It is the story of human willpower battling the odds. It is also the story of the struggle of a nation against Fate. William Shakespeare's Hamlet is not just a story of a mad prince out to avenge his father's death.

One of the most intense and intriguing tragedies of all time is built upon the answer to this question.

Yet, he finds himself also attending his mother Gertrude's wedding to his uncle Claudius, who has inherited the throne. Hamlet has returned to Denmark to attend his father's funeral. Impatient to know what the ghost's appearance means, they summon Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. The guards see it first, and then the scholar Horatio confronts it. It closely resembles the recently deceased king of Denmark. Once upon a time on a dark winter night, a ghost appears on the ramparts of Castle Elsinore in Denmark. For more information, visit concise, highly enjoyable adaptation of the classic Shakespeare drama.Ī concise, highly enjoyable adaptation of the classic Shakespeare drama one of more than 85 titles Campfire has published since their introduction to North America in 2010. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. 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. An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

Much of its fascination, however, lies in its uncertainties.Īmong 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? 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. Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most popular, and most puzzling, play. The authoritative edition of Hamlet from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers.

Hamlet book by william shakespeare