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 vii
... reasons why Hamlet has long been regarded as his greatest , or at least his most characteristic , play . The Prince of Denmark himself is the most famously interroga- tive of all dramatic characters . He is Shakespeare's ultimate man of ...
... reasons why Hamlet has long been regarded as his greatest , or at least his most characteristic , play . The Prince of Denmark himself is the most famously interroga- tive of all dramatic characters . He is Shakespeare's ultimate man of ...
Page ix
... reason " was refined through the study of " common themes , " one of which was " death of fathers . " Reason and judgment were supposed to prevail over will and passion . The Stoicism of Seneca provided a model for the use of ...
... reason " was refined through the study of " common themes , " one of which was " death of fathers . " Reason and judgment were supposed to prevail over will and passion . The Stoicism of Seneca provided a model for the use of ...
Page x
... reason is not madness , but true feeling . Later , when Ophelia is mad , she is described as " Divided from herself and her fair judgement , / Without the which we are pictures or mere beasts . " When Hamlet feigns madness , by contrast ...
... reason is not madness , but true feeling . Later , when Ophelia is mad , she is described as " Divided from herself and her fair judgement , / Without the which we are pictures or mere beasts . " When Hamlet feigns madness , by contrast ...
Page xiii
... reasons for not plunging his sword into his praying uncle implies that the act of penitence can instantly purge sin away and allow even a man who has committed the most terrible crime immediate access to heaven on his death . Purgatory ...
... reasons for not plunging his sword into his praying uncle implies that the act of penitence can instantly purge sin away and allow even a man who has committed the most terrible crime immediate access to heaven on his death . Purgatory ...
Page xxii
... reason for action " or " the philosopher , to whom the world's existence is a matter of doubt , " but rather " the youth , deeply involved in politics , rid of illusions , sarcastic , passion- ate and brutal ... a born conspirator ... a ...
... reason for action " or " the philosopher , to whom the world's existence is a matter of doubt , " but rather " the youth , deeply involved in politics , rid of illusions , sarcastic , passion- ate and brutal ... a born conspirator ... a ...
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