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
Results 1-5 of 50
Page viii
... Stage props also come in pairs : two contrasting portraits of two brothers , a pair of rapiers ( one of which is sharpened and anointed for the kill ) , two skulls . Entrances seem to repeat themselves : the appearances of the Ghost ...
... Stage props also come in pairs : two contrasting portraits of two brothers , a pair of rapiers ( one of which is sharpened and anointed for the kill ) , two skulls . Entrances seem to repeat themselves : the appearances of the Ghost ...
Page x
... stage . The self - conscious allusion to the architecture of the Globe Theatre hints at how he finds his freedom : in play , first by pretending to be mad , then through theater . It is the arrival of the actors that reinvigorates him ...
... stage . The self - conscious allusion to the architecture of the Globe Theatre hints at how he finds his freedom : in play , first by pretending to be mad , then through theater . It is the arrival of the actors that reinvigorates him ...
Page xiii
... him apart from the traditional revenger . When alone on stage , reflecting on his own sit- uation , he seems to embody the very nature of human being . It is 1. " Rapier and dagger " : on - guard INTRODUCTION xiii Conscience and Resolution.
... him apart from the traditional revenger . When alone on stage , reflecting on his own sit- uation , he seems to embody the very nature of human being . It is 1. " Rapier and dagger " : on - guard INTRODUCTION xiii Conscience and Resolution.
Page xvi
... stage history . In that text ( known as the " First Quarto " ) , Hamlet enters " reading on a book " and launches into his soliloquy " To be or not to be there , ay , there's the point . " His famous question is asked as if in response ...
... stage history . In that text ( known as the " First Quarto " ) , Hamlet enters " reading on a book " and launches into his soliloquy " To be or not to be there , ay , there's the point . " His famous question is asked as if in response ...
Page xxv
... stage directions copied in from them . And in the case of several major plays where a well - printed Quarto was available , Hamlet notable among them , the Folio printers were instructed to work from an alternative , play- house ...
... stage directions copied in from them . And in the case of several major plays where a well - printed Quarto was available , Hamlet notable among them , the Folio printers were instructed to work from an alternative , play- house ...
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 |
Other editions - View all
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