Hamlet (Annotated with Biography and Critical Essay‪)‬

Hamlet, considered Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, was first performed in 1600 or 1601.  It was based on a story in the Historica Danica (History of Denmark) published four hundred years earlier.


The play begins just after midnight at the castle in Elsinore, Denmark.  The young Prince, Hamlet, is standing on the battlements when his father’s ghost appears.  The ghost tells him that Hamlet must avenge his death at the hands of his brother Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle.  Claudius has married his widow, Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother.  The prince assures the ghost that he will avenge his death.


This annotated edition includes a biography and critical essay.