Hamlet

Por William Shakespeare y Javier Zabala Herrero

Hamlet, probablemente escrita entre 1599 y 1601, transcurre en Dinamarca y relata cómo el príncipe Hamlet lleva a cabo su venganza sobre su tío Claudio, quien asesinase a su padre, el rey, casándose con su madre, Gertrudis, y ostentando la corona de Dinamarca. La obra se traza vívidamente alrededor de la locura (tanto real como fingida) y en ella se percibe el transcurso en el ánimo del príncipe del profundo dolor a la desmesurada ira. Además explora los temas de la traición, la venganza, el incesto y la corrupción moral.

"En cada momento, la mente de Hamlet es una obra dentro de la obra [...] Shakespeare es el centro del canon porque Hamlet lo es."
Harold Bloom

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: Nórdica Libros
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 1 jun 2012
• ISBN: 9788492683734

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is arguably the most famous playwright to ever live. Born in England, he attended grammar school but did not study at a university. In the 1590s, Shakespeare worked as partner and performer at the London-based acting company, the King’s Men. His earliest plays were Henry VI and Richard III, both based on the historical figures. During his career, Shakespeare produced nearly 40 plays that reached multiple countries and cultures. Some of his most notable titles include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. His acclaimed catalog earned him the title of the world’s greatest dramatist.

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HAMLET

William Shakespeare

Ilustraciones de Javier Zabala

Título original: Hamlet

© de las ilustraciones: Javier Zabala

Edición en ebook: junio de 2013

© Nórdica Libros, S.L.

C/ Fuerte de Navidad, 11, 1.º B 28044 Madrid (España)

www.nordicalibros.com

ISBN DIGITAL: 978-84-92683-73-4

Diseño de colección: Diego Moreno

Corrección ortotipográfica: Ana Patrón

Maquetación ebook: Caurina Diseño Gráfico

Cualquier forma de reproducción, distribución, comunicación pública o transformación de esta obra solo puede ser realizada con la autorización de sus titulares, salvo excepción prevista por la ley. Diríjase a CEDRO (Centro Español de Derechos Reprográficos, www.cedro.org) si necesita fotocopiar o escanear algún fragmento de esta obra.

Contenido

Portadilla

Ilustración

Créditos

Autor

ilustraciones

Ilustración

Personajes

Acto I

Acto II

Acto III

Acto IV

Acto V

William Shakespeare

(Stratford-upon-Avon, 1564-1616)

---

Dramaturgo y poeta inglés. En el inicio de su carrera se trasladó a Londres, donde rápidamente adquirió fama y popularidad por su trabajo para la compañía Chamberlain’s Men, más tarde conocida como King’s Men. De su producción poética cabe destacar La violación de Lucrecia (1594) y los Sonetos (1609), de temática amorosa y que por sí solos lo situarían entre los grandes de la poesía anglosajona.

Es considerado el escritor más importante en lengua inglesa y uno de los más célebres de la literatura universal. Sus obras han sido traducidas a las principales lenguas y sus piezas dramáticas continúan representándose por todo el mundo.

Javier Zabala

(Léon, 1962)

---

Estudió Diseño Gráfico e Ilustración en la Escuela de Arte de Oviedo. Ha ilustrado más de 60 libros para las más importantes editoriales españolas y algunas de las más prestigiosas de Suiza, Italia, Reino Unido, China… Sus libros han sido publicados en 15 idiomas y sus ilustraciones expuestas en numerosas muestras por todo el mundo. En 2005 recibe la Mención de Honor de los Premios de la Feria Internacional del libro infantil y juvenil de Bolonia por su libro D. Quijote.

El Ministerio de Cultura español le otorga el Premio Nacional de Ilustración 2005 por El Soldadito Salomón.

PERSONAJES

Claudio, rey de Dinamarca

Gertrudis, reina de Dinamarca

Hamlet, príncipe de Dinamarca

Fortimbrás, príncipe de Noruega

La sombra del rey Hamlet

Polonio, Sumiller de Corps

Ofelia, hija de Polonio

Laertes, hijo

Horacio, amigo de Hamlet

Voltimán, cortesano

Cornelio, cortesano

Ricardo,* cortesano

Guillermo,* cortesano

Enrique,* cortesano

Marcelo, soldado

Bernardo, soldado

Francisco, soldado

Reinaldo, criado de Polonio

Dos embajadores de Inglaterra

Un cura

Un caballero

Un capitán

Un guardia

Un criado

Dos marineros

Dos sepultureros

Cuatro cómicos

Acompañamiento de Grandes, Caballeros, Damas, Soldados, Curas, Cómicos, Criados, etc.

La escena se representa en el palacio y ciudad de Elsingor, en sus cercanías y en las fronteras de Dinamarca

* En el original inglés Ricardo es llamado Rosencrantz; Guillermo, Guilderstern y Enrique, Osric. (N. del E.)

Acto I

Escena I

Explanada delante del Palacio Real de Elsingor.

Noche oscura.

Francisco, Bernardo. Francisco está paseámdose

haciendo centinela. Bernardo se va acercando hacia él.

Estos personajes y los de la escena siguiente estarán

armados con espada y lanza.

Bernardo.— ¿Quién está ahí?

Francisco.— No, respóndame él a mí. Deténgase y diga quién es.

Bernardo.— Viva el rey.

Francisco.— ¿Es Bernardo?

Bernardo.— El mismo.

Francisco.— Tú eres el más puntual en venir a la hora.

Bernardo.— Las doce han dado ya; bien puedes ir a recogerte.

Francisco.— Te doy mil gracias por la mudanza. Hace un frío que penetra y yo estoy delicado del pecho.

Bernardo.— ¿Has hecho tu guardia tranquilamente?

Francisco.— Ni un ratón se ha movido.

Bernardo.— Muy bien. Buenas noches. Si encuentras a Horacio y Marcelo, mis compañeros de guardia, diles que vengan presto.

Francisco.— Me parece que los oigo. Alto ahí. ¡Eh! ¿Quién va?

Escena II

Horacio, Marcelo y dichos.

Horacio.— Amigos de este país.

Marcelo.— Y fieles vasallos del rey de Dinamarca.

Francisco.— Buenas noches.

Marcelo.— ¡Oh! ¡Honrado soldado! Pásalo bien. ¿Quién te relevó de la centinela?

Francisco.— Bernardo, que queda en mi lugar. Buenas noches.

Vase Francisco. Marcelo y Horacio se acercan

a donde está Bernardo haciendo centinela.

Marcelo.— ¡Hola! ¡Bernardo!

Bernardo.— ¿Quién está ahí? ¿Es Horacio?

Horacio.— Un pedazo de él.

Bernardo.— Bienvenido, Horacio; Marcelo, bienvenido.

Marcelo.— ¿Y qué? ¿Se ha vuelto a aparecer aquella cosa esta noche?

Bernardo.— Yo nada he visto.

Marcelo.— Horacio dice que es aprensión nuestra, y nada quiere creer de cuanto le he dicho acerca de ese espantoso fantasma que hemos visto ya en dos ocasiones. Por eso le he rogado que se venga a la guardia con nosotros, para que si esta noche vuelve el aparecido, pueda dar crédito a nuestros ojos, y le hable si quiere.

Horacio.— ¡Qué! No, no vendrá.

Bernardo.— Sentémonos un rato, y deja que asaltemos de nuevo tus oídos con el suceso que tanto repugnan oír y que en dos noches seguidas hemos ya presenciado nosotros.

Horacio.— Muy bien, sentémonos y oigamos lo que Bernardo nos cuente.

Siéntanse los tres.

Bernardo.— La noche pasada, cuando esa misma estrella que está al occidente del polo había hecho ya su carrera, para iluminar aquel espacio del cielo donde ahora resplandece, Marcelo y yo, a tiempo que el reloj daba la una...

Marcelo.— Chit. Calla, mírale por donde viene otra vez.

Se aparece a un extremo del teatro la Sombra del rey Hamlet

armado de todas sus armas, con manto real, yelmo en cabeza

y la visera alzada. Los soldados y Horacio

se levantan despavoridos.

Bernardo.— Con la misma figura que tenía el difunto rey.

Marcelo.— Horacio, tú que eres hombre de estudios, háblale.

Bernardo.— ¿No se parece todo al rey? Mírale, Horacio.

Horacio.— Muy parecido es... Su vista me conturba con miedo y asombro.

Bernardo.— Querrá que le hablen.

Marcelo.— Háblale, Horacio.

Horacio se encamina hacia donde está la Sombra.

Horacio.— ¿Quién eres tú, que así usurpas este tiempo a la noche, y esa presencia noble y guerrera que tuvo un día la majestad del soberano dinamarqués, que yace en el sepulcro? Habla, por el cielo te lo pido.

Vase la Sombra a paso lento.

Marcelo.— Parece que está irritado.

Bernardo.— ¿Ves? Se va, como despreciándonos.

Horacio.— Detente, habla. Yo te lo mando. Habla.

Marcelo.— Ya se fue. No quiere respondernos.

Bernardo.— ¿Qué tal, Horacio? Tú tiemblas y has perdido el color. ¿No es esto algo más que aprensión? ¿Qué te parece?

Horacio.— Por Dios que nunca lo hubiera creído, sin la sensible y cierta demostración de mis propios ojos.

Marcelo.— ¿No es enteramente parecido al rey?

Horacio.— Como tú a ti mismo. Y tal era el arnés de que iba ceñido cuando peleó con el ambicioso rey de Noruega, y así le vi arrugar ceñudo la frente cuando en una altercación colérica hizo caer al de Polonia sobre el hielo, de un solo golpe... ¡Extraña aparición es esta!

Marcelo.— Pues de esa manera, y a esta misma hora de la noche, se ha paseado dos veces con ademán guerrero delante de nuestra guardia.

Horacio.— Yo no comprendo el fin particular con que esto sucede; pero en mi ruda manera de pensar, pronostica alguna extraordinaria mudanza a nuestra nación.

Marcelo.— Ahora bien, sentémonos y decidme, cualquiera de vosotros que lo sepa: ¿Por qué fatigan todas las noches a los vasallos con estas guardias tan penosas y vigilantes? ¿Para qué es esta fundición de cañones de bronce y este acopio extranjero de máquinas de guerra? ¿A qué fin esa multitud de carpinteros de marina, precisados a un afán molesto, que no distingue el domingo de lo restante de la semana? ¿Qué causas puede haber para que, sudando el trabajador apresurado, junte las noches a los días? ¿Quién de vosotros podrá decírmelo?

Horacio.— Yo te lo diré, o a lo menos, los rumores que sobre esto corren. Nuestro último rey (cuya imagen acaba de aparecérsenos) fue provocado a combate, como ya sabéis, por Fortimbrás de Noruega, estimulado este de la más orgullosa emulación. En aquel desafío, nuestro valeroso Hamlet (que tal renombre alcanzó en la parte del mundo que nos es conocida) mató a Fortimbrás, el cual por un contrato sellado y ratificado según el fuero de las armas, cedía al vencedor (dado caso que muriese en la pelea) todos aquellos países que estaban bajo su dominio. Nuestro rey se obligó también a cederle una porción equivalente, que hubiera pasado a manos de Fortimbrás, como herencia suya, si hubiese vencido; así como, en virtud de aquel convenio y de los artículos estipulados, recayó todo en Hamlet. Ahora el joven Fortimbrás, de un carácter fogoso, falto de experiencia y lleno de presunción, ha ido recogiendo de aquí y de allí por las fronteras de Noruega una turba de gente resuelta y perdida, a quien la necesidad de comer determina a intentar empresas que piden valor; y según claramente vemos, su fin no es otro que el de recobrar con violencia y a fuerza de armas los mencionados países que perdió su padre. Este es, en mi dictamen, el motivo principal de nuestras prevenciones, el de esta guardia que hacemos, y la verdadera causa de la agitación y movimiento en que toda la nación está.

Bernardo.— Si no es esa, yo no alcanzo cuál puede ser..., y en parte lo confirma la visión espantosa que se ha presentado armada en nuestro puesto, con la figura misma del rey, que fue y es todavía el autor de estas guerras.

Horacio.— Es por cierto una mota que turba los ojos del entendimiento. En la época más gloriosa y feliz de Roma, poco antes que el poderoso César cayese, quedaron vacíos los sepulcros y los amortajados cadáveres vagaron por las calles de la ciudad, gimiendo en voz confusa; las estrellas resplandecieron con encendidas colas, cayó lluvia de sangre, se ocultó el sol entre celajes funestos y el húmedo planeta, cuya influencia gobierna el imperio de Neptuno, padeció eclipse como si el fin del mundo hubiese llegado. Hemos visto ya iguales anuncios de sucesos terribles, precursores que avisan los futuros destinos, el cielo y la tierra juntos los han manifestado a nuestro país y a nuestra gente... Pero. Silencio... ¿Veis?..., allí... Otra vez vuelve... [Vuelve a salir la Sombra por otro lado. Se levantan los tres, y echan mano a las lanzas. Horacio de encamina hacia la sombra y los otros dos siguen detrás.] Aunque el terror me hiela, yo le quiero salir al encuentro. Detente, fantasma. Si puedes articular sonidos, si tienes voz háblame. Si allá donde estás puedes recibir algún beneficio para tu descanso y mi perdón, háblame. Si sabes

Comentarios para Hamlet

[jfoster_sf · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Classic Shakespeare tragedy.

[allisonmarie-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Who am I to review Shakespeare?!

[faith_murri · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

The only Shakespeare plays I had read before this were Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth, Macbeth being my favorite. Having now read Hamlet, I can honestly say that Macbeth is still my favorite.

Let's discuss.

So, Hamlet himself is an emo icon, and also a misogynist, who basically goes crazy, murders someone, and essentially ruins everything.

The ending came a little too quickly for me, tbh. There wasn't enough time to really develop any other characters. It was pretty quotable, though. Really, it gave me more Romeo and Juliet feels than Macbeth feels.

[meandmybooks-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

My favorite of Shakespeare's plays. It just gets better with every reading, and this time I started with Marjorie Garber's excellent chapter on the play (in her Shakespeare After All), which helped me appreciate the themes of “playing” – of dramas within dramas, “staged” events, audiences being observed, etc. – and of borders...”In suggesting that these three worlds – the world of Hamlet's mind and the imagination; the physical, political, and “historical” world of Denmark; and the world of dramatic fiction and play – are parallel to and superimposed upon one another, I am suggesting, also, that the play is about the whole question of boundaries, thresholds, and liminality or border crossing; boundary disputes between Norway and Denmark, boundaries between youth and age, boundaries between reality and imagination, between audience and actor. And these boundaries seem to be constantly shifting.”Also, of course, fathers and sons, words and meanings, just so much in this one, which, I suppose, is why I enjoy new things about it each time I read it. And I do love Hamlet. He treats Ophelia terribly, and Laertes at her grave, but his indecision, his anxiety, his sincerity, his hopefulness are all so... relatable! Really, I love it all. The relationships, the humor, the wordplay, the poetry. Happy sigh.

[bookconcierge · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

BBC Audiobook performed by Michael Sheen (Hamlet), Kenneth Cranham (Claudius), Juliet Stevenson (Gertrude) and Ellie Beaven (Ophelia), and a full castI’ll dispense with the summary for this classic tragedy by William Shakespeare, but as I’ve said before, I really dislike reading plays. I much prefer to see them performed live by talented actors, the medium for which they are written. The next best thing to a live performance, however, must be an audio such as this one, with talented actors taking on the roles and really bringing the play to life for the listener. There are hundreds of editions of this work, and I recommend that readers get one that is annotated. The text copy I had as an accompaniment to the audio was published by the Oxford University Press, and included several scholarly articles, appendices and footnotes to help the modern-day reader understand Shakespeare’s Elizabethan terms and use of language, as well as historical references. One appendix even includes the music to accompany the songs!

[katieloucks · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Great classic

[391_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Hamlet is a phenomenal play. Just spectacular.

[bookomaniac-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Vertaling van Komrij. Uiteraard een tijdloos stuk met een ongelofelijke diepgang, maar geen gemakkelijke lectuur. Ligt me minder dan de iets eenduidiger stukken King Lear of Macbeth.

[alcracka · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

One of my favorites. Best film adaptation: surprisingly, Mel Gibson's. Branagh's was way too long (yeah, I know, but still) and had Robin Williams in it; we won't talk about Ethan Hawke's.

[tadad_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This continues to remain my second-least-favorite of the seven Tragedies I've read so far. This preference isn't based upon the quality of the play qua play; it boils down to the fact that I simply don't enjoy Mr. Prince Hamlet, Jr. Despite some arguments to the contrary, he still comes across to me as a bipolar obsessive with impulse control problems, a distinct lack of responsibility, a poor attitude toward girlfriends and who, if we read only what is written, appears to make monumental judgments about his mother on little or no evidence. In other words, I don't like him. Of course, I don't particularly like fellows such as Mr. Macbeth either, but it's a different lack of esteem: a dislike for the bad guy (which is a sneaking regard) rather than a disdain for the self-absorbed.I find the characters of Polonius, Ophelia and Gertrude much more intriguing in this play and I do enjoy it for them. So, while I love the language of this play, and the supporting cast, and acknowledge the structure and plot, I still don't enjoy it as much as a romp through Birnham Wood or, better yet, Lear's Britain.

[devil_llama · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

One of the bard's all time classics, so frequently performed that it occasionally needs to be re-read to experience it the way he wrote it, without all the directorial impulses to pretty it up or modernize it. It had been a long time since my last read, and I was somewhat surprised to realize that this play comes with very few stage directions outside of entrances and exits; there are so many things that directors do exactly the same, you forget they weren't mentioned in the stage directions, and have simply become habit. Anyway, this play, about ambition and revenge, still holds up well through the centuries, though many of the actions seem outdated to us now. The poetry of the language and the rich texturing of the characters, even the most minor of characters, creates a complex story that successfully holds many balls in the air at once. Shakespeare's frequent use of ghosts is noteworthy, since that is something that modern day playwrights are told to be very careful about, and avoid if at all possible. A satisfying story, and a satisfying re-read.

[bryndahlquis · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

While it can be quite long and tedious in parts, it's still Hamlet.I mean, it's hard to beat Hamlet.

[26kathryn · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This was the first time that I've read Hamlet, I've heard it quoted so many times and I thought it was about time I read it.Hamlet's mother is married to her dead husband's brother. And after seeing his father's ghost Hamlet decides to take revenge on his uncle/step-dad who apparently murdered his father. It's a kind of crazy story with lots of death, and there were some places where I didn't really understand what was going on, but I still got the overall jist of the story.I enjoyed reading this but when reading a play as a book I find it a bit hard to keep track of the characters and the settings, I think I would like to see it performed so that I can really get a feel for the story.

[cbl_tn · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Ghosts, murder, madness, revenge, suicide, incest, spiced with a little bit of black humor – Hamlet has it all. Once again I was struck by the number of “cliches” that originated with Hamlet: “too solid flesh”, “reserve thy judgment”, “the apparel oft proclaims the man”, “to thine own self be true”, “something is rotten in the state of Denmark”, “the time is out of joint”, and “not a mouse was stirring” (which, sad to say, does not apply to my house since I've been trying unsuccessfully to catch one for the last week). I'm in that generation that can't hear Polonius's monologue without thinking of the song from the Gilligan's Island episode where the castaways staged a musical version of Hamlet. (Sorry if I've given anyone an earworm by mentioning it!)I was a little disappointed with the LA. Theatre Works audio version. Most of the performers were OK, but the audio effects were a bit odd and seemed too modern to suit the setting. I had trouble buying Stephen Collins as Claudius after his decade spent playing a minister on Seventh Heaven. Josh Stamberg played Hamlet, and his voice quality is similar enough to Stephen Collins that I sometimes had trouble telling which one of them was speaking. On the other hand, I thought Alan Mandell's Polonius was outstanding.This is one of Shakespeare's works that should be on everyone's reading list. Listening to an audio version can enhance modern readers' understanding of archaic language without interrupting the narrative flow like an annotated reading copy would do. There are probably better audio versions than this one to be found, though.

[lhlogan1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Good solid Shakespeare read. A bit too much of a "he did, she did" plot at times.

[leslie398 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Last time I read Hamlet, I was in school and I remember having some difficulty with the language... This time I found the language easier (although still hard to follow in places -- "The canker galls the infants of the spring
Too oft before their buttons be disclos'd,
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent." Laertes to Ophelia; I have read this over & over and still don't understand it).

[shanaqui_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

There: you can all stop nagging me, I've finally read it. The plot was mostly as expected, though I think whatever version I read as a child was less kind to Ophelia, as I had a rather different image of her in mind. I had a whole book of Shakespeare retellings, now I think about it: I can't really remember many of them, but I suppose they haunt me a little in my vague ideas of what the plays are like before I read them...

Anyway, Hamlet: justly famous, and full of phrases and quotations that even people who've never read a Shakespeare play can quote. It's always interesting coming to those in situ at last.

Still terribly glad I don't have to study Shakespeare now. If I end up somehow forced to read Shakespeare in my MA, I may scream. Much happier to come to his plays now, in my own good time.

[birdie.newborn · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is a mature play of Shakespeare's, blending all the elements of drama, psychology, gutter humor, passion, ambition, doubt. The Playbook version is unique, but valuable. I haven't seen anything approaching it.

[ncgraham_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is it. The big kahuna. The Shakespeare play to end all Shakespeare plays. And I confess, I have fallen in love with it completely.When I was a child reading about Shakespeare plays in my Tales from Shakespeare (and seeing occasional live performances of the comedies), and later when I was a teenager watching them on videotape, I couldn’t quite see what the big deal was with Hamlet. It sounded to me like it lacked the romance of Romeo and Juliet, the fun of the comedies, the magic of the romances, and the bloodiness of some of the other tragedies like Macbeth.How wrong I was.While I wouldn’t necessarily advocate using a complete performance text—that would make for a long evening—and there are actually a large number of contradictions in the play as it has come down to us, what a joy it is to read all of Shakespeare’s words! Hamlet is a long play, but in general it flows beautifully, with long, elaborate scenes that fold into each other. I haven’t made a count, but I’d wager that in addition to being Shakespeare’s lengthiest play, Hamlet has, on average, the longest scenes. To me, this makes it read easier, but I might be in the minority in that respect.Hamlet as a character is a vehicle for some of Shakespeare’s most beautiful poetry and most searching philosophy. The play has gained its worldwide renown almost solely because of his soliloquies, which are many and lengthy. With all due respect to the famous “To be or not to be,” my favorite of the lot is “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” I’m not an actor by profession, and haven’t been on the stage since junior high, but this speech stirred the actor in me. It’s a virtuosic piece, which opens with Hamlet’s typical melancholy and self-deprecation and ends with a moment of true resolve and excitement. Of course, the next time we see him, he’s depressed again and contemplating suicide.Going in, of course, I already knew about the wonderful poetry and philosophy in Hamlet. What I didn’t expect was how powerfully I would relate to the main character. Perhaps this is because I was approaching the play for the first time with the understanding that Hamlet is a very young man. He has traditionally been thought to be about 30 due to a remark of the gravedigger’s, but all other internal evidence points to him being in his late teens or so, and it’s very much possible that the gravedigger’s remark was a later addition to accommodate an older actor. When I instead read him as a teenager or young adult, all the pieces came together and the play made sense to me for the first time.Not that one has to be young in order to relate to Hamlet—he is a universal character, and it’s really remarkable how many different ways he can be interpreted. A friend and I were discussing how we might each play the role were we ever given the chance: he would probably emphasize his intellectualism, his shrewdness, his struggle with madness, and his quest for revenge, whereas I would stress his youth, depression, and emotional variance.There’s so much in this play that it is utterly impossible to touch on everything in a single review, so I suppose I’ll stop while I’m ahead. I’m sure that when I reread, I will notice new things that I never saw before. And I do plan on rereading Hamlet. Like all truly great works of literature, it’s an inexhaustible gold mine, a fountain of insight one can’t help returning to.

[feelinglistless · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Imagine my surprise when browsing through Kernaghan Books in the Wayfarers Shopping Arcade in Southport for these editions when I stumbled across Hamlet somewhat working against the purpose of me utilising these Oxfords to discover literature. Edition editor G.R. Hibbard chooses the First Folio as the basis for his text on the assumption that it was produced from a clean, revised manuscript of the play by Shakespeare himself, a final revision of the material that increases the pace but also clarifies the story in other places. His argument is sound, but I do much prefer the much later Arden 3’s approach of suggesting that all the close textual analysis in the world won’t definitively confirm which of the versions is definitive, so it’s best just to present all three (unless like the RSC edition, the mission is to reproduce an edition of the folio in particular). More inevitably posted here.

[aoibhealfae · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

I don't think I've ever enjoyed a Shakespearean work more than this play. Its riddled with ghost, revenge, crazy people, deaths, politics and psychological drama. Reading it along with the BBC's 2009's Hamlet does help in understanding the text, but its quite obvious how Hamlet's popularity survived half a millenia.

Full review to come.

[ron_peters-1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Critics have varied in their enthusiasm for this play over the centuries. In many ways Hamlet is a typical "modern" - a relativist, caught in perpetual indecision, uncertain of his place in the world, frozen by his anxieties. It also contains some of the best-known lines and soliloquies in all of Shakespeare. It can be, and has been, read and performed from a religious perspective, an existential perspective, a Freudian perspective, or a feminist perspective.

[tiffanyak_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

This is truly an amazing work, and is a very well-known story. Even if you haven't read the play, or seen any of the film versions, you probably have heard enough to know much of what happens, and are likely familiar with several very famous lines. This was my first time reading the play, and I truly loved it, because it does go far beyond just the famous lines and core story. There is true depth here, with layers of meaning that really strike at the soul of the audience. As to the edition itself, I found it to be greatly helpful in understanding the action in the play. It has a layout which places each page of the play opposite a page of notes, definitions, explanations, and other things needed to understand that page more thoroughly. While I didn't always need it, I was certainly glad to have it whenever I ran into a turn of language that was unfamiliar, and I definitely appreciated the scene-by-scene summaries. Really, if you want to or need to read Shakespeare, an edition such as this is really the way to go, especially until you get more accustomed to it.

[jessicadelellis · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

It was a very interesting story. It wasn't boring as I thought it would be.

[foof2you · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Hey its Hamlet. What else can I say. You either love it or hate it.

[the_awesome_opossum · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Hamlet's an amazingly dynamic and complex play about the lure of death and the struggle against inaction. Wonderful and dark and always a pleasure to read

[mrslee_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

I refuse to offer up a literary review on Shakespeare. I wouldn't presume. However, I will say that I enjoyed this dark story. Watching a man descend into madness, yet still retain enough sanity to accomplish his purpose is drama at its best. Half the fun for me is finding out where all the quotes one hears all the time come from.

[stefany_6 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

It's difficult to critique a work that is widely considered to be the best piece produced by the greatest author who ever lived. To put it in simple terms, I did enjoy Hamlet for the most part. Once I got used to the language and re-familiarized myself with reading a script, the story flowed very well. My only real complaint was that the format took a bit out of the climactic finale for me. I feel that it would have read much better in a novel format.Shakespeare has written one of the most compelling tragedies ever in Hamlet, and his plot and character development are topnotch. Hamlet's downward spiral into madness is classically done. All said, a must read.

[loufreshwater · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

What didn't I learn from this book? ;-)

[a_reader_of_fictions · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Story:
Everyone knows Hamlet. Okay, maybe not everyone, but most people do. Now, if you were to ask me if I liked Hamlet, my short answer would probably be 'no.' Really, though, it's not fair for me to encapsulate my feelings on Hamlet into such a simple answer. If Hamlet and I were in a relationship on facebook (assuming he it could ever decide whether to be in one...punned!), it would most definitely be complicated.

Here's the thing: Hamlet is a great play. There's no denying it. When I think about the play objectively, there's a lot of amazing stuff in there. Shakespeare's wit is fantastic; gotta love all of those dirty jokes he makes in here. And, of course, the language is completely gorgeous.

The characters I have never been particularly tied to, which is one reason Hamlet does not rank among my favorite plays; the tragedies often lack the sassy heroines you can find in the comedies. Hamlet's indecisiveness frustrates me endlessly. Whine, whine, whine, think about doing something, wimp out, wine more. Cry moar, anon. Yoda judges you. Hamlet's uncle father and his aunt mother are not especially likable, even if you don't think they're guilty of what Hamlet's ghosty father accused them of (namely, turning him into a ghost). Ophelia isn't the brightest; plus, her end does not for admiration make. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are probably my favorites, and that's only because of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard.

Truly though, the reason that I don't really like Hamlet is how prevalent it is. I just get so tired of always hearing this same play over and over. I mean, who didn't have to read this in high school, and again in college?

Performance:
This audiobook is the recording of a stage version of the play, performed by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival cast. They do a good job, and I imagine it was quite a fun performance that they did. It sounds like they did some interesting things with the characters, such as changing gender in some cases and some modernizing (thus the leather jacket Hamlet's wearing).

Unfortunately, listening to a play and watching it just aren't the same. Had I not already been very familiar with Hamlet, I have little doubt that I would at time have been confused by some of the quick scene changes or by which voice belonged to which character. Some of the actors did have rather similar sounding voices.

Between scenes, there is creepy dramatic music, which definitely set a mood, but I don't think I liked. Nor did I care for the fact that the players rapped everything. That was kind of weird. At least Ophelia didn't rap her crazyface songs. Speaking of Ophelia, she was my favorite part of the performance. Her voice and manner definitely reminded me of River Tam (Summer Glau's character in Firefly, who has a couple of screws loose). What an awesome way to portray Ophelia. Now I kind of want to try to write some fan fiction with the characters from Firefly performing Hamlet. Maybe not.