Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. When young prince Hamlet is confronted by his fathers ghost on the battlements of Castle Elsinore, he is burdened with a terrible task: slay King Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, who the ghost alleges murdered him.
'The Mona Lisa of literature' T. S. Eliot
In Shakespeare's verbally dazzling and eternally enigmatic exploration of conscience, madness and the nature of humanity, a young prince meets his father's ghost in the middle of the night, who accuses his own brother - now married to his widow - of murdering him. The prince devises a scheme to test the truth of the ghost's accusation, feigning wild insanity while plotting revenge. But his actions soon begin to wreak havoc on innocent and guilty alike.
Used and Recommended by the National Theatre
General Editor Stanley Wells
Edited by T. J. B. Spencer
Introduction by Alan Sinfield
William Shakespeare was born to John Shakespeare and Mary Arden in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. He wrote about 38 plays (the precise number is uncertain), many of which are regarded as the most exceptional works of drama ever produced, including
Romeo and Juliet (1595),
Henry V (1599),
Hamlet (1601),
Othello (1604),
King Lear (1606) and
Macbeth (1606), as well as a collection of 154 sonnets, which number among the most profound and influential love poetry in English. Shakespeare died in Stratford in 1616.
Über den Autor
William Shakespeare
Klappentext
William Shakespeare was born in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon and died in 1616. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.
Stanley Wells is Emeritus Professor of the University of Birmingham and Honorary President of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Kiernan Ryan is Professor of English at Royal Holloway, University of London.
