Hamlet ( Folger Library Shakespeare) [Mass Market Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 24, 2003

Each edition includes:

• Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play

• Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play

• Scene-by-scene plot summaries

• A key to famous lines and phrases

• An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language

• An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play

• Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books

Essay by Michael Neill

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Shakespeare was born on April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—their older daughter, Susanna, and the twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood.

The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent, not in Stratford, but in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He had a successful career in London as a playwright and actor and was a shareholder in the acting company the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He produced most of his plays between 1589 and 1613. Sometime between 1610 and 1613, Shakespeare is thought to have retired from the stage and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (June 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074347712X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743477123
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.1 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,767 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > British & Irish

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 64 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic story, and excellent for new reader of Hamlet March 9, 2005

By David G. Douthitt

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The book has an interesting layout, with definitions of words on the left, with the text of the story on the right. The book layout is the best layout I've seen of any Shakespeare book, and the size is right (you can take it with you!).

The story is legend - even speaking literally - apparently the story of Hamlet hearkens back to even older legends that predate Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Shakespeare is so quotable, and Hamlet is no different - you often find yourself saying "Oh, that's where that comes from!" and its like finding an old friend in a new story. "To be or not to be, that is the question" is one; so is "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" and so is "To thine own self be true". The book even comes with an appendix listing commonly quoted portions of the story and their source.

However, my favorite quote (but not well-known) from the play comes from Hamlet himself, and sums the character up well:

"O, from this time forth,

My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!"

Get this book, and have a good read! Then get more Shakespeare from the same series: you won't be sorry.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hamlet over Macbeth; Folgers over Free July 29, 2007

By Avidreader1497

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Despite its antiquated setting, Hamlet speaks to the average individual in ways that Julius Caesar or Macbeth do not, although they are obviously very worthy in different ways. Further, if you are a teacher of students disenfranchised in some way, this can be a very liberating text--not because of the literal plot, but due to the rich discussions that it provokes around how *not* to end up like either a modern Ophelia or Hamlet. Frankly, I am mystified why Macbeth is the traditional choice in Senior-level textbooks, since Hamlet has proven to be so much more interesting to young adults in my six years of HS teaching.

Free or extremely inexpensive texts are available on-line; however, I have found the Folger edition particularly useful in helping my students (and me) appreciate the finer points. For example, it's fun to see the meanings behind the flowers that crazy Ophelia hands out, which Folger explains while others don't. Too, do *you* know what a petard is, even though you've likely been hoisted on your own? Folgers does!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Student Edition January 3, 2007

By Jean S. Creighton

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Folger Libray edition is very useful for students who are unfamiliar with Elizabethan language, customs, and other oddities. The opposite page of the script acts as prompter, dictionary, and general explainer. My students found the edition easy to use and helpful.