Murder Most Foul: Hamlet Through the Ages

by David Bevington

What is it about Hamlet that has made it such a compelling and vital work? Murder Most Hamlet Through the Ages is an account of Shakespeare's great play from its sources in Scandinavian epic lore to the way it was performed and understood in his own day, and then how the play has fared down to the performances on stage, television, and in film, critical evaluations, publishing history, spinoffs, spoofs, musical adaptations, the play's growing reputation, its influence on writers and thinkers, and the ways in which it has shaped the very language we speak. The staging, criticism, and editing of Hamlet , David Bevington argues, go hand in hand over the centuries, to such a remarkable extent that the history of Hamlet can be seen as a kind of paradigm for the cultural history of the English-speaking world.

Genres: Shakespeare, Nonfiction, Theatre, Literary Criticism

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 23, 2011

About the author

David Bevington was an American literary scholar.

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides some very insightful comments about the play and it has inspired me with several points upon which I can ponder about when rereading 'Hamlet'. It covers a wide range of criticism related to 'Hamlet' stemming from Shakespeare's time up to the last decade, and it explores and interprets the staging and filming of the main adaptations of the play. A book worth reading if you are seeking to study 'Hamlet' in depth or if you are interested in the sources of the play and its involvement within our culture through the centuries.

[Pádraic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally deteriorates into just lists of productions, but otherwise the most comprehensive survey of, well, Hamlet through the ages that I've come across; Bevington knows more about this play and its history and its various versions than even I aspire to.

[tJacksonrichards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bevington offers a densely compressed historical survey of Hamlet as both a text and a dramatic production. His method entails a careful dissection of the play itself from the ideological forces of each successive cultural era - Elizabethan, Romantic, Modern and Post Modern - to explore how these larger historical moments interpret, and so themselves are interpreted by, the Black Prince.

As a thoroughgoing effort, MMF is, at times, a brisk torrent of dates and names of actors, stage managers, painters, critics, poets, writers, production companies and directors. And Bevington doesn't always cull particularly interesting or relevant insight from this data. But more often he investigates his thesis in clear and convincing passages.

Especially compelling are his accounts of New Historicist critical work placing the text in a viable Elizabethan context; indeed, Stephen Greenblatt & Aaron Landau seem to've significantly informed Bevington's own reading of the play which he proffers early in the project. As a concurrent history of dramatic performance and/or media adaptation, MMF is also very strong - I was inspired to seek out or revisit many of the cinematic adaptations and filmed theatrical performances catalogued in the later chapters.

Initially, I was drawn to David Bevington's work for his excellent contributions to the Bantam Classic Shakespeare series and I wasn't disappointed by this important book. Beyond its scholarly contributions, MMF remains a rewarding read due to the author's passionate investment in sharing Shakespeare's genius.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just completed a university course (on-line) on "Hamlet" I sought this out as it was highly recommended by various sources as a overall history. It is indeed very good, providing a broad history of the play;. its germination in Northern Saxo Gramticus, the pre-Shakespeare history, the various adaptations, printed editions, the staging through the centuries etc etc. Its a wonderful encapsulation of this most wonderful and multi-layered plays.