| Plot Summary of Hamlet |
|---|
"Certainly the most studied play in world literature, Shakespeare's quintessential drama "Hamlet" goes beyond comparison. More has been written about the character Hamlet than any other figure in history, except Christ, so little can be added some four hundred years after it was written! Hamlet, the young Prince of Denmark, is visited by the ghost of his father, who tells him that he's been murdered and that the culprit is his own brother Claudius. He makes his son swear that he'll extract revenge. And for the next four acts, the "melancholy Dane" takes his time in getting the revenge. And revenge he gets! This being a Shakespearean tragedy, the protagonist must die, due to his fatal tragic flaw, and die young Hamlet does, but not before Act V is scattered with corpses here and there. To say "something is rotten in Denmark" proves to be an understatement! "
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar
|
"Young Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, is visited by what claims to be the ghost of his father, who tells him Hamlet's uncle murdered his father and married his mother to become the current king. The ghost demands revenge. Hamlet must figure out whether the ghost told the truth, and if so, how to avenge his father's death. There are several comic characters, and the sometime girlfriend Ophelia to deal with, as well as his rage at his mother for her part in how things have played out. This play is thrown at us so many ways, it can be difficult to continue to appreciate it. The best way is to reread it on own's own, and to see it performed in as many ways as possible."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
|
"The ghost of Denmark's murdered King Hamlet appears to his son, Prince Hamlet, bidding him to kill King Claudius, his murderer, who has usurped the crown and taken Queen Gertrude as his wife. His indecision and delays in action may be regarded as ploys by which he hopes to avoid the responsibility that his father's ghost has assigned him, and his vacillation and inactivity result complicate an already bad situation. At the end of the play, many of the lords of the castle lie dead, including both Queen Gertrude and Hamlet, so one wonders whether the protagonist's father was ever avenged in any real sense, even though King Claudius has also been killed."
Gary L. Pullman, Resident Scholar
|
|
| Review Analysis of Hamlet |
|---|
|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
|
|
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- depressed
Time/era of story
- distant past/middle ages
Family, struggle with
Yes
Struggle with:
- Step Parent(s)
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
Age:
- 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 1 ()
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Scandinavia
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- explicit references to deaths
Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- a lot of play on words
Amount of dialog
- mostly dialog
|
|
