Review: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare

Title: The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Author: William Shakespeare

Series: N/A

Format: Textbook

Release Date: 1603

Genre(s): Classic, Tragedy, Drama, Murder

Rating:

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Summary

Many consider the tragedy of "Hamlet" to be Shakespeare's masterpiece and one of the greatest plays of all time. It has entertained audiences for centuries and the role of Hamlet is one of the most sought after by actors. It is the story of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark who learns of the death of his father at the hands of his uncle, Claudius. Claudius murders Hamlet's father, his own brother, to take the throne of Denmark and to marry Hamlet's widowed mother. Hamlet is sunk into a state of great despair as a result of discovering the murder of his father and the infidelity of his mother. Hamlet is torn between his great sadness and his desire for the revenge of his father's murder. "Hamlet" is a work of great complexity and as such has drawn many different critical interpretations. Hamlet has been seen as a victim of circumstance, as an impractical idealist, as the sufferer of an Oedipus complex, as an opportunist wishing to kill his Uncle not for revenge but to ascend to the throne, as the sufferer of a great melancholy, and as a man blinded by his desire for revenge. The true motivations of Hamlet are complex and enigmatic and have been debated for centuries. Source

 

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Review

Plot: Like said above, the classic story follows Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, whose father was recently murdered and his mother has married his uncle. After discovering that his uncle has not only betrayed his father but also was the one who killed him, Hamlet sets out on a ploy to kill his uncle/stepfather. I had to read this for school and I'm glad I finally had a chance to read another Shakespearean play as well as this one. There are so many themes and situations that can be disputed and justified that it almost seems like it was made for English classes. Of course, it was an incredible book, but I had a few problems with it, mainly the characters. My biggest problem with the plot though was how convenient some situations were, like when pirates overtook a ship that was headed for one's death or being able to sneak into one's room. Some of the situations just seemed a little to easy for it to happen. But, then you would have to remember that it was a play and not everything can be explained.

Character(s): Hamlet - I don't know why, but I couldn't empathize or connect with Hamlet. There was something about him that I couldn't really relate to and ended up having me distant from him. I think it mostly came from his attitude which, in my opinion, was very egotistical and self-centered. He was in control of a country and yet he was busy plotting his uncle's death. He didn't even know that Fortinbras was headed towards Denmark or that there was even problems going on in his country. Other than Fortinbras, the only thing the characters seemed to care about was their on personal drama. This isn't a criticism of Shakespeare because I believe that was completely on purpose, but I just couldn't get over the selfishness of the characters. Fortinbras was the only one who cared about the bigger picture since he was in fact royalty while everyone else whined about what was going on in their lives.

Cover: My textbook didn't have a cover for this play and I'm glad it didn't. I think when it comes to classic books, whereas contemporary book covers give what the plot about, I think it is better to not have pictures or anything that gives away the plot because I think it would sway the reader's opinions.

Closing Thoughts: I gave this play (or book) a four out of four nail polishes. The plot was refreshing compared to the constant romance I had to read previously with Their Eyes Were Watching God. It was a nice break and it gave a plot that could be discusses and debated for centuries. The characters dynamics were good but consistent, which I think was a message about royalty from Shakespeare. But, all in all, it was something refreshing from what I normally read as well as something to stimulate conversation!

Where to find Shakespeare:

       Shakespeare's Work l "No Fear Shakespeare" Sparknotes

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

Review: Native Son by Richard Wright

Synopsis: Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America. Source


Review
Plot: I had to read this book for school, so I didn't pick this off of the shelf out of interest. That doesn't mean I wasn't riveted by this book. I have to talk about the controversy behind this book. My school board voted for the unabridged version and that created some parents to get other parents to have their kids read another type of book. (The alternative was A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines.) The unabridged version of the book has certain scenes that were cut out in the abridged version. I am glad that we read the unabridged version because you weren't blinded from anything. You had all the facts laid out in front of you and you made you decision on whether or not you like Bigger Thomas. The abridged version might have wavered those feelings. The plot did cultivate discussions throughout my class and created the classic topic of race. Along with race, the novel deals with poverty, murder, rape, and prison. The plot was definitely unique, but was graphic as well as frustrating.

Characters: Bigger Thomas-I hate him. I could never like him and it was hard to get through the book when you didn't even like the main character. There is no way I can think of him as a protagonist because he never did anything good. He used people, hurt people, killed people, and only thought of himself. Even in the ending, he twisted his reasoning around to make sense of what he had done. I couldn't believe how ignorant he was to not only what he had done, but to his and others beliefs.

Cover: I wish the book had more details than just Bigger. On the shelf, I would have skimmed over it without a second thought. I guess this book doesn't need an interesting cover because it is a classic.

Overall Rating: I gave this book a three out of four. This book is a classic and I have to commend Wright for the spectacular writing style and development of the book. I always say this, if you can make me hate the person who it is intended for, you have a talent. It takes a lot to make someone completely hate a fictional character, so when it is done, this book deserves commending. It is a great book to have for a school or book club because it arises controversial topics in a stylish way. I recommend anyone looking for a good classic read to read this.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Book Review)

Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction
Published: 1960
Format: Paperback, 281 Pages
Synopsis: Harper Lee's classic novel of a lawyer in the deep south defending a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century. Source

Review: Of course, like all other high schoolers, this girl had to read To Kill A Mockingbird for summer reading. At first, I was skeptical at this: it didn't look interesting and I wasn't always excited about reading books that our teachers assigned us. However, like some other books, this book was better than I expected it to be. The first time I read this it took me forever to get done with it, and it was only around 280 pages! I knew that I wasn't udnerstanding what was going on, but I was just rushing through it to get it done before school. The second time I read it was during school because my teacher decided that since some people "didn't get" the summer reading, everyone should read it over. When I read it over, I read the SparkNote for the chapter and then read the chapter to better understand the plot.

TKAM has different themes throughout the book from racism to small towns to family. The characters bring different examples on all of these themes. My favorite character was, of course, Scout. She was the main character and the voice of the novel. What I liked about her was how she matured throughout the novel. In the beginning, she is a small girl who is innocent to the world around her. As the Tom Robinson case proceeds, she starts to see that the world around her isn't so innocent and accepting like her and her family is.

Along with the characters, the setting and location seemed to spark a life of its own. Since Scout's family lives in a small town in Maycomb County, you see different views of the residents in the town. Because of the small town atmosphere, one view takes up the majority of the residents' minds, so when someone in the town has a diffeent mindset, you can see the res tof the residents' responses to that.

I give this book a perfect score because it is an epitome of a classic novel and how the topic of racism should be expressed, with every different view shown properly and elegantly.

Peace and Fangs,
Alisha