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William Shakespeare: Hamlet (2010)

English language

Published Oct. 28, 2010

ISBN:
978-0-393-92958-4
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4 stars (19 reviews)

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet , is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother. Hamlet is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others". It was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime and still ranks among his most performed, topping the performance list of the Royal Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879. It has inspired many other writers—from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charles Dickens to James Joyce and Iris Murdoch—and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after …

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Review of 'Hamlet' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

In short, while I enjoyed the overall plot, I do think that the end is a complete cop out. It's like the book equivalent to the final episode of Lost.

Full review: tribalpeanutbutter.blogspot.com/2018/10/hamlet-by-shakespeare-not-spoiler-free.html


Now I know that reviewing Shakespeare is kind of strange, I mean, he's the GOAT right? But, I'm just your average person who doesn't appreciate hardcore literature unless someone explains why it's good. And even after someone explaining why it's good I have some serious issues with this book (mostly just one big one,) and there are definitely some things that need to be unpacked. Antiquity, of course, should never be the decider as to whether or not something deserves critique. Let's start off with the positives....
THE DRAMA IS TANGIBLE
The interaction of political and overwhelmingly personal relationships creates both an emotional and action-filled plot, right down to the end. If I didn't have to concentrate …