Rating: 3 stars
Cover synopsis: Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is urged by his father's ghost to avenge his murder by his brother who has siezed the throne.
I'm not a huge Shakespeare fan. Sure, I admire him, and I think he was pretty brilliant. And I appreciate his influence on our culture today. But reading his plays always feels like work to me -- not pleasure. I have to spend a lot of time curled up with the text, picking it apart just to make out the major plot points, let alone the deeper significance. I find it challenging to read a play and discern the emotions and actions of what's happening on stage -- due to Shakespeares lack of stage directions.
Now, I haven't read any Shakespeare since I was 16. And I wasn't quite sure what to expect after picking up this book. But I'd always felt like I was missing out on major cultural references by having never read Hamlet. This edition from the Folger Shakespeare Library was a godsend. It gives some helpful tips at the beginning about how to decode Shakespearean language. Then once you start the play, it includes an overview of the plot before each scene, and defines all those confusing words and phrases that trip me up.
It was still work to read this, because on every-other line I had to glance at the opposite page for a definition or a clarification. I'm not afraid of a challenge. But I feel like I put a lot more into reading this than I got out. However, I did like it. Perhaps I'll like it more upon further reflection. Or a second reading. I should get around to it within the next 16 years.
