Hamlet (The New Folger Library Shakespeare) (Mass Market Paperback)

by William Shakespeare (Author) "Enter Barnardo and Francisco, two sentinels..." (more)
Key Phrases: Hamlet Acr, Lord Hamlet, Enter Hamlet (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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.

About the Author
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.

Barbara A. Mowat is Director of Academic Programs at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Editor of Shakespeare Quarterly, Chair of the Folger Institute, and author of The Dramaturgy of Shakespeare's Romances and of essays on Shakespeare's plays and on the editing of the plays.

Paul Werstine is Professor of English at King's College and the Graduate School of the University of Western Ontario, Canada. He is the author of many papers and articles on the printing and editing of Shakespeare's plays and was Associate Editor of the annual Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England from 1980 to 1989.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074347712X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743477123
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,099 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 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 F. Douthitt "ssrat4" (Beloit, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Buy or Not To Buy Should Not Be The Question, December 23, 2003

By	JL1984 (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews

Hamlet is without a doubt Shakespeare's finest work. Aside from being a true romantic and a captivating poet, Shakespeare could also pass as being a psychological genius. Though there are numerous characters in this play, (as in most of shakespeares works) Hamlet is the main focus of the play and it is seen that his internal struggles often overshadow many of the other subplots throughout the story (though in no way does it leave the reader oblivious to the other happenings in the story). The story is about the prince of Denmark whose father was killed by Hamlet's malicious Uncle Claudius who has seized control of the throne after his brother's death. Afterwards, Hamlet undergoes a series of internal conflicts and questions the validity of his father's ghost and is ultimately thought to be insane by those around him who witness his unorthodox actions and bizarre coments. After he is ordered sent away and returns, killing Rozencrantz and Guildenstern aboard the England-bound ship, Hamlet is pushed further into his own realm of "insanity" and soon after helps catapult one of the greatest climatic endings of Shakespeare's works. The final scene of this play is appropriate as it puts an end to the spiral downfall of Hamlet and those around him.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Shakespeare, April 11, 2006

By	Janet DuBois (Athens, GA USA) - See all my reviews

It's a good edition in terms of footnotes that help to describe what is happening throught the course of the play. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and in my opinion his best. The speaches are beautiful and everything comes together so nicely. Hamlet is such a great character brcause he is so colpletely loveable and yet ridiculously frustrating. I definitley reccomend this if you are starting out with Shakespeare because it is likely to leave you wanting to read more of his works!