Hamlet

by William Shakespeare Narrated by Peter Joyce

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 was written between 1597 and 1600, just after the death of Shakespeare's only son, Hamlet, one of twins, who died aged 11 in 1596. Despite scholarly argument that this was mere coincidence, it is impossible to believe that a writer as sensitive as Shakespeare would not be questioning the reason for the life and death of his son during those years.

This production contends that Hamlet was to a large degree shaped by the answers to those questions. In the drama a lot of advice is given by fathers to sons; the significance of life and death and the nature of man is examined; the qualities needed to make a well-rounded man fit for his adult role in the world are formulated.

The play is full of lines such as `to thine own self be true,' `conscience doth make cowards of us all,' or `give me the man that is not passions slave,' It is clear that Shakespeare was reflecting on his own moral code which he would have passed on to his son had he lived, teaching him that life has a purpose and he must be resolute in finding purpose in his own life.

Hamlet is a lesson in how to surmount the perils of adolescence, to navigate that rite of passage to maturity. Young people should study the play - it is an education which has a particular relevance for them. The adolescent Hamlet does indeed mature and achieve resolution, yet he is destroyed. In that lies the tragedy.

Public Domain (P)2014 Assembled Stories

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"For those whose scholarship extends beyond the usual one-volume editions, this Hibbard Hamlet will prove the most fascinating of the decade."—Reg Saner, University of Colorado, Boulder

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:	2940169651560
Publisher:	Assembled Stories
Publication date:	03/26/2014
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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