What Happens in Hamlet (Paperback)

by J. Dover Wilson (Author) "You will not agree with this book; I am not at all sure you will like it; but it is yours, whether you like it..." (more)
Key Phrases: cellarage scene, sore distraction, nunnery scene, First Player, Second Quarto, King Hamlet (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
John Dover Wilson's What Happens in Hamlet is a classic of Shakespeare criticism. First published in 1935, it is still being read today throughout the English-speaking world and has been widely translated. Hamlet has excited more curiosity and aroused more debate than any other play ever written. Is Hamlet really mad? Does he really see his father's ghost, or is it an illusion? Is the ghost good or bad? What does it all mean? Dover Wilson brings out the significance of each part of the complex action, against the background. His analysis of the play emphasises Shakespeare's dramatic art and shows how the play must be seen and heard to be understood. This is a readable, entertaining and scholarly book.

Book Description
John Dover Wilson's What Happens in Hamlet is a classic of Shakespeare criticism. The author critiques as well as brings out the significance of each part of the play. His analysis emphasises Shakespeare's dramatic art and shows how the play must be seen and heard to be understood. This is a readable, entertaining and scholarly book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 3 edition (December 31, 1951)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521091098
• ISBN-13: 978-0521091091
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #435,230 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Find and readThe Heart of Hamlet in addition to this book, April 8, 2003

By	Richard Pilcher (Parkville, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Road to Elsinore, September 29, 2000

By	Lisa Gansky "Book Lover" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dover Wilson Plucks Out the Heart of Hamlet's Mystery, July 9, 2000

By	Ron Cooper (Sturbridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

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!