gives the reader the Second Quarto Text (1604-1605), annotated with intelligence and care, a wealth of historical and cultural references and a survey of different critical approaches to the play." - The Use of English, The English Association
Customer Reviews:
An Antti Keisala Comment: Words In Flights Of Angels.......2007-04-03
I am a Bardolator and an Orthodox Shakespearean; so that you'll know where I'm coming from. I paraphrase Whitman by claiming that Hamlet contains multitudes. And of what other literary figures can we say such things and get away with it sounding normal? Perhaps God (especially the Yahweh of the Tanakh) and Jesus (either Nazarethian or Christ), perhaps Ulysses. Hamlet is so huge a figure greater works than Amazon User Comments have been written on the mere subject of him being an influence greater than our comprehension. He transcends not only the literary but our cultural "genres", because it's in part his creation.
I don't recommend only one edition of Hamlet but as with Mozart's "Requiem", you get a richer picture by collecting publications that vary sometimes significantly and provide them as if they were pieces of a puzzle. But Arden is known for its impeccable quality and high standards in editing, so this is amongst those editions that you will find useful. I've already given my thoughts on the 1603/1623 edition, a treasure in itself, and about what makes this combination work. It's easier to read without falling under the annotations as happens with this edition, although it's necessary that the extensive web of footnotes exists right there where it's supposed to be: it's useful to have them there, and to have so extensive a bulk of annotations in the end would be a drag. I will say with a blink in the eye that they will make you educated.
This edition doesn't take sides on matters, although what I found positively surprising taking into account my own beliefs is how open-mindedly the editors Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor talk about the Shakespearean Ur-Hamlet instead of the Kydian. Ironic in itself since it was the 1982 Jenkins Arden edition that was quite aggressive about the chance of Shakespeare being the writer. I don't know if it has to do with Bloomian influence, but it's nice to see a widened perspective, considering that I'm always inclined to be fascinated by the thought of the young Shakespeare, having just arrived in London, creating this play of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark with whatever company Shakespeare was then, be it Pembroke's Men or those of Lord Chamberlain's, in the late 1580s, then it being performed and being pulled out of production. I would consider the Ur-Hamlet as being more of a collaboration in which Shakespeare wouldn't have had the complete freedom to create his vision, but a joint vision of a theatre group. It could've been pulled out because it wasn't well-received, or rather as I like to think, because Shakespeare, now in growing popularity with growing prestige and influence over his peers, felt that the play wasn't really what he had intended. If we believe that Shakespeare had his hand in the revisions of the Folio that was published in 1623, we could think that he was tinkering with the play until the very end. If we believe this to be true, it shouldn't be surprising if he had started moulding it not in 1603 but in the late 1580s or truly in the early 1590s.
We could continue of this subject forever, but then there is the thing itself: the play, the words, the beautiful narrative, the experience. "Hamlet" is so full of everything - not to mention the culture it has helped to mould - it's hard to come across unchanged; nay, it's impossible to come across unchanged, but hard not to be obsessed. If Hamlet obsesses with the ghost and revenge that transcends the mere excuse to kill, we've been trapped to obsess with Hamlet: there are cosmic things brewing in his mind, and in his words there's a metaphysical awareness, mysteriously shrouded to tingle our imagination in just the right way. He's a grand character, so much that Harold Bloom famously argues that it's in fact Hamlet that has been shaping our sense of a humanity; and ironically he's more human in his conflicted nature than any of us.
I'm also obsessed with self-reference, a term that's been losing its meaning since it first was spoken out loud. But it's a sort of phase in the process of the narrative becoming self-conscious and possibly transcending the limitations set for it by the medium and extending to the mind of the reader, becoming a lucid flow of introspection. I would like to think of "Hamlet" and "Don Quijote" as the two works most responsible for our modern notion of narrative introspection which uses self-reference to create a multi-layered reality. The basic concept, of course, is to be found in "Hamlet" where the prince sets out a play to catch the king's conscience: with "Mousetrap" we have a new reality inside the one we're dwelling, in fact geniusly reflecting the reality in which we think we live in (that of Hamlet's), yet only know because of what an infernal ghost has been telling us. Basically this means that also "Mousetrap" could be a fiction, and we could be guilty parties, as well, in believing Hamlet. Since Quarto 6 it has become standard to call the ghost "the ghost of Hamlet's father", although I think that Shakespeare enjoyed this ambiguity between truth and fiction and deliberately yet subtly referred to the possibility of the ghost being the main narrator by providing Hamlet with false information. I can't think of anything more delicious than to see Shakespeare playing the role of the ghost (as the legend tells) considering the possible lines we can draw from the ghost to Shakespeare himself as the illusionist, the mage Prospero, the possessed priest taking us beyond the cosmic doors.
This is but one way of reading Hamlet. What speaks of its importance and genius is that there are millions of ways of interpreting what the play means, and each of them is allowed their oddness because the play is so profound that it's possible to find a whole cosmos inside of it. This is a play that has grown out the concepts of a mere work of art into biblical propositions just as the Holy Writ, Iliad and Odyssey and Cervantes' "Don Quijote". This is art around which we can build our whole life, at least our literary existence. Then we become a part of something that's grander than our Zeitgeist, we arrive to the root of what has been a part of every generation's canon of literary minds. It's a legacy and a bloodline to be cherished.
With best regards,
AK
Arden Shakespeare Hamlet.......2006-12-05
I am currently working on my MFA/Directing. I directed Hamlet and am now writing my defense of it. I have two thoughts on this third edition.
After going through this edition, from a point of view of the script, I'm not sure I understand the need to update Harold Jenkins's 2d edition. The script itself was easier to navigate in the 2d edition and I thought Jenkins's notes were more helpful. I also disagree with some of what Thompson and Taylor have to say in their editorial notes below the script. That said, I am biased because I used the 2d edition as a sort of "Hamlet Bible" as I directed the piece. Jenkins's notes were extremely insightful and useful. I became very comfortable with it.
On the other hand, this third edition has some different insight into the play in performance than does the second edition, as well as information on casting and music that was not included in Jenkins. Obviously there is much written about William Shakespeare in the world, and this 3rd edition of Arden is probably the most up-to-date resource for bibliographic material (as well as some photos of past productions of the play). Jenkins edition is 24 years old, ancient in the scholastic world's "what's new" when it comes to sifting the vast quantity of material written on Shakespeare and Hamlet.
Obviously, the needs of the theatrical world for playing Hamlet are different than that of the scholastic world (of which I am currently stuck in both). I think Jenkins is more user-friendly for the theatrician while Thompson & Taylor suit the needs of the scholastic better. My final thought is that a scholar/student of Shakespeare will want to have both the second and third editions for the differences they have to offer.
This is Hamlet we're talking about.......2001-06-19
I certainly do not rate this item five stars for its stunning value. I rate this five stars because I think that if I had to pay the amount listed for any complete edition of Hamlet, I would. It is simply that good. If you have not read it, do so.
Book Description
The Arden Shakespeare is the established edition of Shakespeare's work. Justly celebrated for its authoritative scholarship and invaluable commentary, Arden guides you a richer understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare's plays. This edition of Hamlet provides, a clear and authoritative text, detailed notes and commentary on the same page as the text, a full introduction discussing the critical and historical background to the play and appendices presenting sources and relevant extracts.
Customer Reviews:
My Favorite Edition.......2006-12-23
Having spent the greater part of the last 8 years obsessing over Hamlet, having read it more times than there are days in the year, and having owned many different editions of the play, the Harold Jenkins Arden Shakespeare edition is the version I have worn out and in which I have blackened the margins.
Both scholars looking for a comprehensive history of the play and those approaching it from the theater standpoint will find this edition most useful. The readiness is all.
Everything You Want to Know About HAMLET.......2006-11-07
Although a student reading Hamlet for the first time could benefit from the text of the play and the plethora of notes interspersed in the text, the serious Shakespearean scholar will find rich material in Harold Jenkins 159 page introduction and the extensive longer notes at the end of the play.
The careful scholarship and footnotes in this volume are in the tradition of the Arden Shakespeare editions. The clear, thoughtful writing of Editor Harold Jenkins in the introduction goes beyond scholarship to touch highly effective communication.
!!! AMAZING !!!.......2004-06-03
I love William Shakespeare: he is my favorite writer. Hamlet was the first play that I read, and it instantly became my favorite. My grandmother is a retired English professor, and so she likes to keep a collection of all the famous works. Arden was the series of choice, and therefore 1/2 of a bookshelf is dedicated just to it. I thought that the footnotes were extremely helpful in the Arden Edition of Hamlet, and that the way the page was set up it was easy to read, and preferrable to other books' layout. There were no long paragraphs that told you basically what the whole play was about, and I found that helpful: it's more fun to try to understand it on your own. I have viewed about five other versions of "Hamlet", and I still have not seen one that compares to this one.
Simply Indispensable.......2003-11-01
When Henry James sat down to write on his Venetian travels for what later became the Italian Hours, he began with a disclaimer: "It is a great pleasure to write the word; but I am not sure there is not a certain impudence in pretending to add anything to it." Turning to Shakespeare, we might amuse ourselves by writing on, say, Hamlet, but can anything be said that's not already been said, and better, a dozen times, by superior critics and closer readers? In the appropriate spirit of humility (and in utter submission to the Bard and his great gift to civilization), I offer a few thoughts on the Arden 2nd Edition of Hamlet, and not on "the greatest work in the history of literature."
Hamlet is by far the longest of the Ardens at 574 pages. It breaks down thusly: the prefatory material of editor Harold Jenkins - one of the Arden Series general editors and a Hamlet authority of great renown - alone takes up 164 pages. Three-quarters of this is bibliographical and historical. In his 40-page critical introduction, Jenkins addresses many of the plays thorniest problems, with the Talmudic attentiveness of the closest reader. Then comes the play itself, spread over 264 pages (in terms of sheer length relative to the Bard's other plays, the text is a monster, coming in at more than 3800 lines). Each page of the Arden includes an average half-page of Jenkins' detailed, argumentative, authoritative, and uncommonly helpful footnotes. The final 146 pages consist of longer (end)notes that Jenkins simply could not physically fit onto the bottom of a page. Many of these are short essays (including an appendix that glosses an earlier discussion on the dating of the play).
Each of the Arden Hamlet's three sections might merit separate publication (after a modest bit of repackaging), but as a totality, Jenkins' edition must be the greatest value on the Shakespeare market. Jenkins' ruminations on the provenance of the story and the many sources Shakespeare might have drawn on, the "Ur-Hamlet" that might have come from the quill of contemporary Thomas Kyd (The Spanish Tragedy), the complexities of determining an authoritative text, the drama's inconsistencies and unanswered questions, the import of the great soliloquy of III.i (which is emphatically NOT, insists Jenkins, a deliberation on whether to commit suicide), Elizabethan revenge dramas in general, and so much more make this a truly indispensable, illuminating, even breathtaking volume.
We think we know this play well. We have read it, and seen performed on stage and in memorable or hideously forgettable films. Many of its greatest lines are embedded in our hearts. The beginning of true understanding, however, resides in a superbly annotated scholarly edition. The Arden is one of several choices you can make and is for me the one to own, equally suitable for students, scholars, actors, and mere Bardolators. It will - provided, of course, you are not already a scholarly specialist in Elizabethan drama - knock the scales from your eyes. And until the 3rd edition now in preparation under Ann Thompson is published, this Hamlet will stand as the epitome of the Arden Shakespeare's greatness as a series.
Best edition available........2003-08-23
As one who collects editions of HAMLET, I can say without reservation that the Arden (2nd edition) is the hands-down best edition you can buy of the greatest work in our language. The notes are as complete as can possibly be expected, and offer the best insight I've yet to see concerning the various "problems" in HAMLET. Its comprehensive look may be too much for a person approaching the play for the first time, but for the serious student of HAMLET it's essential.
Customer Reviews:
Simply Indispensable.......2004-05-23
When Henry James sat down to write on his Venetian travels for what later became the Italian Hours, he began with a disclaimer: "It is a great pleasure to write the word; but I am not sure there is not a certain impudence in pretending to add anything to it." Turning to Shakespeare, we might amuse ourselves by writing on, say, Hamlet, but can anything be said that's not already been said, and better, a dozen times, by superior critics and closer readers? In the appropriate spirit of humility (and in utter submission to the Bard and his great gift to civilization), I offer a few thoughts on the Arden 2nd Edition of Hamlet, and not on "the greatest work in the history of literature."
Hamlet is by far the longest of the Ardens at 574 pages. It breaks down thusly: the prefatory material of editor Harold Jenkins - one of the Arden Series general editors and a Hamlet authority of great renown - alone takes up 164 pages. Three-quarters of this is bibliographical and historical. In his 40-page critical introduction, Jenkins addresses many of the plays thorniest problems, with the Talmudic attentiveness of the closest reader. Then comes the play itself, spread over 264 pages (in terms of sheer length relative to the Bard's other plays, the text is a monster, coming in at more than 3800 lines). Each page of the Arden includes an average half-page of Jenkins' detailed, argumentative, authoritative, and uncommonly helpful footnotes. The final 146 pages consist of longer (end)notes that Jenkins simply could not physically fit onto the bottom of a page. Many of these are short essays (including an appendix that glosses an earlier discussion on the dating of the play).
Each of the Arden Hamlet's three sections might merit separate publication (after a modest bit of repackaging), but as a totality, Jenkins' edition must be the greatest value on the Shakespeare market. Jenkins' ruminations on the provenance of the story and the many sources Shakespeare might have drawn on, the "Ur-Hamlet" that might have come from the quill of contemporary Thomas Kyd (The Spanish Tragedy), the complexities of determining an authoritative text, the drama's inconsistencies and unanswered questions, the import of the great soliloquy of III.i (which is emphatically NOT, insists Jenkins, a deliberation on whether to commit suicide), Elizabethan revenge dramas in general, and so much more make this a truly indispensable, illuminating, even breathtaking volume.
We think we know this play well. We have read it, and seen performed on stage and in memorable or hideously forgettable films. Many of its greatest lines are embedded in our hearts. The beginning of true understanding, however, resides in a superbly annotated scholarly edition. The Arden is one of several choices you can make and is for me the one to own, equally suitable for students, scholars, actors, and mere Bardolators. It will - provided, of course, you are not already a scholarly specialist in Elizabethan drama - knock the scales from your eyes. And until the 3rd edition now in preparation under Ann Thompson is published, this Hamlet will stand as the epitome of the Arden Shakespeare's greatness as a series.
Most Comprehensive Edition of the World's Greatest Play.......2002-07-14
We do not guild the lily by proclaiming this to be the most comprehensive edition of the greatest drama to come from any pen in history. The book is absolutely bristling with textual elucidations, notes and marginalia and a stunningly detailed, if somewhat dry, introduction. Moreover, no other edition I have used (and I have read Hamlet more than fifty times since the summer of my seventeenth year, including this edition over two enriching days during the past week) so clearly lays out the textual divergencies of the various versions of the canon, Q1, Q2 and F, as does Arden.
Than being said, it is the text itself which shines through in this (and any other) edition -- let us not mistake the husk for the grain.
Hamlet (as Harold Bloom argues so persuasively) more than any other play is surely Shakespeare's life work -- a work which he poured more of himself into over a longer period of time than any other. Written in its final version just months after the death of the playwright's only son, Hamnet, and his father, it represents Shakespeare's personal triumph over adversity and darkness.
Best Hamlet to buy.......2002-01-30
Definitely the best Hamlet version to but. comprehensive notes both adjacent to the reading and longer notes in the back of the book. Informative yet dry introduction. BUY THIS VERSION!
best version of Hamlet to buy.......2001-06-12
An excellent version of the play, a balanced and comprehensive introduction, and extended notes about subjects of controversy or interest -- if you want to buy a copy of Hamlet this is the edition to get.
Most people have not read many versions of the play; nor have many people read most of the hundreds of books and articles on this play. For whatever strange reason, i have made it through much of the Hamlet criticism. And, i think i can fairly recommend this edition.
As you may or may not know, there are essentially three different versions of the play that have survived, the first (or bad) quarto, the second quarto, and the folio. Jenkins wisely relies primarily on the second quarto, but is not afraid to supplement or modify it with the folio and even the first quarto where it is appropriate.
But differences in the text of the play between this and other editions of the play is not the reason to buy this book. The reason is that there is so much more here than just the play. First, there is the 150+ page introduction, which is as balanced a review of thought on Hamlet as you are going to find. Next, the text of the play has the standard array of footnotes to explain various word meanings or relevancies. Third, at the end of the play there are longer notes that discuss in depth issues that the text raises which are beyond the scope of a normal footnote. These longer notes are great with an in depth discussion of hundreds of issues including whether a nunnery refers to a house of ill-repute and how old Hamlet is.
The best edition of Hamlet on offer (and to quarrel with).......2001-04-10
Both as an academic teacher and as a researcher I have used Jenkins's edition regularly for nearly twenty years, and continue to marvel at the wealth of scholarly material - factual and interpretative - which it offers. I consider that no other edition of *Hamlet* is remotely as useful, though I frequently find myself in disagreement with this great editor.
Jenkins's text is eminently satisfying: sensibly and responsibly based, and scrupulously and intelligently modernised, even if one prefers (as I do) e.g. "solid" to "sullied".
His introduction is informative and well-considered, though I must admit I find his interpretative view of the play, both there and in several of his longer notes, at times less than penetrating. I feel he idealises Hamlet too much, misjudges the failure of Hamlet's play-within-the-play, and is less than openminded when it comes to making sense of e.g. the sexual elements in Ophelia's dreams (which are hard to interpret decisively, but certainly more significant than his cursory view suggests). On the other hand his information on ghosts, for example, is highly valuable and useful.
His shorter notes, explaining many difficult words and contemporary concepts, are always illuminating, frequently "spot on", and usually helpful even if one disagrees, in that he provides most of the information which one needs even if one ultimately arrives at a different judgement from his.
If banished or imprisoned and allowed only one edition of *Hamlet* I'd take this one. Not only because it is the best, but because it would help me in spending many weeks, months, or years on this riddling, frustrating, but endlessly fascinating play. Jenkins's edition is a monument to late twentieth century scholarship, and will undoubtedly continue to be recognised as such. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia
Average customer rating:
- 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
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Hamlet (Arden Shakespeare)
William Shakespeare
Manufacturer: Van Nostrand Reinhold
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ASIN: 0416179207 |
Book Description
Among Shakespeare's plays, Hamlet is considered by many his masterpiece. Among actors, the role of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is considered the jewel in the crown of a triumphant theatrical career. Now Kenneth Branagh plays the leading role and co-directs a brillant ensemble performance. Three generations of legendary leading actors, many of whom first assembled for the Oscar-winning film Henry V, gather here to perform the rarely heard complete version of the play. This clear, subtly nuanced, stunning dramatization, presented by The Renaissance Theatre Company in association with Bbc Broadcasting, features such luminaries as Sir John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, Emma Thompson and Christopher Ravenscroft. It combines a full cast with stirring music and sound effects to bring this magnificent Shakespearen classic vividly to life. Revealing new riches with each listening, this production of Hamlet is an invaluable aid for students, teachers and all true lovers of Shakespeare -- a recording to be treasured for decades to come.
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.
Book Description
This volume gives readers the First Quarto text of 1603 and the Folio Text of 1623, modernised and edited to the usual Arden standard. As a companion to the Second Quarto volume, it will be of particular interest to scholars and students of textual history, or to anyone studying Hamlet at an advanced level. Both plays are edited and annotated and the introduction contains the fullest available stage history of the First Quarto text.
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Hamlet; The Arden Shakespeare (Heath's English Classics)
Manufacturer: D. C. Heath
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ASIN: B000E1CE5E |
Book Description
This memorial edition honours the late Harold Jenkins, General Editor of the Arden 2nd Series and editor of the Arden 2 Hamlet, collecting his most valued classic lectures and essays for the first time in one volume. Many of these are now out of print, or have never been formally published, making this a unique tribute edition. Jenkins was a globally respected academic, and his works are still critically current. His most memorable essays have been chosen and edited by Ernst Honigmann to give the reader unique access to the very best of Harold Jenkins' critical work. Featuring in particular his famous essays on Hamlet, this book makes an invaluable companion piece to Jenkins' Arden edition of the play.
Book Description
The Boynton/Cook editions of four of Shakespeare's most popular plays have been reissued with attractive new cover designs and printed on more opaque, easy-to-read paper. This series is specifically designed for high school classes.
- Students will be able to see each play as a whole. In their introduction to each of the plays, editors Mack and Boynton suggest ways of approaching the text that allow the reader a broad range of imaginative involvement. Their observations are intended to help students read and experience the play, not to discourage them with critical jargon or peripheral historical information.
- Students will be reading the best text both in terms of visual excellence and quality of scholarship. They'll immediately appreciate the large page format and highly readable typography. Each volume is consistent with the most authoritative early edition of each play. The glosses are full and clear but don't belabor the obvious or clutter the text.
- Background information includes the editors' detailed analysis of the Elizabethan theatre and its relation to Shakespeare's dramaturgy, C. W. Hodges's drawing re-creating the original Globe Playhouse, a brief account of Shakespeare's life and a chronological listing of his works, and a bibliography, lists of videotapes (VHS), records, and tapes of the complete plays.
- Students will experience added critical and imaginative dimensions. An essay following each play suggests ways of approaching it as a live dramatic experience in the theatre of the mind. The concern is not how the play might be produced in a theatre, but rather how parts of it may be realized in the imagination through close attention to what the language is saying and suggesting.
- Students can get a deeper understanding of each scene through helpful, detailed questions included at the back of each volume. These questions encourage group discussion or written response. Also included are topics for longer papers.
Books:
- Happily Ever After: Walking with Peace and Courage Through a Year of Divorce
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
- Heart of Darkness and the Secret Sharer
- Henry David Thoreau : A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers / Walden; Or, Life in the Woods / The Maine Woods / Cape Cod (Library of America)
- History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
Books Home
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Hamlet (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)
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The Shakespeare Wars: Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascoes, Palace Coups
Pericles (Arden Shakespeare: Third Series)
