Tab Article

ratings: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Genre: Drama / Tragedy / Classic

Book Review:
''Hamlet'' is not just a play; it's the play. It's the reason we talk about ''Shakespearean'' tragedy. It's the source of more famous quotes than any other work in English literature. And yet, for all its fame, it remains a deeply personal and endlessly fascinating work. It's about a young man, grieving his father, who is visited by a ghost and told to seek revenge. But it's so much more than a revenge story. It's about the paralysis of thought, the pain of betrayal, the nature of sanity, and the fear of death. Hamlet himself is the most complex character ever created. He's witty, cruel, loving, and despairing, often in the same scene. The play is full of incredible set pieces: the ''To be or not to be'' soliloquy, the play-within-a-play, the Ophelia's mad scene, the final duel. It's a masterpiece. This Cambridge edition is excellent, with notes that help unlock the play's richness. Essential reading for everyone, everywhere.