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Summary: What Is The Meaning of Hamlet?
Review: Hamlet is considered, by many scholars, the pinnacle of Shakespeare's dramas. If you haven't read it yet this this Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism edition would be a great place to begin.The text notes that are included with the play are very helpful to understand some of the more difficult language nuances that are inevitable with any Shakespeare. The structure is well laid out and conclusive. It complements the complexity of Hamlet very well. Of course Hamlet is one of the great paradoxes and mysteries every written. The search of finding yourself and what it is that fuels the human spirit. Hamlet can be a very confusing play because of the depth of substance. However, the critical essays that suppliment the reading make it very accessable. Each of the critical essays are of different schools of literary criticism: Feminist Criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, post-structuralist (deconstuctionist) criticism, Marxist critism, and finally a New Historicist criticism. Before each critism there is clearly written introduction to explain the motives and histories of that type of criticism. This edition of Hamlet will not only introduce the reader to more Shakespeare, but also explain the play and help to familiarize the reader with literary criticism too. It is a beautiful volume that cannot be more recommended if you are wanting to buy a copy Hamlet.
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Summary: Don't Read This Play
Review: There they lay, dead on the page, all the incomprehensible words of Shakespeare. I saw them all through school, starting with Macbeth in sixth grade. Then years later a girlfriend recorded on cassette for me the Hamlet of Paul Scofield and I played it night after night through the next two years as I commuted to school. Driving in the dead middle of the night through the pine forests of south Alabama the world I knew vanished, and all that remained was the world of Hamlet-- the prince maddened by grief, the treacherous uncle, the uncomprehending Gertrude, innocent Ophelia, her passionate brother and foolish father, faithful Horatio, the players and all the rest-- more alive to me than my own life. To know Hamlet you cannot read it, you must hear it, whether on stage or elsewhere. And the more you hear it the more its lines come back to you, whether in earnest or in whimsy-- "safely stowed", "meet it is I set it down, that one may smile and smile, and be a villain", "thus conscience doth make cowards of us all, and thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought", "alas, poor Yorick. I knew him Horatio. A fellow of infinite jest." And so many more. If there is any hope that you will fall in love with language, then you will fall for Hamlet. There is even some sense that you will never have completely spoken English until you have said the lines of Hamlet. Paul Scofield has never been replaced in my affections by another Hamlet. If anyone knows where that recording might be found, I'd like to know.
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Summary: Chasing Shakespeare, finding Hamlet
Review: The sheer magnitude and dramatic measure of Shakespeare is never to be missed -- but it can be a challenge tackling the linguistics of sixteenth century English, especially text from the original Folio published by Applause. For those (like me) who need a leg up, the Durband (Editor) additions of Shakespeare's work are an invaluable help. For the ambitious reader, an additional resource in cracking the code of 16th century grammar comes in the form of Adamson, Hunter, Magnusson, Thomposon, & Wales's "Reading Shakespeare's Dramatic Language, A guide." Finally, an invaluable guild to understanding not only Shakespeare but also any dramatic structure comes from David Ball's "Backwards and Forwards, A Technical Manual for Reading Plays." With all these resources firmly in hand, I chased Shakespeare, and managed, in some sense, to tackle "Hamlet," the first Shakespeare play I had ever read . . . So what's the play about -- other than ~3-4 hours of live performance? This question actually decomposes (like Polonius: "if you find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby", 4.3 (Act 4, Scene 3) into 3 questions: what's does the play "mean," what's its "theme," and what's the play "about?" I've actually no idea what it means, and I'm not sure I understand what is meant by 'what does it mean?' so I'll let that go . . .
What are it's themes? That's easy: revenge, parental fealty, trust. Most helpful is the last question: what's the play about? I've read that constraints on the answer to this question are: it should be short, 1-2 sentences, and if you were telling it to someone who knows little about the play, it should 'draw the person in: make them want to know more,' so here goes: Hamlet is a play about a son who pretends to lose his mind while attempting to avenge the perfect murder of his father, and he loses his own life in the process. This isn't particularly poetic, but it does capture the basic main plot line, and it's underscores the tragic nature of Hamlet. The murder of Hamlet's father is perfect: it's takes a supernatural event to uncover the murder, i.e., the ghost of his father has to come back and tell Hamlet what happened. These are the two main events that drive the plot: the murder is perfect, and Hamlet chooses to take up the task of avenging his father with absolutely not one shred, not one bit, of evidence that Claudius killed King Hamlet. And this is just how the play reads, how it looks to the audience: If you didn't know the story, the earliest point you might believe that the ghost really was telling the truth is Claudius' line #59, 3.1: "How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience!" And what exactly is he feeling so guilty about anyway? It is unclear, not explicitly stated (e.g., it could be guilt for marrying Hamlet's mother so quickly, which is what Hamlet is initially bummed out and angry about, and justifying the quick marriage is in part what Claudius' initial speech is all about in 1.2.) And up until 3.2, Hamlet's not even sure about the veracity of the ghost -- so he sets a 'mouse trap' ("the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king"). Up until 3.2 (at the earliest), the audience doesn't really know if Claudius murdered the king, and they only know this with certainty during Claudius's confession of the murder in 3.3. And if the audience (and Hamlet) are not absolutely sure about Claudius until Act 3, Scene 3, what about the other characters in the play? They never know. All the way through the play, to them, Hamlet looks just like the guy he's pretending to be: someone who's coming unglued. Take out Claudius's confession in 3.3, and I don't think the audience would believe Hamlet or the ghost. To them, Hamlet would be seen as he is seen through the eyes of all the characters (except Horatio): they'd think Hamlet is crazy, and to his mother (3.4), he's ranting and raving about a murder, and yes, there is a murder, but not of King Hamlet -- it's of Polonius, and yes, there is a murderer, but not Claudius -- it's Hamlet! Killing Polonius was a BIG mistake: Claudius sends Hamlet away to England, to be killed. Hamlet, far from being a man incapable of action, is "acting" every moment, struggling with one (huge) obstacle after another . . . Hamlet's a brilliant play, a masterpiece, though I'm not convinced it's Shakespeare's best, plot-wise -- but certainty character-wise: as Bloom so aptly puts it: it is "The Invention of the Human." Shakespeare dramatizes a man that's *almost* (not totally) paralyzed with fear and uncertainty until most of the way through Act 4 (these are his first obstacles), and one main action he takes up to the end of act 4 is trying to satisfy for himself that Claudius really did kill his father, and avoid detection that that's what he's trying to do -- by acting crazy. A great play, and a full measure of the genius of Shakespeare.
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Summary: attention shakespeare lovers
Review: Hamlet has always been thought of as one of the classics of literature. I could not think of another book which deserves this title more. The story of a Danish pricne who learns from his fathers ghost that his father, the king, was murdered by his brother, Hamlet's uncle, who then went on to marry Hamlet's mother. Hamlet is overcome by a longing for revenge, but also indecisive. Shakespeare creates a great amount of tension between the chatacters with powerful confrontatoins and biting language. It is a suspenseful tragedy, filled with anguish. William Shakespeare was a genious when it came to breaking down the human psyche, and Hamlet is perhaps one of the most complex plays when it comes to human emotions. It is undoubtably one of his finest works, full of very complex, interesting characters, and a wonderfully chaotic plot. There are innumerable theories on Hamlet, why he is so indecisive, and if it all comes down to an oedipus complex. whatever way you interpret it, everyone can get something out of it. I feel like I am priveleged to have read such a wonderful play. Hamlet is a character that I can relate to in some ways, being a very indecisive person myself. I felt I could connect with him better than many Shakespeare characters, MacBeth, Ceasar, Juliet, Helena or Hermia. That is one of the reasons that I enjoyed Hamlet so very much. I wish that everyone could love Hamlet as much as I did, but I know, especially being a high-school student, that it is a little much for general reading. For high school students, like me, I very strongly recommend this book, if you really like Shakespeare, and aren't looking for a quick read. Otherwise, it might be a little to much to tackle, if you don't really enjoy Shakespearian tragedies. For anyone who has time required to comprehend such a complex work, and is looking for a masterpiece of literature that will keep them thinking, Hamlet is the book for you.
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Summary: Brilliant Performance.....
Review: This review refers to the Caedmon Audio/Full Cast Recording edition(HarperCollins) of "Hamlet".... The first thing I need to clarify is exactly which audio edition this is. If you are on the product page with a light purple box pictured, this is the 1963, full cast recording, complete play in 5 acts, starring Paul Scofield as "Hamlet.It is not, as the audio file editorial states the one with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. And if the Scofield performance is what you'd like to hear, you are in for a real treat.(You can enlarge the product picture to see a better view of the box) The entire cast including Diana Wynyard as Gertrude,Roland Culver as Claudius, Donald Houston as Laertes and Zena Walker as Ophelia turn in powerful performances and will captivate your imagination no matter how many versions of this brilliant play you have heard, or seen. Paul Scofield("A Man For All Seasons") is masterful as the complex Hamlet, wanting revenge for his father's death, yet torn by his own conscience. There are so many different versions of Shakespeare's "Hamlet", and on this taped set you will find a performance worthy of his genius.It is one you will want to listen to many times and well worth the price. After listening to it at home, I now bring it with me in my car to keep me company in traffic and on long trips. This three tape set(6 sides) has the entire play, Ronsencrantz and Guildenstern included,in five acts. The entire play runs about 3 1/2 hours, each side of the tapes running between 30 to 45 minutes. The scenes are nicely seperated by music and the sound quality remastered(1995) in Dolby B is excellent.Although the tapes are not enclosed in their own cassette cases, there are individual cardboard holders inside the box for each. A brilliant performance that you will remember, and one we are fortunate to have on these fabulous recordings. Enjoy...Laurie
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Summary: To buy this edition or not to buy it - to buy it, I say.
Review: My review merely glances at the New Penguin Shakespeare Edition, rather than saying anything about the famous play. This edition is well worth getting: it is cheap, small, toughly bound, & durable (so it can fit in your pocket without falling apart). Best of all though, it is extremely reader friendly, and so, with interested dedication by virtually ANY reader, Shakespeare's plays - the language, plot, etc. - can be mastered; yes, thoroughly, fluently, enjoyably grasped. How does this paricular edition so effectively enable this? Well, the edition is split into three parts: First, there is a large, plainly & elegantly written, introduction on all aspects of the play, and then there is the play itself, and finally there are textual notes, i.e., explanatory and interpretative notes on the play's text. Everything you could want on this play - except a dictionary - is bound between the covers of this sturdy little book.
Five stars for the play, five stars for the edition!
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Summary: Easy to understand!
Review: I love this book because it gives you the text in modern English right next to the original text, so you can learn how to read in Shakespearean very easily! This helped me a lot when I was reading this in class and had to answer questions and write essays on it!
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Summary: Hamlet : Folger Library edition
Review: Hamlet is, by far, the most complex of Shakespeare's many plays. Many of the themes covered are love vs hate, action vs non-action, revenge, and jealousy. Hamlet discovers that "something is rotten in the state of Denmark" when he encounters the ghost of his father, the King, who has recently been killed in battle. From here, Hamlet goes on a search for the discovery of what happened to his father. However, Hamlet not only uncovers secrets of the past, but also the depths of his own being. The Folger Edition of Hamlet is a great edition to buy, especially for those who are studying this play in high school or college, because it is relatively cheap in price and is very "reader-friendly" with side notes and footnotes that accompany each page of each scene. So, even if you aren't a Shakespeare lover or if Shakespeare is just a little intimidating (we all know how this feels), this version at least allows you to get the gist of what is going on. Also, there are summaries of each scene within each act, to let you know in layman's terms what is taking place. I highly recommend this edition.
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Summary: Liberal Doses of Ham in your Sublet
Review: In my eyes, Shakespeare could do almost no wrong, but some of his plays were decidedly better than others--Hamlet, for example--for reasons of literary style, subject matter, etc. In my case, his tragedies are far more interesting than his romances/comedies/histories given the wide range of emotions you're made to feel upon reading them. In any case, Hamlet has the best quotes, and has spawned a million books/movie versions/spin-offs. "Get the to a nunnery", "something rotten in Denmark", "To be, or not to be", "A hit; a very palpable hit"... the list is endless. If nothing else, it's the kind of material that's easily visualized and easily understood. I might have been 15 years old when I first read it, but it all made sense. Moral dilemma--ethics--deceit--virtue--honour--revenge... these are all things that make a story classic, not rustic. Over 400 years later, the source material is as vital as ever. Excellent stuff.
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Summary: The Greatest Story Ever?
Review: Hamlet is considered by many to be the greatest story in the English language. At any rate, it is one of the most famous of all of Shakespeare's works, only Romeo & Juliet really comes close. I recently finished reading the book in my Honors English class and I truly believe that it stands the test of time, and that it's reputation is well deserved. But I would also like to comment on this edition. It provides a lot of helpful notes on vocabulary and cultural notes about the period in which it was written and takes place. There is also an essay in the end with some analysis, and several pages of notes and helpful facts at the beginning. If you are reading Hamlet on your own and/or this is your first time reading it, I suggest using this edition.
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