Scan barcode
katiem0201's review
4.0
This book was read out loud in my lit class which was really fun. The people who read it did really well (especially in the last scene) which probably contributes to me enjoying this play so much. I really love Shakespeare and want to read more of his plays.
jedi_indyjones's review
5.0
Shakespeare was a master at writing tragedies. I loved this one. Rediscovering Shakespeare in my thirties has been fruitful and it's shown me the beauty of his writing without the academic setting. This has caused me to consider the lines more on my own and it moves me closer to the characters and the story. There are many analysis out there as well that I used while reading and some follow up videos. I also look forward to many of the film adaptations of this play. This copy was incredible in that it has footnotes for context and related stories at the back of the book. There were even blurbs on many of the adaptations found there as well. The themes in Shakespeare's works are what make these timeless. I can't wait to discover and re-discover more of his works.
oddandbookish's review
4.0
It was a very interesting story. It wasn't boring as I thought it would be.
e_bibliophile's review
4.0
Shakespeare:
When I read Romeo and Juliet a couple of years ago, I told myself: This can not possibly be [a:William Shakespeare|947|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1424313573p2/947.jpg]'s greatest work that made his name stand still since the 16th century up to this date! I still need to read more of Shakespeare to fully appreciate Shakespeare, but [b:Hamlet|1432|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404002632s/1432.jpg|1885548] raised the bar of my esteem to the universally esteemed writer.
Hamlet:
So, it all goes down to a royal dysfunctional family. The Danish King no longer lives. He likes to show up as a ghost (literally). His bro steps up as the new King and marries hisdeceased murdered brother's widow which is way too fishy since the Queen didn't have the courtesy to mourn her late husband properly.
Hamlet is pissed off, too much family drama, too much betrayal. He breaks up with his girlfriend Ophelia, goes emo and thinks suicide. The irony here is that..Ophelia is the one who commits suicide later on . Then Hamlet says Shakespeare's most famous lines ever:
“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?”
One theme sounds perfect considering the circumstances: revenge. Things get melodramatic while Hamlet keeps it cool with his witty puns and by pretending to go cray cray. Oh and everyone in the enddies .
I liked Hamlet's cynical attitude, especially towards his uncle aka stepdad. I struggled with the language, or the pronouns per se. The language sounds too heavy to our modern taste. However, the plot is epic but that's how it should be taking into consideration that it's a play and it was written +400 years ago.
Things you'll learn from this play:
- Stop eavesdropping behind curtains or you'll get stabbed with a sword.
- If you killed your brother and married his wife, there'll be consequences.
- Grownups screw up so often and eventually their children pay the price.
Fun fact:
Did you know that Disney's The Lion King was inspired by [b:Hamlet|1432|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404002632s/1432.jpg|1885548]?
When I read Romeo and Juliet a couple of years ago, I told myself: This can not possibly be [a:William Shakespeare|947|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1424313573p2/947.jpg]'s greatest work that made his name stand still since the 16th century up to this date! I still need to read more of Shakespeare to fully appreciate Shakespeare, but [b:Hamlet|1432|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404002632s/1432.jpg|1885548] raised the bar of my esteem to the universally esteemed writer.
Hamlet:
So, it all goes down to a royal dysfunctional family. The Danish King no longer lives. He likes to show up as a ghost (literally). His bro steps up as the new King and marries his
Hamlet is pissed off, too much family drama, too much betrayal. He breaks up with his girlfriend Ophelia, goes emo and thinks suicide. The irony here is that..
“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?”
One theme sounds perfect considering the circumstances: revenge. Things get melodramatic while Hamlet keeps it cool with his witty puns and by pretending to go cray cray. Oh and everyone in the end
I liked Hamlet's cynical attitude, especially towards his uncle aka stepdad. I struggled with the language, or the pronouns per se. The language sounds too heavy to our modern taste. However, the plot is epic but that's how it should be taking into consideration that it's a play and it was written +400 years ago.
Things you'll learn from this play:
- Stop eavesdropping behind curtains or you'll get stabbed with a sword.
- If you killed your brother and married his wife, there'll be consequences.
- Grownups screw up so often and eventually their children pay the price.
Fun fact:
Did you know that Disney's The Lion King was inspired by [b:Hamlet|1432|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404002632s/1432.jpg|1885548]?