Hamlet

by William Shakespeare Narrated by Anton Lesser, Edward de Souza, Emma Fielding, Full Cast, Susan Engel

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The essential revenge story from the master of the stage, Hamlet tells the tale of a Danish prince as he begins to unravel, losing track of what's real and what's not. This timeless classic will always be a warning against the quest for vengeance by showing the repercussions of exactly that.

Hamlet, which dates from 1600-1601, is the first in Shakespeare's great series of four tragedies, the others being Othello (1603), King Lear (1605) and Macbeth (1606). In writing this extraordinary play Shakespeare effectively reinvented tragedy after an interval of roughly two thousand years - we have to go back to the Greek dramatists of fifth-century Athens to find anything of comparable depth and maturity.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Gorgeous new Shakespeare paperbacks.” 
—Marlon James, author of A Brief History of Seven Killings

“I have been using the Pelican Shakespeare for years in my lecture course—it's invaluable, the best individual-volume series available for students.”
—Marjorie Garber, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English and Visual and Environmental Studies, Harvard University

Kirkus Reviews

2019-07-13
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

The timeless tale of the young and disaffected Danish prince who is pushed to avenge his father's untimely murder at the hands of his brother unfolds with straightforward briskness. Shakespeare's text has been liberally but judiciously cut, staying true to the thematic meaning while dispensing with longer speeches (with the notable exception of the renowned "to be or not to be" soliloquy) and intermediary dialogues. Some of the more obscure language has been modernized, with a glossary of terms provided at the end; despite these efforts, readers wholly unfamiliar with the story might struggle with independent interpretation. Where this adaptation mainly excels is in its art, especially as the play builds to its tensely wrought final act. Illustrator Kumar (World War Two, 2015, etc.) pairs richly detailed interiors and exteriors with painstakingly rendered characters, each easily distinguished from their fellows through costume, hairstyle, and bearing. Human figures are generally depicted in bust or three-quarter shots, making the larger panels of full figures all the more striking. Heavily scored lines of ink form shadows, lending the otherwise bright pages a gritty air. All characters are white.

A solid introduction for budding lovers of the Bard. (biography of Shakespeare, dramatis personae, glossary) (Graphic novel. 12-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169199581
Publisher:	Naxos Audiobooks
Publication date:	06/07/1997
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Act 1 Scene 1 running scene 1
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Hamlet"
by .
Copyright © 2011 William Shakespeare.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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