Hamlet

The first edition of Shakespeare's most famous tragedy to be developed by and for the Royal Shakespeare Company, this book includes unique material to help the reader understand and enjoy the play, including interviews with directors Michael Boyd, John Caird and Ron Daniels and a brand new introduction from award-winning scholar Jonathan Bate. From the Royal Shakespeare Company – a fresh new edition of Shakespeare's most celebrated play. This book includes: * An introduction to Hamlet by award-winning scholar Jonathan Bate* The play – with clear explanatory notes on each page * A scene-by-scene analysis * An introduction to Shakespeare's career and the Elizabethan theatre * A rich exploration of approaches to staging Hamlet The most enjoyable way to understand a Shakespeare play is to see it or participate in it. This book presents a historical overview of Hamlet in performance, recommends film versions, takes a detailed look at specific productions and includes interviews with three leading Directors – Michael Boyd, Ron Daniels and John Caird – so that we may get a sense of the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible - a variety that gives Shakespeare his unique capacity to be reinvented and made 'our contemporary' four centuries after his death. 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.