A review by kidicarus
Hamlet by William Shakespeare

dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was personally a hard one for me. My parents have always had an affinity for Shakespeare, and this was my late father's favorite. Reading it after losing him and seeing a lot of my own grief in one of his favorite stories has been a big hurdle for me, but I think it made it all the more powerful. That being said, despite being the longest Shakespeare play, it still feels as if something is missing from this story, which keeps it from being among my favorite of his plays. There's a popular saying that you can't read Hamlet for the first time, and I think that is a detriment to the play itself. I was expecting more from Ophelia, who is unfortunately killed offscreen only to be made fun of right before her burial. I was hoping for a climactic battle between Hamlet and Claudius, only to get a barrage of deaths in the final pages with very little sendoff for each character besides Hamlet himself. Still, this play is iconic for a reason, and I can see why it was my father's favorite - he always had an affinity for stories dealing with death, funnily enough. 
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