Hamlet: A Norton Critical Edition

By William Shakespeare, William Winter, William Aldis Wright, et al.

Book Overview

This Norton Critical Edition includes:

- The Second Quarto text, edited by Robert S. Miola and accompanied by his footnotes, headnotes, and introductory materials.
- Eighteen illustrations from 1604 to 2008, three of them new to the Second Edition.
- The Actors' Gallery, presenting actors--from Sarah Bernhardt and Ellen Terry to Kenneth Branagh and David Tennant, two of them new to the Second Edition--reflecting on their roles in major productions of Hamlet.
- Seventeen critical interpretations, representing a wide range of historical and scholarly commentary.
- Afterlives, featuring fifteen reflections on Hamlet--from David Garrick and Mark Twain to Margaret Atwood and Jawad al-Assadi.
- A Bibliography of print and online resources.

About the Series

Read by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format--annotated text, contexts, and criticism--helps students to better understand, analyze, and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393640108
• ISBN13: 9780393640106
• Release Date: March 2019
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

“High on a stage be placed to the view”

And that is wanted I did with this copy of Hamlet; I placed it in a prominent part of the library. I have several copies of the tale and many film versions. However, none are quite as impressive in display and content asbecause this review will enevitalby get mixed up with other editions “Hamlet (Signature Shakespeare)”, ISBN: 9781402795916. This book contains interesting pictures and cutout silhouettes. The paper has a vellum look and feel. There are plenty of footnotes or annotations on the opposite page. The stanzas are numbered for quick reference. To finish the thought, Horatio said it best: Horatio - High on the stage be placed to the view, And let me speak to th’ yet-unknowing world How these things came about. So shall you hear Of Cardinal, bloody, and unnatural acts, Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters, Of deaths put on by cunning and for no cause, And, in this upshot, purposes mistook Fallen on th’ inventor’s heads. All this can I Truly deliver. This really is "The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" and not only the Prince but also his family. Not only his family but also his friends. The tragedy started in the previous generation. Will it end with Hamlet? Many people are interested in dissecting underlying themes and reading more into the characters' actions than was probably intended. Many of the phrases from Hamlet now challenge the Bible for those popular quotes that no one remembers where they came from. The real fun is in just reading the story, and as you find that it is not as foreign as you may have thought, you see many characters like these around you today. A synopsis: Old Hamlet conquered Old Fortinbras, seizing Fortinbras’ land. Now that Old Hamlet is dead, Young Fortinbras wants his land back and is willing to take it by force. Meanwhile, back in Dänemark, Prince Hamlet, who is excessively grieving the loss of his father, the king, gets an interesting insight from his father’s ghost. Looks like Old Hamlet was a victim of a "murder most foul"; On top of that, his uncle and mother even get married before the funeral meats are cold. The story is about Hamlet’s vacillation as to what to do about his father’s murder. However, he does surprise many with his persistence and insight. You will find many great movie presentations and imitations of the story; this is an intriguing read, but it was really meant to be watched.

it's settled.

oh yeah. what the world needs is my opinion on "hamlet," by william shakespeare. seems that the jury is still out on whether this is a good book or not. well, here it is: my seal of approval. great stuff mr shakespeare. i hope that i helped your writing career with this review. you go, guy.

Brilliant Performance.....

This review refers to the Caedmon Audio/Full Cast Recording edition(HarperCollins) of "Hamlet".... The first thing I need to clarify is exactly which audio edition this is. If you are on the product page with a light purple box pictured, this is the 1963, full cast recording, complete play in 5 acts, starring Paul Scofield as "Hamlet.It is not, as the audio file editorial states the one with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. And if the Scofield performance is what you'd like to hear, you are in for a real treat.(You can enlarge the product picture to see a better view of the box) The entire cast including Diana Wynyard as Gertrude,Roland Culver as Claudius, Donald Houston as Laertes and Zena Walker as Ophelia turn in powerful performances and will captivate your imagination no matter how many versions of this brilliant play you have heard, or seen. Paul Scofield("A Man For All Seasons") is masterful as the complex Hamlet, wanting revenge for his father's death, yet torn by his own conscience. There are so many different versions of Shakespeare's "Hamlet", and on this taped set you will find a performance worthy of his genius.It is one you will want to listen to many times and well worth the price. After listening to it at home, I now bring it with me in my car to keep me company in traffic and on long trips. This three tape set(6 sides) has the entire play, Ronsencrantz and Guildenstern included,in five acts. The entire play runs about 3 1/2 hours, each side of the tapes running between 30 to 45 minutes. The scenes are nicely seperated by music and the sound quality remastered(1995) in Dolby B is excellent.Although the tapes are not enclosed in their own cassette cases, there are individual cardboard holders inside the box for each. A brilliant performance that you will remember, and one we are fortunate to have on these fabulous recordings. more great audio book experiences: Great Expectations (The Classic Collection) The London Tapes (City Tapes) Carrie The Shipping News A Christmas Carol Les Miserables (Focus on the Family Radio Theatre) Enjoy...Laurie

A great edition to help you gather more riches from Hamlet

This edition of Hamlet will allow you to read the text more closely and with more understanding than any other I have seen. With all the added notes and helps you will not only understand the language of Shakespeare more clearly, you will also be able to come to your own informed opinions on this great work.The richness of great works is their layering and their openness to multiple interpretations. And yet, misreading and misunderstanding the language is more often the source of missing the point of the passage rather than adding to a richer understanding. There are certainly creative misreadings, but those are made from deep understanding rather than superficial mistaken interpretation.This edition has extensive notes with the text and when a topic requires longer treatment the notation LN is used for Longer Note. You turn to the back and find the Longer Note by Act - Scene - Line Number and get a great deal of useful discussion about that aspect of the play.There is also a 159 page introduction with context setting essays on the issues around the date of the play, its publication, the various texts and the debates over the merits and deficiencies of the First and Second Quarto and the First Folio, plus editorial problems, and a critical introduction.All in all, this great play deserves to be read closely and returns riches for all the effort you can afford to put into reading it. This edition is very fine and assists you in mining treasures from this magnificent work.