Hamlet

Okay, technically, this is not a book. But it is the greatest work in the English language. When I do public speaking, I like to say my ” favorite mystery is Scandinavian.” Everyone nods. “There’s a questionable murder to begin, then a suicide, an attempted kidnapping, and a big fight when the two main characters die.” People nod again. “It’s called Hamlet. Have you ever heard of it?” And everyone laughs. 

I then ask the question: what is the difference between a mystery and a thriller? I believe in a mystery the protagonist is ahead of the reader. (Think… show more.

Hamlet is one of those literary characters, like Faust, who gains an iconic, extra-literary identity. Moody, hesitant, insolent, and wracked by guilt and doubt, Hamlet marked the eruption into Western literature of self-consciousness as a literary trope. 

Understanding that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are agents of Claudius, not his true friends, Hamlet mockingly says, “You would pluck out the heart of my mystery.”  Whether considered in psychological, social, religious, historical, or political terms, that “mystery” has for centuries intrigued readers and audiences. I invite you to share that intrigue, or to return to it.

I’ve taught Hamlet for over ten years and keep finding new revelations in it. The language is rich and beautiful, the story is painful, and the themes are relevant even today. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to memorize it, even though the main character is terrible sometimes.

My friends can tell you that I get excited any time I see a Hamlet reference or hear about a new version of the play. It’s famous for a reason. It shouldn’t work, but it absolutely does. My favorite Shakespeare play!

This book involves an intricate conspiracy. Polonius, the chief counselor of the king, kills the king to enjoy his wife. The ghost informs Hamlet of his father’s murder. This revelation becomes a crucial plot point in the play and sets in motion Hamlet’s quest for revenge.

I love this story because Hamlet suffers great pain to ascertain the truth and do what is right, sidelining less important things, his moral struggle amidst personal anguish. Hamlet's relentless pursuit of truth and justice, even at the expense of his well-being, demonstrates his commitment to principles above personal comfort or convenience. This selfless… show more.

Hamlet is the story of a child of inherited wealth, a trust fund baby. Hamlet’s money was taken from him by his uncle who killed his father and married his mother.

It's complicated psychologically, but it's the story of someone trying to come into adulthood, which is what life planning really is. How do you become the person you're really meant to be? Hamlet was trying to figure out how to claim his place in a very complex and corrupt world.

There are many soliloquies about finding one's voice and becoming who one's meant to be. That's the essence of… show more.

Hamlet is Shakespeare's, the master humanist, key work. It stands on the post-Christian threshold of the modern world, surveying the future, asking what is left to believe in.

Hamlet’s first significant encounter is with death, in the form of the ghost of his murdered father. His most powerful love scene takes place in the graveyard reminiscing tenderly to the skull of Yorick, the Court Jester. His one ‘felicity’, as he calls it, is to die. Hamlet confronts us with the big modern question: "To be or not to be?" However, his monologue on the subject, the most famous speech in… show more.

A young man pretends to be something he isn’t, and (perhaps) discovers that he is what he pretends to be – and isn’t.  Nothing remains fixed. The slippery language is essential: Trying to make his experience mean something coherent and actionable challenges his enormous skill with language. After all, words are one of the ways we try to fence off the flux, but it won’t be contained. The language is confusing in the truest sense, mixed up. The first words of the play are “Who’s there?” and Hamlet’s first words are a slippery attempt at an answer: “A little… show more.

Though his stories are over 400 years old, there’s a reason why we all know the name William Shakespeare. His difficult-to-read but brilliant scenes and universal characters have enlightened us about the depths of human psychology and emotion for centuries. Hamlet, of course, is driven to avenge the death of his father, who was killed by his uncle, Cladius. Yet Hamlet is doubtful about almost everything, including if he can bring himself to kill Claudius. Thus: To be or not to be…? Indecision is what Hamlet is famous for and ultimately his quest for revenge goes horribly wrong. Everyone dies… show more.