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For many years interest focused on both Hamlet's inability to avenge his father's death, claiming that "the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought", and, according to none other than Freud, his oedipal fixation with his mother. However, more recently critics have turned their attention to Hamlet's bold theatrical self-reflexivity (most famously reflected in the performance of "The Mousetrap"), its fascination with issues of theology and Renaissance humanism, and its dense, complex poetic language. What is so remarkable about the play is the way in which it tends to uncannily reflect the concerns of different epochs. As a result, Hamlet has been at different moments defined as a romantic rebel, an angst-ridden existentialist, a paralysed intellectual and an ambivalent New Man. Whatever subsequent generations make of Hamlet, they are unlikely to exhaust the possibilities of this most extraordinary play. --Jerry Brotton

Average Customer Rating:

A student's short review + help with your exam.

Customer Rating:

I have read Hamlet, however it was not this edition. I have seen these editions in store and they are rather tatty looking, the paper is recycled so that's to be expected. These types of books suit people who are limited in cash perhaps about to board a plane and need something to read. If your a student, your teacher will have already have bought specific books prescribed by the examining board - if this is the case do so and purchase that copy because this does not have notes to explain language or anything. The play itself is a wonderful piece of literature concerned by deception, political power, and action vs. inaction, perceived madness and religion. Before reading it (if you studying) you should get context about Denmark (where the play is set) but also England (where Shakespeare wrote it) as the two interlink, many of the themes present in Hamlet did actually happen during the time it was written, so do not completely ignore context.

To be , or not to be...

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"Hamlet" is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays , telling the tragic tale of the fall from grace of a young Danish prince who succumbs to madness after receiving a visitation from the Ghost of his late father. The Ghost reveals to Hamlet that he was in fact murdered by his brother,Hamlet's uncle, the new King of Denmark. Hamlet rapidly becomes deranged and murderous and the whole sorry tale concludes with a string of untimely deaths. "Hamlet" is packed full of well known characters and quotes and is rightly regarded as a classic of English Literature. This edition of "Hamlet" is quite basic with regards to notes and explanations of some of the medieval language used by the Bard however and this made parts of the play difficult to follow at times.

Hamlet- the play of everything...

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Studying this play for alevel, i was amazed at how enthralled i was with it. Shakespeare gives absolutely everything in this one! The creation of Hamlet is an outstanding achievement, simply because he is as true a person as you can find. The mixtures of emotion (guilt, rage, sorrow ect) portrays him as real life. There is simply too much to talk about in this review, so i will shorten by commenting on this play has it all- murder, revenge, love, humour, poetry, modernist ideas and a pure idea of human emotion. Overall, this play is one of the greatest masterpieces ever written.

You will be absorbed into the story

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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.

if it didnt hav shakespeare on the front, i wudnt look twice

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I read Macbeth not too long ago, i really enjoyed it. It was clever, intelligent, thought provoking but a really good story too. So perhaps my expectations were too high, when i came to study Hamlet as a text for GCSE. It's dull, monotinous, boring. The only way you can get anything out of it is if you over-analyse to such a level that you change the plot of the play completely! I apologise to all Hamlet fans out there, but i really dont see why this play demonstrates Shakespeare as a great British writer. The soliloquies are perhaps why the play is most famous, and i had to write a 3000 word essay on how they connect Hamlet to the audience. But they don't. Apart from one, "tis now the very witching time of night..." they are all bland and show nothing but Hamlet's idiocy, stupidity, and cowardice. So there you go, read it if you will. Who knows, it may be a question in a pub quiz, but i just want to warn you that compared to a lot of Shakespeare's other work, this just isnt up to scratch. sorry xxx