Hamlet
by William Shakespeare · first published 1603
13% recommend84% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
Often named the most readable of Shakespeare's big four tragedies, and the play that finally made him click for some readers. Praised for deep, varied characters and unexpected dark comedy; suits first-timers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In this quintessential Shakespeare tragedy, a young prince's halting pursuit of revenge for the murder of his father unfolds in a series of highly charged confrontations that have held audiences spellbound for nearly four centuries. Those fateful exchanges, and the anguished soliloquies that precede and follow them, probe depths of human feeling rarely sounded in any art. The title role of Hamlet, perhaps the most demanding in all of Western drama, has provided generations of leading actors their greatest challenge. Yet all the roles in this towering drama are superbly delineated, and each
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…destroy the ability of literature to say what the author intended it to say. This hurts literary studies for two reasons: 1. It takes what is great about literature and replaces it with something less. Hamlet is better than any of the critiques or deconstructions of Hamlet. It's better than any of the criticism of Hamlet, too, but the new approach is worse. The old criticism tried to show how the work could…
on “What's Wrong with Literary Studies?” ↗…to their own devices; some snuck outside, some went to the cafeteria to socialize, some to the library, or to the auditorium, which was used as a kind of study hall. At the time, McCourt was covering Hamlet. Remember high school? Every subject, every day, for forty minutes. I went to McCourt’s classroom, found the one empty desk, and sat down. He glanced at me and kept on going, without missing a beat. I…
on “I practiced Ben Franklin's 13 virtue system for 3 years” ↗I do both. And movies. If it’s not worth reading or watching a second or third time, it wasn’t worth it the first time. I read Hamlet every year or two. It gets me every time. I’ve seen the Maltese Falcon about five times, and it still amazes me with its perfection each time. I’ve seen the Pickle Rick episode of Rick and Morty three…
on “Writing books is not really a good idea” ↗…plot lines, and way way underrated comedy. Some of the best comedy I have ever encountered is in Shakespeare’s so-called tragedies, a situation that very much matches my own tragedy-marred life. Reread “Hamlet”, “Richard III”, and “MacBeth” for a barrage of hilariously inappropriate one-liners.) Anyway, a decade and half ago wife wants to take the kids, ages 7 & 9, to the Ashland Shakespeare Festival. I tell…
on “Why Read the Classics? (1986)” ↗Shakespeare is perhaps the most over-rated play write ever. Sure he wrote a few good plays - 'Hamlet', 'Othello', a few other tragedies of note. But most of his stuff was pretty mediocre - 'Measure for Measure' for instance - or outright sucked - 'Romeo and Juliet' perhaps being one of the worst plays…
on “Portrait of Shakespeare Unveiled, 399 Years Late” ↗…Great Books lists will almost never lead you wrong. But, here we go anyway (and yeah, some of these are just off those lists): 1) Shakespeare's big four tragedies are, in fact, out-fucking-standing. Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Macbeth. IMO Hamlet reads the best of those. Any would be fine to watch, as well, and may be better that way. The language, especially, is easier to understand when performed, because…
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books?” ↗For a refreshing, tongue-in-cheek retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet, I recommend "To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure by Ryan North"
on “Maps reveal the structures of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books” ↗…He's got much more in common with Stephen King or Dan Brown, as a writer of popular, mainstream entertainment, than he does with critically acclaimed, popularly ignored capital L Literature. MacBeth and Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet are great, timeless works, but Shakespeare turned out a lot of historical plays and comedies that are kind of meh. Particularly the comedies are pretty formulaic, if you read two…
on “Teaching a Different Shakespeare Than the One I Love” ↗…the strength of his characters are in their variety, distinction and depth, so this way of reading him does him poor justice. I put aside Shakespeare for another year or so. My next attempt was with Hamlet and that was what cracked Shakespeare for me. It had all the gratifying high rhetoric I so loved about Milton but it also had complexity in subtlety and depth to last you an infinite number of rereadings.…
on “Teaching Ruby to High School Girls” ↗If were're doing great first lines, I think you have to include: Shakespeare's Hamlet: "Who's there?" Kafka's Metamorphosis: "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."
on “How to Write an Opening Sentence” ↗Some favorites: Pale Fire by Nabokov Ulysses by Joyce Et Tu, Babe by Leyner Metamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story) Things Fall Apart by Achebe Hamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare The Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse The Doorbell Rang by Stout
on “Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read? ” ↗Hemingway gets me there too, now that my English doesn't suck. Shakespeare is just really, really funny. Much ado about nothing is my favourite comedy. Other plays like Hamlet, MacBeth, humble me. Same thing with Cervantes. Those guys pretty much redefined language and I don't think I have read enough to understand them. Maybe someday?
on “Harry Potter in Ancient Greek” ↗Since you referenced one of Shakespeare's plays, I think this is one of the great lessons to be taken from Hamlet. Hamlet finds himself caught up in a moral drama — Did his uncle murder his father? Did his mother knowingly condone the act or is just wrong to marry her husband's brother? Is his love interest betraying…
on “Most violence in the world is motivated by moral sentiments” ↗As an alternative perspective, I am glad that my middle and high school curriculum included several works of Shakespeare, especially Macbeth and Hamlet, and several 19th century classics. They really do require time, they’re hard to make time for, and while reading them wasn’t exactly fun, I’m glad that I did it. Many of the themes are timeless, the…
on “Book people think they know why 9-year-olds stop reading for fun” ↗Shakespeare is from around the same time period as Rabelais in OP. If you haven't read Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, As You Like It, they also take some getting used to but are worth it in the end.
on “Short Little Difficult Books” ↗