Hamlet
Author: William Shakespeare
Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies and possibly the most mis-quoted. It deals with the psychological torment of a young Danish prince, Hamlet himself, who is racked with murderous intent.
Hamlet’s Father, the King of Denmark, is dead and the King’s brother (Hamlet’s uncle), Claudius, has married the widowed Queen, Gertrude.
Hamlet is disgusted and cannot bear that his mother has betrayed his father’s memory in what he considers to be an incestuous manner. When the ghost of the dead King appears to Hamlet and fills him with a powerful desire for revenge, Hamlet becomes more and more desperate to destroy Claudius and avenge his father’s memory. However, despite this desire to kill his stepfather, Hamlet struggles to achieve his purpose and a series of disastrous events ensue.
He mistreats his Love, Ophelia, who is so distraught by the change in Hamlet’s manner towards her that she is driven to insanity, the beautiful yet tormented soliloquies engaged in by Hamlet become increasingly desperate as Hamlet’s rage and despair strengthen.
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s greatest tragic hero and, while the end of the Play is inevitable, the unravelling of the story is a wonder. Each scene is rendered in words of poetic beauty that simultaneously delight and horrify.
The play is still as relevant today as it was when it was first written and performed as society is still troubled with political intrigue and deception, the hunt for bloody revenge, the tortures of a doomed love, and the cruelty of bereavement and loss.
Hamlet is not bound by its time but transcends this boundary to speak to people just as powerfully as it did four hundred years ago.
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Book DescriptionOne of the greatest plays of all time. the compelling tragedy of the tormented young prince of Denmark continues to capture the imaginations of modern audiences worldwide. Confronted with evidence that his uncle murdered his father. and with his mother`s infidelity. Hamlet must find a means of reconciling his longing for oblivion with his duty as avenger. The ghost. Hamlet`s feigned madness. Ophelia`s death and burial. the play within a play. the [closet scene" in which Hamlet accuses his mother of complicity in murder. and breathtaking swordplay are just some of the elements that make Hamlet an enduring masterpiece of the theater.Each Edition Includes:? Comprehensive explanatory notes ? Vivid introductions and the most up-to-date scholarship ? Clear. modernized spelling and punctuation. enabling contemporary readers to understand the Elizabethan English? Completely updated. detailed bibliographies and performance histories ? An interpretive essay on film adaptations of the play. along with an extensive filmography From Library JournalIt is a tragedy that all actors seem to crave to perform. and the Renaissance Theatre Company clearly relishes the chance to present Hamlet for the ear. It is a contemporary cast from which one has come to expect superior Shakespearean acting on stage and screen: Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet, Sir John Gielgud as the Ghost, Derek Jacobi as Claudius, and Emma Thompson as the Player Queen. Unlike the Recorded Books version (Audio Reviews. LJ 8/90). this BBC edition may be a little hard to follow by those unfamiliar with the play`s text. particularly since stage directions are not provided and speakers are not clearly identified. But the program does give the complete version. a rare treat. and the accompanying booklet offers insights into both the acting and the production. Highly recommended. - Joyce Kessel. Villa Maria Coll..