The Klingon Hamlet [Paperback]

William Shakespeare (Author), Nick Nicholas (Translator), Andrew Strader (Translator), Klingon Language Institute (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0671035789 | ISBN-13: 978-0671035785 | Publication Date: February 1, 2000

For too long, readers throughout the Federation have been exposed to The Tragedy of Khamlet, Son of the Emperor of Qo'nos, that classic work of Klingon™ literature, only through inadequate and misleading English translations. Now at last, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Klingon Language Institute, this powerful drama by the legendary Klingon playwright, Wil'yam Shex'pir, can be appreciated in the elegance and glory of its original tongue.

This invaluable volume contains the complete text of the play, along with an English translation for easy consultation and comparison. In addition, an incisive introduction explains the play's crucial importance in Klingon culture, while copious notes illustrate how the debased English version diverges from the original, often distorting and even reversing the actual meaning of the verses.

Khamlet, the Restored Klingon Version, is a work that belongs in the library of every human who hopes truly to understand what it means to be Klingon.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Prepared by the Klingon Language Institute, The Klingon Hamlet presents full English and Klingon versions of Shakespeare's play side by side. Only experienced Klingon speakers will be able to fully appreciate the nuances of the Klingon-language version, but for anyone who has dabbled in the language, this is an excellent opportunity to acquire large chunks of authentic text to practice on. Most of the vocabulary used can be found in either The Klingon Dictionary or Klingon for the Galactic Traveler.

For non-Klingon speakers, there is Shakespeare's original text, an English-language introduction, and detailed endnotes, very wittily presented. These put forward the case that Shakespeare himself was a Klingon, and underline the essentially Klingon nature of this famous play, with its themes of honor and revenge. In creating the tragic figure of Hamlet, with his very un-Klingon propensity for brooding and procrastination, Shakespeare is believed to have been commenting on a culture becoming alienated from its traditional warlike virtues, and we are told that most Klingons find it a deeply disturbing play.

All in all, this is a very clever, well-presented interpretation of one of the world's most famous plays. The Klingon translation, in all the glory of its iambic pentameter, has been lovingly constructed, and is well worth the effort of reading at least a few favorite passages aloud. --Elizabeth Sourbut, Amazon.co.uk

Language Notes

Text: English

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671035789
• ISBN-13: 978-0671035785
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 1564, and his birth is traditionally celebrated on April 23. The facts of his life, known from surviving documents, are sparse. He was one of eight children born to John Shakespeare, a merchant of some standing in his community. William probably went to the King's New School in Stratford, but he had no university education. In November 1582, at the age of eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway, eight years his senior, who was pregnant with their first child, Susanna. She was born on May 26, 1583. Twins, a boy, Hamnet ( who would die at age eleven), and a girl, Judith, were born in 1585. By 1592 Shakespeare had gone to London working as an actor and already known as a playwright. A rival dramatist, Robert Greene, referred to him as "an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers." Shakespeare became a principal shareholder and playwright of the successful acting troupe, the Lord Chamberlain's Men (later under James I, called the King's Men). In 1599 the Lord Chamberlain's Men built and occupied the Globe Theater in Southwark near the Thames River. Here many of Shakespeare's plays were performed by the most famous actors of his time, including Richard Burbage, Will Kempe, and Robert Armin. In addition to his 37 plays, Shakespeare had a hand in others, including Sir Thomas More and The Two Noble Kinsmen, and he wrote poems, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. His 154 sonnets were published, probably without his authorization, in 1609. In 1611 or 1612 he gave up his lodgings in London and devoted more and more time to retirement in Stratford, though he continued writing such plays as The Tempest and Henry VII until about 1613. He died on April 23 1616, and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. No collected edition of his plays was published during his life-time, but in 1623 two members of his acting company, John Heminges and Henry Condell, put together the great collection now called the First Folio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect in its own way, and thought-provoking, October 4, 2003

By 

F. P. Barbieri "Fabio Paolo Barbieri" (London UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Klingon Hamlet (Paperback)

What a mad, hilarious enterprise this is. If anyone thinks this is merely a discharge of nerdishness, let them try and translate a whole Shakespeare play in ANY language - let alone one in which expressions and ways of thought have to be invented along with metre and rhyme. And as a matter of fact, this is not merely a well-made piece of whimsy: the emphasis of its "critical" parts on the warrior identity of "Khamlet" and the meaning of his sense of disgrace provide a useful, thought-provoking contrast to much of the "terran" critical tradition, which tends to neglect that Hamlet is a prince, a swordsman, a potential military leader, and that the warrior Fortinbras thought that "He was likely, had he been put on/ To have proved most royal".

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, the original Hamlet!, March 19, 2000

By 

"rocketmorton" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Klingon Hamlet (Paperback)

Finally, the general public can read Shakespeare as he should be read--in the warrior's tongue. This book, formerly only available to humans in a small run in hardback, is now out in paperback, far more accessible to students of Klingon culture. Hamlet is an insightful tale of an earlier time and a royal house fallen into such indecision and intrigue that even revenge is hesitant--a truly disturbing work.

To step back from the conceit of Wil'yam Shax'pir as Klingon dramatist and keen observer of the Klingon culture, the study and development of tlhInganHol is an amazing work, at least equaling Tolkien's linguistic inventions, and the translation of Hamlet is a true labor of lo--er, honor. I would buy a video/DVD of a performance of Hamlet in Klingon (with English subtitles) in a heartbeat, and I hope that otther works of Shakespeare are "restored."

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read, October 2, 2004

By 

Josh - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Klingon Hamlet (Paperback)

For all those wondering whether this is worth the read, let me say the Kang was right when he said you can't appreciate hamlet unless you've read it in Klingon. Ejoy!