Hamlet is the most famous literary work ever written. Millions of scholarly words have been devoted to it during the four centuries since it was performed. In this short guide, Graham Bradshaw, one of the greatest modern critics of Shakespeare, analyses the play and examines the arguments which have raged between academics about it. He shows what it is that makes Hamlet – which when it appeared was the great tragedy for almost 2,000 years – such a masterpiece, and why it is a much more complex and disturbing play than many of its traditional critics allow.
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All you need to know about William Shakespeare's Hamlet is in this advanced guide to the text. Connell Guides are advanced guide books that offer sophisticated analysis and broad critical perspectives for higher-level GCSE and A Level English Literature students. Written by leading academics, Connell Guides are clear, concise and beautifully designed to help students understand, and enjoy, great works of literature. They are perfect for coursework, revision and exam preparation. Connell Guides are also great reads themselves scholarly, yet approachable and entertaining.
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Paperback ISBN : 978-1-907776-60-1
Contents
Introduction
A summary of the plot
What is Hamlet about?
Who or what is the Ghost?
Why are the doubts about the Ghost so disturbing?
How important is Gertrude’s incest?
Does Hamlet suffer from an Oedipus Complex?
Are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern “excellent good friends” – or “adders fang’d”?
Why does the Mousetrap fail?
Why doesn’t Hamlet listen to Horatio?
Why does Fortinbras matter?
How pessimistic is Hamlet?
NOTES
Rank and degree An epistemological tragedy Ears Gertrude Incest and Christian culture Is Hamlet mad? Ten facts about Hamlet Roy Battenhouse’s “Ten Questions on Hamlet” Hamletand Troilus and Cressida Critics and the Mousetrap Hamletin Europe The madness of Ophelia Changing views on Hamlet Ten famous quotes A short chronology Bibliography
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