Hamlet

From the Royal Shakespeare Company - a modern, definitive edition of Shakespeare's most celebrated play. With an expert introduction by Sir Jonathan Bate, this unique edition presents a historical overview of Hamlet in performance, takes a detailed look at specific productions, and recommends film versions. Included in this edition are interviews with three leading directors -Michael Boyd, John Caird and Ron Daniels - providing an illuminating insight into the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible. This edition also includes an essay on Shakespeare's career and Elizabethan theatre, and enables the reader to understand the play as it was originally intended - as living theatre to be enjoyed and performed.
Ideal for students, theatre-goers, actors and general readers, the RSC Shakespeare editions offer a fresh, accessible and contemporary approach to reading and rediscovering Shakespeare's works for the twenty-first century.

Introduction to the Play.- Introduction to the Text.- Key Facts.- The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.- Textual Notes.- Second Quarto Passages that do not Appear in the Folio.- Scene-by-Scene Analysis.- Hamlet in Performance: The RSC and Beyond.- Four Centuries of Hamlet: An Overview.- At the RSC.- The Director's Cut: interviews with Michael Boyd, John Caird, Ron Daniels.- Shakespeare's Career in the Theatre.- Shakespeare's Works: A Chronology.- Further Reading and Viewing.- Acknowledgements and Picture Credits