Hamlet

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No Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of Hamlet on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right.

Each No Fear Shakespeare contains

The complete text of the original play
A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language
A complete list of characters with descriptions
Plenty of helpful commentary


352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,1601

Literary awards
Places
denmark

This edition

Format
352 pages, Hardcover
Published
July 3, 2003 by SparkNotes
ISBN
9781411400429
ASIN
1411400429
Language
English
Characters More characters
  • Horatio

    Horatio

    Horatio is a character in William Shakespeares tragedy Hamlet.He was present on the field when King Hamlet (the father of the main character, Prince Hamlet) defeated Fortinbras (the king of Norway), and he has travelled to court from the University ...

  • Polonius

    Polonius

    Polonius is a character in William Shakespeares play Hamlet. He is chief counsellor of the plays ultimate villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Generally regarded as wrong in every judgment he makes over the course of the p...

  • Laertes

    Laertes

    Laertes is a character in William Shakespeares play Hamlet. Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. In the final scene, he mortally stabs Hamlet with a poison-tipped sword to avenge the deaths of his father and sister, for which h...

  • Gertrude

    Gertrude

    In William Shakespeares play Hamlet, Gertrude is Hamlets mother and Queen of Denmark. Her relationship with Hamlet is somewhat turbulent, since he resents her marrying her husbands brother Claudius after he murdered the king (young Hamle...

  • Marcellus

    Marcellus

    ...

  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

About the author

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William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
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99 reviews All reviews
April 25,2025
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بين العبقرية و الجنون شعرة. فهل ادعى هاملت الجنون ليثأر لمقتل أبيه أم أنه جن فعلا و تصرفاته بعد ذلك هي قمة الجنون؟
في مسرحية لم ينج منها أحد من السيف أو السم أو الغرق ... هل خسر الجميع و فاز الجمهور؟

تبدأ الحكاية بموت الملك و عودة ولده هاملت إلى الدنمارك لتولي العرش فيجد أن أمه قد تزوجت عمه الذي اعتلى العرش فيصاب بالإكتئاب الشديد حزنا على والده و أمه و عرشه. يتصور طيف أبيه الذي يصرح له بأنه مات بالسم صريع مؤامرة من زوجته و أخيه و يطالب ابنه بالثأر فتتصاعد الأحداث الدرامية ذات النكهة الفلسفية كعادة العبقري وليام شكسبير حتى النهاية في مشهد ميلودرامي مؤثر يموت فيه هاملت بعد أن انتقم لوالده و أراق بركة من الدم بها من الضحايا اللذين لا ذنب لهم أكثر مما بها من الخونة المستحقين للقتل.

هل تستحق الحياة الموت من أجلها؟ فماذا سيبقى بعد الموت؟ و هل الشرف في لذة العيش أم في الاستغناء عن الملذات في سبيل تحقيق الذات؟

عندما هتف هامل�� بعبارته الشهيرة أكون أو لا أكون .. تلك هي المشكلة. هل سلك الدرب الوعر الذي أفضى إلى حل المشكلة أم أنها ازدادت تعقيدا؟ ما جدوى الحياة أصلا و هي مليئة بالشر و المطامع و لن ينج منها أحد مهما اقترف من خير أو شر؟

مسرحية تم تقليبها على كل الوجوه منذ عدة مئات من السنين و ما زالت طازجة حتى الأن حتى أن دم هاملت ما زال ينزف و صوته يتردد بالأسئلة التي ليس لها أجوبة.
April 25,2025
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“Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.”



Not sure how many times I've read or watched William Shakespeare's Hamlet. The writing is fantastic! It's amazing to me how much of this play now exists in the realm of well-known quotes (more so than in any other Shakespeare play I'm aware of). Still, and I'm sure this is owing to Shakespeare's great talent, it feels fresh and I'm engaged in the story. And it is a story that works on so many levels. One of my favorite Shakespeare plays!
April 25,2025
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"Para definir la locura, ¿no tendría uno que estar loco?"

Una maravilla! No puedo explicar lo mucho que me gusto este libro. Quedé enamorada de la escritura. Era una delicia leerlo.
A Shakespeare le encantaba el drama eso queda reflejado en cada libro suyo. Pero tenía un don para la escritura que pocos tienen.

Leyendo en mi tablet quedó con un monton de citas marcadas. La verdad una obra de arte!
Incluso me gustó mucho mas que Romeo & Julieta.


"Hamlet refleja la incapacidad de actuar ante el dilema moral entre venganza y perdón"

"La lección de la locura: ajusta el pensamiento y el recuerdo"

"La culpa no sabe fingir su recelo y al fin se traiciona queriendo esconderlo".
April 25,2025
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Well, I’m an English literature student and I absolutely love Shakespeare’s plays. This is nothing unusual or exciting. Most English student’s live for Shakespeare. So far I’ve enjoyed reading, and studying, everything of his that’s popped up on the reading list until this came along. My reaction surprised me most of all, I never expected to find something of Shakespeare’s that I not only dislike, but also detest. This is also one of his most revered plays, and it’s also considered one of his greatest tragedies. So I’m somewhat dumfounded at my reaction. This play was frustrating, annoying and damn right revolting.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘who has the right to actually criticise this masterpiece?’ Well no one does. 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 and calling it one of Shakespeare’s most important plays because it marked an important change within his career as dramatist and development as a writer. That’s all well and good, I can see that; and I appreciate that. However, Hamlet is one of the most idiotic and self-obsessed characters in creation. His inaction defines him as a tragic character, but to my mind that’s just silly. He caused his own death and the death of everyone in the play; yes, again, this makes his inaction tragic but it was also completely self-defeating; it boarded upon the absurd. The man needed a slap and a reality check, I just find him so unbearably frustrating.

I’m not arguing against the play’s literary merit, so please don’t get defensive with me in the comments section. It is an iconic piece of literature; it can’t be denied. However, I am going to lay down three points of reasoning as to why I disliked it so.

1. A crap idea for revenge



Hamlet’s revenge makes no sense; it is completely illogical. His uncle has killed his farther; he has personally murdered his own brother by pouring poison into his ear. This man, Claudius, has no empathy; he has no 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’s murdered his brother and has taken his place. He’s filled that role; he doesn’t care who he’s killed in the process. But, yet, somehow, this cold hearted man is deeply affected by his deed that is manifested in Hamlet's mock play. The idea for revenge shouldn’t have worked, but it did. Claudius admits his guild, in prayer, and sets Hamlet into a more crazed state. How is this revenge?

2. Hamlet is a fool




Hamlet needed to step and truly consider his situation; yes, he does this in five soliloquies, but he never considered one angle; he never considers that his inaction could lead to a worse result that acting directly. He stages a play for the King to get revenge after much indecisiveness. The most direct action of revenge would have been to simply run the King through with a sword in the throne room or to poison him in kind. This would have made him a murderer, so it was off the table. He could have clenched his fists, and grinded his teeth, and just got on with the situation. But, to do so would be to ignore his father’s spirits’ request for revenge. So he could not really go down either route, but to do neither is worse than simply ignoring one. It leads to the bloodbath that is the final scene, which forced 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 roads before him, and instead of taking either he forces a third road that is more detrimental than either.

3. He is too self-obsessed



Hamlet barely considers anyone else. To 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, though Hamlet doesn’t consider how his mother feels about this. He is repulsed by the notion, but she could be in love or she could be in the more likely eventuality of 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 make him somewhat idiotic, selfish and frustrating.

I simply dislike this play because I’m practically repulsed by its “tragic hero.” I recognise that this is an unpopular opinion, and I cannot help but think that I should have liked the play. But, Hamlet just infuriates me far too much for me to overlook my dissatisfaction with him and admire the play's formal features. I just cannot personally like it.
April 25,2025
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i am not sure of many things, but there's one thing i know with the utmost certainty and it's that hamlet and horatio explored each other's bodies. multiple times.
April 25,2025
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خب فکر کنم برای خوندن سومین نمایش‌نامه زندگیم، زیادی متن سنگینی داشت، هنوز باید بین نمایش‌نامه‌های فعلی تاتی تاتی کنم :((

پ.ن۱: Greate british theatre قسمت سومش
نمایش‌نامه هملته با بازی جذاب بندیکت قشنگ‌تر از جانم ( به اینگیلیستان حسودیم میشه بندیک کامبربچ دارن)
پ.ن۲: سرورم چه عیب و ایرادی داره که خداوندگار من ترجمه شده به‌جاش؟!
April 25,2025
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The first time I read this book I was in highschool. It was an 80-page book. The story was so short and simple, so I wondered "Why so many people say this is such a complex play/book?". A couple of years later, I bought a special edition of 592 pages: Too much? No! Why not? Because the play was written in Shakespearean English, and every single word that was not in standard English was explained at the bottom of the page, it explained the context, the uses you can have from that word.
Ok, so I read that version and it was a pain in the ass. Not because it was a bad story at all, but now I truly understand people who say that Shakespeare was such a special writer, and I agree!
Well, about the story... Fascinating! I loved how Shakespeare made of Hamlet such a special character. It was very difficult for Hamlet to take action, it was like "almost, almost!"
I feel Shakespeare wanted to express himself on Hamlet. His multiple personalities during the play reminded me of Shakespeare's life a bit.
On the other hand, I really LOVED how this play ends... What a bloody and violent ending, Terrific!
Recommended? Absolutely, but a simple version, because the original might be too difficult and slow to read.
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