Well, I'm an English literature student, and Shakespeare's plays are my absolute passion. This isn't anything out of the ordinary or overly exciting. Most English students live and breathe Shakespeare. So far, I've thoroughly enjoyed reading and studying everything of his that has appeared on the reading list. However, this particular play has completely changed my perspective. My reaction has surprised me the most. I never expected to find something of Shakespeare's that I not only dislike but also detest. This play is one of his most highly revered and is considered one of his greatest tragedies. So, I'm rather dumbfounded by my own reaction. This play was frustrating, annoying, and downright revolting.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: 'Who has the right to actually criticize this masterpiece?' Well, objectively speaking, it is, of course, a work of sheer brilliance. But that doesn't mean I have to like it or enjoy reading it. Today, I sat through three hours of my lecturer praising this play and calling it one of Shakespeare's most important works because it marked a significant change in his career as a dramatist and his development as a writer. I can see that, and I appreciate it. However, Hamlet is one of the most idiotic and self-obsessed characters I've ever come across. His inaction defines him as a tragic character, but in my mind, it's just plain silly. He caused his own death and the death of everyone in the play. Yes, this makes his inaction tragic, but it was also completely self-defeating and bordered on the absurd. The man needed a wake-up call and a reality check. I just find him unbearably frustrating.

I'm not arguing against the play's literary merit. Please don't get defensive with me in the comments section. It is an iconic piece of literature, and that cannot be denied. However, I'm going to lay out three points of reasoning as to why I disliked it so much.

1. A flawed idea for revenge

Hamlet's revenge makes no sense. It is completely illogical. His uncle has killed his father, brutally murdering his own brother by pouring poison into his ear. This man, Claudius, has no empathy or conscience. If a man can so callously kill his own brother, then surely, logically speaking, trying to appeal to his sense of regret is almost pointless. He has murdered his brother and taken his place. He doesn't care who he has killed in the process. But somehow, this cold-hearted man is deeply affected by his deed, as manifested in Hamlet's mock play. The idea for revenge shouldn't have worked, but it did. Claudius admits his guilt in prayer, setting Hamlet into an even more crazed state. How is this revenge?

2. Hamlet is a fool

Hamlet needed to step back and truly consider his situation. Yes, he does this in five soliloquies, but he never considered one crucial angle. He never thought that his inaction could lead to a worse result than acting directly. After much indecision, he stages a play for the King to get revenge. The most direct action of revenge would have been to simply run the King through with a sword in the throne room or poison him in kind. But this would have made him a murderer, so it was off the table. He could have gritted his teeth and just dealt with the situation. But to do so would be to ignore his father's spirit's request for revenge. So, he couldn't really take either route, but doing neither is worse than simply choosing one. This leads to the bloodbath in the final scene, which ultimately forces his hand. On a character level, I think of Hamlet as a coward who ultimately causes his own fate. This isn't why I dislike him. He makes the play a tragedy, but it's the illogical nature of his actions that condemns him in my estimation. He has two paths before him, and instead of taking either, he forces a third path that is more detrimental than either.

3. He is too self-obsessed

Hamlet barely considers anyone else. In his mind, his uncle marrying his mother is incest. In Renaissance England, this was as bad as full-blown incest. Claudius and Gertrude were only in-laws, siblings by marriage. So, by today's standards, it's not that immoral. Regardless, Hamlet doesn't consider how his mother feels about this. He is repulsed by the notion, but she could be in love or, more likely, in a forced marriage. Hamlet doesn't consider her feelings. He is just repulsed by the idea of their marriage rather than the emotions and bond that may or may not be involved. This doesn't make him a bad person, but when considered with my other two points, I think it makes him somewhat idiotic, selfish, and frustrating.

I simply dislike this play because I'm practically repulsed by its "tragic hero." I recognize that this is an unpopular opinion, and I can't help but think that I should have liked the play. But Hamlet just infuriates me too much for me to overlook my dissatisfaction with him and admire the play's formal features. I just can't personally like it.

The singular and peculiar life of the Queen is now over. With her death, there is a sense of mounting vileness. The Basilikon Doron is released, and the son, whose mother's head was cut off to ensure the peace of the realm, ascends the throne. What was gained through the inveterate evil of colonialism continues to be amassed, but instead of the much-acclaimed Elizabethan era, we now have the Jacobean. Instead of the gold of novelty and the surprises of peace through the scything of the populace, we may have the scythe but not the one to wield it. Elizabeth, hated by some, unnatural to others, and the bane of existence for many, is now gone.

The need for a royal divorce led to the gateway of a new, minimized, individualized religion. Poetry serves as the mediation humans require to reconcile life and death. Over time, the rhythms and rhymes have coalesced into various rituals of speaking, singing, and screaming. In a particular corner of the world where Purgatory is no longer an incentive and prayers are no longer a necessity, and the long-departed beloved may or may not be suffering ten thousand years longer due to a change in scheme that deems their transmutation nonsense, the universality of death looms large. We are all doomed to die, and as we age, the cell decay begins to outpace the cell renewal. But truth has little to do with individual experience. All that we love is doomed to die, yet each can only die once.

What I now know of Hamlet makes the return to King Lear all the more dire. Freedom is a baleful deity because responsibility is so much worse. Wars are won, peace is held, and all that is left is to provoke the self into an action guided by loss, propelled by rage, and confined by the concept of honor, which will bring down the whole host of dependent selves. A head of state is a nasty piece of work when fratricide is on the résumé, but when tens of thousands of revenge plots are put on the stage, it is impossible to accurately frame the creature that is civil war through scenes and lines of dialogue. Lear comes close, and this makes me wonder if my hierarchy of Shakespeare's works may change after this class. But perhaps not. I have not yet seen the storm in the flesh, and the divide between words on a page and souls on a stage when contemplation breaks free from the footnotes must be considered. I am a reader through and through, but if all the world's a stage, the bodies fall first.

  If thou didst ever hold me in they heart,
Absent thee from felicity a while,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain
To tell my story.

Hamlet, Hamlet. I will never muse enough about this play. It is special to me for its beautiful prose, deceptively human themes, and its constant presence throughout the years. Its value only increases as my life progresses, with each new encounter inspiring a deeper understanding and appreciation. I could expound on the complexities within the minds of each character, the wickedly quick humor and scathing wordplay, the omnipresence of death in Hamlet's world, and the battle between ancient cultures raging through the lines of debate. To be, or not to be. With so many beliefs, who can avoid this question? I could even share my previous essay on the topic. But for now, a heartfelt recommendation is sufficient. The rest is for the future.

In the pattern of "the hero's journey" that Joseph Campbell claims is repeated in all myths, the last stage of the hero's physical and psychological behavior is the transformation into the "lord of the two worlds." Contrary to what its name might suggest, this does not mean attaining everything. Instead, it means the exact opposite, which is to let go of everything. The hero reaches a kind of purity where nothing is important anymore, and he submits himself to the will of fate, allowing whatever will to happen to him. It is by letting go of everything that the hero reaches the final stage of his journey, a journey that began with the intention of attaining everything. In our culture, we call this stage "annihilation."

Hamlet, the symbol of the will bent on revenge, is engaged in a drama throughout the play. With himself and with others, he has different thoughts that assail him and do not let his hand go to blood. He is bound by the heat and the tumult of the vow that he will finally complete his revenge, and he slowly takes steps and delays. As if there is still an invisible thread binding him to a world that he will not leave with death.

But just after he suddenly realizes that his beloved Ophelia has drowned herself, after he throws her into the ground without performing the religious ceremony as an impure person in front of his eyes in complete astonishment, as if that only thread is broken. Suddenly his behavior changes; there is no more news of his anger and taunts, and everything becomes the same for him. When they force him to participate in a duel that both he and his friend Horatio are sure is designed to kill him, with the calm of someone who has washed his hands of everything and submits himself to the current, he says: "There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all. Since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is't to leave betimes?"

And when he washes his hands of everything, when nothing is important to him anymore, he attains everything: he takes revenge and he himself also falls into the silent death that everyone desires.

I have finally delved into what is widely regarded as Shakespeare's magnum opus (and his longest), and by some as the greatest play and literary work of all time. With such a lofty reputation, it had a great deal to fulfill, and in many aspects, it did not disappoint.

Hamlet is a remarkable exploration of the descent into madness, both as a play and through the central character. It also examines the philosophy of 'blood begets blood', as it is essentially the pursuit of vengeance and the escalation of events that leads to everyone's downfall.

I believe that Hamlet, the King, the Queen, as well as Laertes and Polonius, were extremely well-developed characters, with their own intricate psychologies that added life and realism to the play. This created tension and allowed for the 'willing suspension of disbelief'.

In addition to these characters, I thought every scene featuring Hamlet himself was outstanding. The construction of his relationships and the contrast between how he communicates with those like Horatio and Ophelia revealed a great deal about his character and personality in a highly accomplished and subtle manner that was quintessentially Shakespearean.

On the other hand, I think that some of the supporting cast were not as strong as those in Othello or Macbeth, and so the scenes without Hamlet sometimes disrupted my immersion in the progression of events. His 'friends' were, in my opinion, an example of this.

Hamlet is a play that I would highly recommend to all Shakespeare enthusiasts. I don't know why it has taken me until now to finally read it, but I am glad that I have. It was thoroughly enjoyable, featuring some of Shakespeare's most quoted and iconic scenes, and the culmination of events in Hamlet is a truly remarkable crescendo.

I don't have any earth-shattering insights to share from this most recent of god-knows-how-many readings. However, this time through, I was truly struck by a couple of things.

Firstly, what an incredibly fine piece of stagecraft this is. From the suspenseful and moody opening on the castle battlements, which immediately grabs the audience's attention and sets the tone, to the solemn dead march carrying the prince offstage, the whole production is a masterclass in theatricality.

Secondly, Shakespeare seems to deliberately want Hamlet's personality, especially the wellspring of his actions and lack of action, to remain an enigma. He achieves this by infusing the character with so much of himself - so much wit and poetry, so much despondency and savagery. The result is that the audience is left simply bowing before the great mystery of human personality. This reverence for the unknown lurking in the heart of an extraordinary man intensifies the sense of pity, horror, and waste that fills us at the end of the play. It makes us realize that even the most complex and fascinating of characters are ultimately a mystery, and that is what makes Shakespeare's works so enduring and captivating.

We need more characters who are as delightfully unhinged as Hamlet.

That man is truly a force to be reckoned with. He has never once paused to consider a single word that has left his mouth.

His thoughts and emotions spill out in a torrent, unrestrained and wild.

Hamlet's unhinged nature makes him a captivating and complex character.

He is not afraid to speak his mind, no matter how controversial or shocking his words may be.

This lack of inhibition adds a layer of authenticity and rawness to his character.

We should embrace characters like Hamlet, who challenge our expectations and force us to confront the darker aspects of human nature.

They remind us that there is beauty and power in the chaos and that sometimes, it is in our moments of unhingedness that we find our true selves.

“Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”

― William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Hamlet remains one of my all-time favorite Shakespeare plays. I have read it probably 3 - 5 times and watched just as many film productions, including those by Kenneth Branagh in 1996, Mel Gibson in 1990, Laurence Olivier in 1948, Ethan Hawke in 2000, and Kevin Kline in 1990. I simply love it. Each read offers me a chance to discover something new and different.

This is also my first encounter with the play since visiting Hamlet's castle in Denmark last summer (2016) on the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death. While walking through the castle, they were performing a "Hamlet Live" and the actor playing Hamlet flirted with my daughter. It was truly worth the time and the blustery weather. I saw cannons and tapestries, but unfortunately, no ghosts or floating virgins. What a pity!

I also learned this summer while in Malta, while reading about Samuel Taylor Coleridge, that it was he who largely propelled Hamlet to the top of Shakespeare's works. According to Jonathan Bate, "the Romantics' reinvention of Hamlet as a paralyzed Romantic was their single most influential critical act." It seemed popular among Romantics, after Coleridge, to show a strong antic disposition for Shakespeare's psychologically complex, young Prince.

❂"We love Hamlet even as we love ourselves." - Lord Byron
❂"Hamlet's heart was full of such Misery as mine is when he said to Ophelia 'Go to a Nunnery, go, go!' Indeed I should like to give up the matter at once -- I should like to die. I am sickened at the brute world which you are smiling with." - John Keats
❂"I have a smack of Hamlet myself, if I may say so...." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Favorite Lines this read:

"O God, I could be bound in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space – were it not that I have bad dreams." (Act 2, Scene 2)
"Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words." (Act 2, Scene 2)
"Our wills and fates do so contrary run." (Act 3, Scene 2)
"For some must watch, while some must sleep
So runs the world away" (Act 3, Scene 2)
"If your mind dislike anything obey it" (Act 5, Scene 2)

Revenge and madness are the recurring themes that pervade throughout the story. Hamlet, the protagonist, is consumed by an intense desire for revenge against his uncle. His uncle not only murdered his father, the King of Denmark, but also married his mother shortly after.

Hamlet's pursuit of vengeance is filled with hesitation and uncertainty, which gradually drives him to the brink of madness. As he plots and schemes, he involves many others in his web of revenge, leading to a tragic outcome where he himself dies, along with several other characters.

The story serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the dangers of unchecked revenge and the importance of closely watching the madness that can afflict great individuals. If left unmonitored, such madness can lead to turmoil and ultimate failure.

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When a play is regarded as the greatest piece ever penned by the most renowned author in history, a serious reader (perhaps not overly so) simply has to take a look and see. I, for one, was most definitely not disappointed. It offers a remarkably written perspective on human nature, both the good and the bad.

Hamlet is a kind-hearted man and a long-time student (for over ten years, though not seemingly too dedicated) at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. However, his carefree life is shattered when his father dies suddenly. Unfortunate to be a Prince of Denmark, all he wanted was to have fun. But duty calls, and he must immediately return to the royal palace at Elsinore, the royal castle that overlooks the cold Baltic Sea and controls its entrance. The new King, his uncle, has married Hamlet's mother, the Queen! And thus, quite shamelessly in Hamlet's opinion, gained the throne just a month after the King's funeral. At that time, the ruler was an elective office, so the Prince remains the Prince and not the King.

Even more shockingly, the ghost of the late sovereign appears (or perhaps it is the devil) above the walls of the castle in the dead of night and tells his son that he was murdered. Can you imagine how his son reacts in the darkness in that creepy setting? By his own brother, what a predicament for poor Hamlet to be in, and his mother is involved too. The family honor demands revenge, yet the family are the killers. Others, the royal guards, witness this terrifying episode. The father wants satisfaction, and you can guess what that means. And you think you have problems! What will Hamlet do?

The Prince becomes extremely melancholic, procrastinating and condemning himself for his weakness. His relatives and friends become concerned about his behavior. Is Hamlet insane? He tells Ophelia, his sweetheart, that he loves her, yet later to her face, he tells her to become a nun. She is the daughter of Polonius, a counselor to Claudius, the new ruler. What a quandary. Spying for Claudius, Polonius is slain by the Prince, who mistakes him hiding behind a curtain for the odious King. Claudius plots, with the help of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two former school friends of his nephew, an inept pair of halfwits, to eliminate Hamlet, who has been making threats against his uncle. A long voyage to England with the evil two awaits the Prince, from which he will never return home.

This sounds good to Hamlet. He needs to get away from the vile machinations. Besides, Ophelia's brother will soon return to Denmark, and he wants blood. And on the horizon, a possible war against Norway also becomes a very real possibility. It's time to get out of town, of course. But he does come back, mysteriously alone. You need not wonder how. The first thing the Prince sees is the digging in a graveyard, with friend Horatio by his side. The skull of Yorick, his father's jester, is uncovered. Hamlet remembers him. Holding the clown's head in his hands, he tells Horatio and the gravedigger how Yorick used to carry him on his back. The pathos flows out over the site unashamedly. Making jests to everyone he met, Yorick was a merry man, but no more. Sadly, no more.... "The Rest is Silence". A beautiful end to an unmatched, skillful product of human endeavors.

It's really amazing!

Even though many years have passed since I studied Hamlet by Shakespeare, some of the dialogues of the secondary characters in the story still remain in my mind.

This means the influence of this work and of course the loneliness of Hamlet at the peak of pride and power. It's a curious combination and surely this work must be studied.

Hamlet is a complex and profound tragedy that delves into themes such as revenge, morality, and the human condition. The secondary characters also play important roles in enhancing the overall narrative and adding depth to the story. Their dialogues provide insights into their personalities, motives, and relationships with the main characters.

Studying Hamlet not only allows us to appreciate the genius of Shakespeare's writing but also helps us understand the human psyche and the complexities of life. It makes us think about our own actions, decisions, and the consequences that follow. The play's enduring popularity is a testament to its timeless appeal and the universal themes it explores.

“A dream is in itself nothing more than a shadow.”

“Hamlet” is part of that perverse trilogy written by Shakespeare along with “Macbeth” (my favorite of all) and “King Lear”. None of his other works reach this level of perversity and betrayals (perhaps “Othello”, although I haven't read it). Hamlet has the same doubts and contradictions as Macbeth, with the difference that using his supposed madness, he fights against all adversities, including the pressure that the ghost of his father imposes on him when already in the first act he warns him that he was assassinated by his own brother who in turn marries his widow, Queen Gertrude, to occupy the throne.

The plot setup potentially brings us closer to another impeccable tragedy, the best of all according to Aristotle, called “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles. Here, as in the Greek tragedy, the family ties negatively affect the main character who must solve “all the problems of the world” as Hamlet confesses by himself somewhere to reach the truth.

The inherent evil of Claudius exercised in his tyrannical way of governing stains, complicates and conditions Hamlet, who must fight from the lowest to discover the truth. And in the middle of all this mixture of hatreds and betrayals, characters appear who tug at the king and the prince for good or for bad, such is the case of Polonius, Laertes and Horatio. The role of Ophelia is no less, she is not behind what is happening and will be the trigger for the end which, as in all of Shakespeare's works, includes a series of confrontations, bloodshed and death everywhere.

The language, the dialogues, the monologues and the dissertations of the characters raise the poetic and beautiful of this work of Shakespeare (which if I'm not mistaken is one of the longest) to levels of unprecedented brilliance and perfection and that laid the foundations for everything that came after. William Shakespeare managed to generate in England and in literature a turning point and a path to follow and leave his literature at the highest point and to such an extent that today his importance is still inevitable.

“There are things in heaven and on earth, Horatio, that exceed what your philosophy has dreamed of” Hamlet says in a scene. That phrase is dedicated to us readers, who in one way or another are often destined to learn from the wisdom of greats like Shakespeare that literature is the most complete of the arts. We should always remember this.

“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.” Hamlet by William Shakespeare

“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.”
Hamlet ~~~ William Shakespeare



Richard Burton


I recently found out that my non-existent Hamlet review has 51 likes. With such a number of likes, I thought I'd better get down to writing a proper review for this amazing piece of theatre.


It's no surprise that William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is so renowned and beloved. Hamlet offers all the elements of a thrilling plot, along with some of the most breathtaking poetry and philosophical musings in literature. In Shakespeare’s paranoid Denmark, young love is strangled by fear, friends turn into enemies, and a melancholic, young prince rails against a scheming uncle who married his mother after murdering his brother, King Hamlet.



John Gielgud


The story of Prince Hamlet, deprived of his father and his rightful place on the throne of Denmark, has, over the years, become one of the most thrilling dramas in theatre. Love and betrayal intersect in this story, resulting in one of the most shocking endings in Shakespeare’s works.


Madness, revenge, mortality, lust, and religion can all be used to describe Prince Hamlet. However, the only word needed to describe the play Hamlet is tragedy.


Hamlet is not a difficult read, considering our familiarity with the text. If you look beyond the words on the page and understand the meaning of Hamlet, you may discover that the young prince Hamlet is not so different from you and me.


The story of a prince robbed of his father and his rightful crown as king of Denmark has, over the years, become one of the most exciting tragedies ever written. Love and betrayal coincide in this story to create one of the most shocking endings in Shakespeare’s work.



John Barrymore


Prince Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet of Denmark, is dead. The king’s brother, Claudius, has seized the throne and married the widowed Queen Gertrude with such tasteless haste that “the funeral bak’d meats did coldly furnish forth the wedding tables.” On top of all this sneaky corruption, Denmark is under threat of invasion from Norway. But just as everything seems to be going wrong for the young prince of Denmark, he seems to have stumbled upon something of value.


The dead king lies restless, and one night he appears to Prince Hamlet on the castle walls. As young Hamlet receives the message to seek revenge for his father’s death, the castle is thrown into turmoil after his remarks about seeing the spirit.


In order to complete the quest he undertakes for his father, Prince Hamlet must pretend to be mad. But is he truly mad? This is a question that actors, directors, and critics have debated for centuries. The only person who could truly answer that question died in 1616. Shakespeare has left this question open; Hamlet may well be mad, or he may be using the fact that others perceive his actions as such to better prepare for his revenge.


There is also a great deal of ambiguity regarding his mother’s views. She seems to be naïve and not really understand what is going on, yet there are strong textual clues that suggest she knows quite well what her new husband has done and is trying very hard to pretend not to know.


In the end, the entire mess comes crashing down in a tragic series of deaths that claim nearly everyone.



Sarah Bernhardt


Hamlet, in addition to being captivating from start to finish, is also filled with famous lines and speeches. Shakespeare’s writing in this play is worthy of the acclaim it has received, from the most famous “To be or not to be” speech to one-liners of great significance.


For centuries, Hamlet has been a cornerstone of theatre, exploring the themes of madness and revenge. When these two elements are combined, they create something much greater than ourselves. But what is Hamlet’s true nature? Does he even know his own nature? As a director, I see a hero caught up in a villainous situation - a young man full of anger and mourning, with no idea how to navigate his corrupt world. This is why we can all relate to Hamlet, as we are all faced with the challenge of finding our way in a corrupt world.



Benedict Cumberbatch