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...
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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.
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