Customer Reviews

What Happens in Hamlet

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

While Wilson's book is an interesting and worthwhile read, a far better book is The Heart of Hamlet by Bernard Grebanier (now sadly out of print). By a close reading of the play, particularly in terms of plot structure, coupled with a knowledge of the Elizabethan mind, Grebanier convincingly dismantles many of Wilson's interpretations. Some of Grebanier's major points, which are opposed to Wilson (and many commentators): Hamlet is not mad and never pretends to be; Hamlet does not procrastinate or hesitate, except for good reason; his tragic flaw is that not that he hesitates (or can't make up his mind) but that he is too rash; Hamlet is a man of action, capable of brutality, caught in extraordinary circumstances, not an etherial, delicate romantic philosopher; "To be or not to be" is not about suicide.

Having studied the play, reading many commentaries on it prior to directing it, I found Grabanier's book to be generally (not always) on target, where Wilson's left me very unsatisfied. Read both, and make up your own mind.

A magnificent book! I'm so glad they came out with a new edition of this book so I had the chance to purchase it (even if I was a bit dismayed to see Mel Gibson on the cover instead of Kenneth Branagh)! My friend had the older edition, which I borrowed frequently while taking a Shakespeare course. Each scene is covered in depth, almost like a summary. It might actually be better titled "What Happens TO Hamlet" because once you finish the book, you feel like you know the man! Great for any student of Shakespeare, or for that matter, anyone interested in Shakespeare or the Prince of Denmark at all!

If you could only own one book of analysis on Shakespeare's greatest play, Hamlet, then it ought to be John Dover Wilson's What Happens in Hamlet. Dover Wilson examines and answers many questions that had baffled generations of Shakespearean scholars: Hamlet's delay; Claudius' actions during the dumb show; Hamlet and Lucianus, the nephew of Gonzago; Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia, and with his mother. Dover Wilson's extensive knowledge of the customs and vocubulary of Elizabethan England help explore Hamlet's melancholy and the nature of ghosts during the time of Shakespeare. As a bonus, Dover Wilson responds to T.S. Eliot, who considered Hamlet "a dramatic failure." A must for anyone who loves Shakespeare!

This is the best book on Hamlet that I've come across. Dover Wilson breaks down the show into themes - Gertrude's sin, feigned madness etc - and takes the reader in depth into the play. He provides historical background on the history of Denmark, Elizabethan history, ghosts in drama and really gives the most accurate interpretations that I've come across.

I highly recommend this book.

This is still, after sixty years, the single indispensable book on Hamlet for any reader or playgoer.

Wilson presents the play's problems and difficulties (the matter of the ghost, for example) and provides historical context.

He examines awkward moments and explains them, using common sense and a broad knowledge of theatrical convention.

Although Wilson discusses Hamlet as it unfolds, the book can be opened to almost any page and enjoyed.

We learn about Elizabethan spiritualism and what Shakespeare's contemporaries would have thought about Germany and Denmark and marriage and the rights of kings.

Wilson's breadth of scholarship is never in doubt, nor is his enthusiasm for his subject.

Reading What Happens in Hamlet is like listening to an older, wiser, and most considerate friend.

If you buy one book about Hamlet, make it this one. This book is a masterpiece, and isn't just a wonderful companion to the complete understanding of the play, it reads like a great detective story. I can't recommend it highly enough!

This is of course a very well known book, which set a new standard for textual criticism of Shakespeare's plays. It performs the remarkable feat of casting a completely new light on the most familiar and apparently best known of the plays, and although one does not necessarily agree with all his interpretations one is immensely stimulated by the author's brilliance in extracting new meanings from familiar lines. Strongly recommended to any one with the least interest in Shakespeare the dramatist.

For many years I questioned myself about Shakespeare's greatness and I did not find any answer in italian translations , perhaps because of the treachery nature of the translation itself: the Wilson's precise and meticulous analysis of Hamlet's tragedy enabled me to fully appreciate plot,carachters, and witty shakespearean art.
I strongly recommend this book to beginners, expecially of non-english-native language

As has been said in other reviews, if you buy one book on Hamlet make it this one. I too was dismayed to see Mel Gibson on the cover - fortunately I have an earlier version.

This is an absolutely essential book for any student of Shakespeare. This had a profound influence on my understanding of the play.

I can't recommend this highly enough!