HamletRandom House Publishing Group, 2008 M08 12 - 272 pages One 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 inside the book
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Page viii
... Fortinbras out to avenge the defeat of Old Fortinbras . A further commentary is provided by the Player's speech about Pyrrhus , son of Achilles , furiously seeking atonement for his father's loss by slaughtering old King Priam . But ...
... Fortinbras out to avenge the defeat of Old Fortinbras . A further commentary is provided by the Player's speech about Pyrrhus , son of Achilles , furiously seeking atonement for his father's loss by slaughtering old King Priam . But ...
Page x
... Fortinbras and a " rabble " who want Laertes to be king . " Denmark's a prison " : Hamlet is cabined , cribbed and confined by his princely birth , by the machinations of statecraft , and by the lim- itations of the material world . In ...
... Fortinbras and a " rabble " who want Laertes to be king . " Denmark's a prison " : Hamlet is cabined , cribbed and confined by his princely birth , by the machinations of statecraft , and by the lim- itations of the material world . In ...
Page xii
... Fortinbras and his army ( “ How all occasions do inform against me / And spur my dull revenge ! " ) . Ham- let's self - analysis has led some commentators to wonder whether his failure to kill the praying usurper might be the result of ...
... Fortinbras and his army ( “ How all occasions do inform against me / And spur my dull revenge ! " ) . Ham- let's self - analysis has led some commentators to wonder whether his failure to kill the praying usurper might be the result of ...
Page xvii
... Fortinbras on the march , whereas Boyd retained an abbreviated version of it that makes the key distinction between acting upon " great argument " and finding " quarrel in a straw . " The Reynaldo role was also retained , but the ...
... Fortinbras on the march , whereas Boyd retained an abbreviated version of it that makes the key distinction between acting upon " great argument " and finding " quarrel in a straw . " The Reynaldo role was also retained , but the ...
Page xxxi
... Fortinbras ' army . Hundreds of indi- vidual readings differ , strongly suggesting that the Second Quarto and Folio represent different stages in the play's life . Some scholars regard the revision as systematic ( e.g. making subtle ...
... Fortinbras ' army . Hundreds of indi- vidual readings differ , strongly suggesting that the Second Quarto and Folio represent different stages in the play's life . Some scholars regard the revision as systematic ( e.g. making subtle ...
Contents
Textual Notes | 137 |
ScenebyScene Analysis | 149 |
The RSC and Beyond | 166 |
Shakespeares Career in the Theater | 217 |
A Chronology | 231 |
Acknowledgments and Picture Credits | 237 |
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Common terms and phrases
ACT 4 SCENE action actor audience BARNARDO blood Boyd Caird character David Warner dead dear death Denmark doth Elsinore Exit eyes father fear Folio Following Fortinbras friends GERTRUDE HAMLET Ghost give grave grief HAMLET Ay HAMLET OPHELIA Hamlet play hast hath hear heart heaven HORATIO HAMLET HORATIO is't Jonathan Bate kill KING HAMLET LAERTES HAMLET LAERTES KING leave Lines look Lord Hamlet madness MARCELLUS Mark Rylance Matthew Warchus Michael Boyd mother murder nature night Norway nunnery Ophelia OPHELIA HAMLET OSRIC passion performance play players Polonius POLONIUS HAMLET pray prince production queen question rapiers revenge REYNALDO role Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Royal Shakespeare Royal Shakespeare Company SECOND CLOWN sense sexual Sings soliloquy soul speak speech stage sword tell theater theatrical thee There's thing thou thought Toby Stephens Tragedy watch Wittenberg words young