Hamlet (The New Folger Library Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare

Hamlet cares little for his revenge, he has no real passion or drive concerning Claudius –...more

Hamlet cares little for his revenge, he has no real passion or drive concerning Claudius – an eggshell, full of sound and fury but signifying nothing. The play’s the thing, and Hamlet, the true writer of ‘Hamlet’, is the greatest playwright of all time precisely because he is the greatest, most encompassing of all audiences. As the most observant, intelligent audience of himself, he is able to beautify every word and every scene to full effect, ensuring the play’s immortality and thus his own immortality – he transcends Shakespeare, usurping death, nature, all. One must only consider his unlimited influence on humanity today to understand that he has forged for himself a Godhood.   hide

Whilst younger in my mid teens I remember being very troubled and somewhat puzzled by this story as...more

Whilst younger in my mid teens I remember being very troubled and somewhat puzzled by this story as I had never found any final, complete, and unambiguous meaning to it. As I started to read the story I didn’t think to begin with that Hamlet was a particularly sad Prince and he didn’t seem to me as a teenager very lonely and he certainly wasn’t mad…until one day that all changed! (after his fathers’ ghost, demanding revenge came to visit him). And so, revenge was certainly the dish of the day as Hamlet invited the wandering actors to perform for the ‘new’ King and Queen a play in which he re-created his fathers’ murder. And do you know what it took me years and years to realise that it was the ghost of his father that eventually, (after becoming totally mad), killed him. For he allowed the spirit of trauma into himself, he allowed the demon to invade his memory (with the hurt of his father’s death) which in turn became a part of himself. He was lost I guess…to a very hungry ghost! (Alas Orphelia!) I believe Shakespeare certainly understood the battle to 'let go' and the madness it creates when one fails to do so…By allowing ourselves to be haunted by the past, maybe haunted by our childhood trauma and the emotional difficulties that arise from these times, we inevitably become affected to varying ways of being, and those ways, well I guess they impact upon us, in particular upon our souls. And now twenty-five years later, I can see that Hamlet was without doubt, Shakespeare's MASTERPIECE too! AWESOME!!...xx    hide

How can one ’review’ this book? Mr Shake has been dissected more than a few times...more

How can one ’review’ this book? Mr Shake has been dissected more than a few times by pupils, scholars, critics, playwright, poets. After reading extracts back in school, what struck me now after reading Hamlet in its entirety (though without going through all the footnoes in my Arden version) was: Oh my God, what a bloody, as well a satirical, massacre this is. Quite an unhappy family story. Here you will words like daggers, real daggers, drowning, poisoning, stabbing and sword fight, an escalation of northsea conflict, spies, suicide, deceit. I think I will stick to a quick paraphrasing of the story and not pursue any analysis ( I need to let this sink in, and maybe read bits again): Hamlet, has lost his father, the King, who has been poisoned. His uncle, Claudius, takes the throne. The father’s ghost emerges and tells him the uncle did it. The son loses his love, Ophelia, as well who drowns herself. Hamlet mother dies, drinking from the a poisoned glass by mistake. At some point in the complex entanglement between related people there is a play within the play. Towards, the end the brother, Laertes, of Hamlets love Ophelia, fights Hamlet after jumping in Ophelia’s grave. The castle in Elsinore is not a cosy place. In a few pages over the last page everybody dies, after going into sword action with each other. Surely there is something rooten in the state of Denmark. And the Norwegian Fortinbras takes over the throne. Maybe best so. Oh, my God.    hide

Poeta Inglês e maior dramaturgo da literatura universal, Shakespeare escreveu suas obras para um...more

Poeta Inglês e maior dramaturgo da literatura universal, Shakespeare escreveu suas obras para um pequeno teatro de repertório, no final do século XVI e início do XVII. Quatrocentos anos mais tarde, suas peças ainda encantam platéias de todo o mundo. Sua obra constitui-se basicamente de textos dramáticos. Hamlet, a tragédia da dúvida, do desespero do solitário príncipe, da violência do mundo, é a sua peça mais representada e estudada até hoje. As aparências que enganam e o predomínio das paixões sobre a razão foram temas freqüentes na obra de Shakespeare.   hide

I like the fact that there is still controversy over this play. I think people forget that the idea...more

I like the fact that there is still controversy over this play. I think people forget that the idea of ghosts at that the time was that they were as real as bridges and the main question was whether the ghost was who (or what) it claimed to be, as an evil spirit or demon could have assumed Hamlet's father's form. And for the people who think he was whining, how would you feel if the supreme ruler of your country murdered your father and shacked up with your mother, and quite possibly could have your head cut off at any time? Hamlets fears are quite justified, as he is murdered by the king's poison in the end.   hide