HAMLET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE + STUDY GUIDE

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet (/ˈhæmlɪt/), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare at an uncertain date between 1599 and 1602. Set in Denmark, the play dramatises the revenge Prince Hamlet is called to wreak upon his uncle, Claudius, by the ghost of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet. Claudius had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brother's widow.

Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play, and is considered among the most powerful and influential works of world literature, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others". It was probably one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime, and still ranks among his most performed, topping the performance list of the Royal Shakespeare Company and its predecessors in Stratford-upon-Avon since 1879. It has inspired many other writers - from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Charles Dickens to James Joyce and Iris Murdoch - and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella".

The story of Shakespeare's Hamlet was derived from the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum, as subsequently retold by the 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. Shakespeare may also have drawn on an earlier Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet, though some scholars believe he himself wrote the Ur-Hamlet, later revising it to create the version of Hamlet we now have. He almost certainly wrote his version of the title role for his fellow actor, Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time. In the 400 years since its inception, the role has been performed by numerous highly acclaimed actors in each successive century.

Contents of this Hamlet app include:
♠ ACT I
-Scene I. Elsinore. A platform before the Castle
-Scene II. Elsinore. A room of state in the Castle
-Scene III. A room in Polonius’s house
-Scene IV. The platform
-Scene V. A more remote part of the Castle

♠ ACT II
-Scene I. A room in Polonius’s house
-Scene II. A room in the Castle

♠ ACT III
-Scene I. A room in the Castle
-Scene II. A hall in the Castle
-Scene III. A room in the Castle
-Scene IV. Another room in the Castle

♠ ACT IV
-Scene I. A room in the Castle
-Scene II. Another room in the Castle
-Scene III. Another room in the Castle
-Scene IV. A plain in Denmark
-Scene V. Elsinore. A room in the Castle
-Scene VI. Another room in the Castle
-Scene VII. Another room in the Castle

♠ ACT V
-Scene I. A churchyard
-Scene II. A hall in the Castle

♠ Study Guide:
-Plot Overview
-Summary and Analysis: All Acts and Scenes
-Character List (summary of characters)
-Character Analysis: Hamlet
-Character Analysis: Claudius
-Character Analysis: Gertrude
-Themes
-Plot Analysis
-Motifs
-Symbols
-Genre
-Style
-Point of View
-Tone
-Foreshadowing
-Key Facts
-Is Hamlet really mad?
-Important Quotations Explained
-Quotes By Theme
-Hamlet Quotes
-Ophelia Quotes
-Polonius Quotes
-Gertrude Quotes
-Claudius Quotes
-Context
-Queen Elizabeth’s Decline
-Revenge Tragedy
-Movie Adaptations
-Full Book Quiz
-Study Questions
-Suggested Further Reading
-Companion Texts
-Suggested Essay Topics
-Sample Essays #1 to 3

We hope you'll enjoy the contents of this app. Please leave a rating and review to let us know how it went for you.