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Hamlet
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most popular, and most puzzling, play. It follows the form of a “revenge tragedy,” in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father’s murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. Much of its fascination, however, lies in its uncertainties.
Among them: What is the Ghost—Hamlet’s father demanding justice, a tempting demon, an angelic messenger? Does Hamlet go mad, or merely pretend to? Once he is sure that Claudius is a murderer, why does he not act? Was his mother, Gertrude, unfaithful to her husband or complicit in his murder?
The authoritative edition of Hamlet from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:
-The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference
-Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation
-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently linked to the text of the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
-An annotated guide to further reading
Essay by Michael Neill
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
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Reviews
This has great info about the play, history, etc. What it doesn’t have is effective links. The in book links are terrible. The pages will jump randomly, don’t size changes, you get taken back to a different spot. Essentially, they are unusable. Had they worked, book would have been great. Just really bad digital formatting.
By Methinksthelinksdothntwork
There’s another review on here complaining about the formatting. This seemed mostly fixed, from what I could tell, when I read it. There were maybe a few instances where the links didn’t quite go the right page (off by one or so), and one or two other weird things, but it was for the most part a smooth experience. The textual notes are excellent, and this edition really made the text accessible! A great rendition of the play!
By ahdneksbk
The play is not easily read in its present state of formatting. Wherever a stage command is given, as in "EXIT GHOST.", the font size changes as if what follows is a reference. This goes back and forth into and out of at least four different font sizes; from very large to very small. This is unfortunate since the print versions are some of the best. I would not buy it until I saw a revision note stating that this text issue is repaired.
By TJFRD