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Hamlet
"Each edition includes: " - Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
- Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
- Scene-by-scene plot summaries
- A key to famous lines and phrases
- An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
- An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
- Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books
"Essay by" Michael Neill
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.
- Full explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play
- Scene-by-scene plot summaries
- A key to famous lines and phrases
- An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language
- An essay by an outstanding scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
- Illustrations from the Folger Shakespeare Library's vast holdings of rare books
"Essay by" Michael Neill
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is home to the world's largest collection of Shakespeare's printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit www.folger.edu.
48 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1960
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 8, 2025
When the "Classics Illustrated" version of Shakespeare's Hamlet was published in 1962, it was called a "comic". I know this for a fact, as I bought it at my local newsagent. Nowadays it would be more likely to be termed a "graphic novel".
The beauty of this particular one from the series of about 162 British titles, is that it is one where all of the dialogue used is original. None of it is simplified or bowdlerised. Both of Hamlet's main soliloquies are printed in full, for instance. Captions at the top of some illustrations move the action onwards, and the story is faithful to Shakespeare's text. Most of the major events in the play are covered, despite the fact that it is Shakespeare's longest play, and a regular performance lasts about four hours. The "Classics Illustrated" version is only 44 pages, and takes, perhaps, an hour to read, depending on how long the reader is inclined to dwell on the illustrations.
The graphic work by Alex A. Blum is attractive and colourful, with accurate period detail in the costumes and interiors, and expressive postures and faces by the characters. It could be read with enjoyment by either an adult, wishing to revisit the play but with limited time, or by a younger person as their first introduction to Hamlet. Since there is a comment at the end, "Now that you have read the "Classics Illustrated" Edition, don't miss the added enjoyment of reading the original, obtainable at your school or public library", it looks if this was the original purpose of the series.
If you are disinclined to sample a graphic novel or comic, it may be as well to consider your prejudice carefully. For sequential art is not a new thing. Whether you call it comic strips, comic books, graphic novels or funnies, sequential art has been around as long as - or longer than - the written word. One example would be the ancient Egyptians, who started painted stories in a stylised fashion. These developed into hieroglyphs, and the symbols themselves eventually became a sort of phonetic writing. Other cultures developed similar traditions. Do you want an example from more recent times; an example of Western sequential Art? Then what about all the series of engravings and paintings telling a story, 6 or 8 in each, by William Hogarth in the 1700's. "A Rake's Progress" is one. So why nowadays we relegate sequential art to being thought of as a childish pursuit, is rather puzzling.
This version of Hamlet is enjoyable to read. It is perhaps not a purist's example of a graphic novel; it is a retelling after all (although Shakespeare's own text was itself a retelling of the legend of "Amleth", from the 13th century.) Out of all the 162 British titles, this one was published very near the tail end of the series. By 1962 television had started to replace many such comic book series. Yet from the 1990's onwards, demand began to increase again, and various owners republished some of these classic titles, complete with their original presentation. Have a look if you come across one. If you like graphic novels you will probably think this is an historic classic of the genre. If they are a new experience to you, well, you may surprise yourself and enjoy it.
The beauty of this particular one from the series of about 162 British titles, is that it is one where all of the dialogue used is original. None of it is simplified or bowdlerised. Both of Hamlet's main soliloquies are printed in full, for instance. Captions at the top of some illustrations move the action onwards, and the story is faithful to Shakespeare's text. Most of the major events in the play are covered, despite the fact that it is Shakespeare's longest play, and a regular performance lasts about four hours. The "Classics Illustrated" version is only 44 pages, and takes, perhaps, an hour to read, depending on how long the reader is inclined to dwell on the illustrations.
The graphic work by Alex A. Blum is attractive and colourful, with accurate period detail in the costumes and interiors, and expressive postures and faces by the characters. It could be read with enjoyment by either an adult, wishing to revisit the play but with limited time, or by a younger person as their first introduction to Hamlet. Since there is a comment at the end, "Now that you have read the "Classics Illustrated" Edition, don't miss the added enjoyment of reading the original, obtainable at your school or public library", it looks if this was the original purpose of the series.
If you are disinclined to sample a graphic novel or comic, it may be as well to consider your prejudice carefully. For sequential art is not a new thing. Whether you call it comic strips, comic books, graphic novels or funnies, sequential art has been around as long as - or longer than - the written word. One example would be the ancient Egyptians, who started painted stories in a stylised fashion. These developed into hieroglyphs, and the symbols themselves eventually became a sort of phonetic writing. Other cultures developed similar traditions. Do you want an example from more recent times; an example of Western sequential Art? Then what about all the series of engravings and paintings telling a story, 6 or 8 in each, by William Hogarth in the 1700's. "A Rake's Progress" is one. So why nowadays we relegate sequential art to being thought of as a childish pursuit, is rather puzzling.
This version of Hamlet is enjoyable to read. It is perhaps not a purist's example of a graphic novel; it is a retelling after all (although Shakespeare's own text was itself a retelling of the legend of "Amleth", from the 13th century.) Out of all the 162 British titles, this one was published very near the tail end of the series. By 1962 television had started to replace many such comic book series. Yet from the 1990's onwards, demand began to increase again, and various owners republished some of these classic titles, complete with their original presentation. Have a look if you come across one. If you like graphic novels you will probably think this is an historic classic of the genre. If they are a new experience to you, well, you may surprise yourself and enjoy it.
December 14, 2019
15¢ HRN 167= July 1965 = 6th printing
Includes:
-Shakespeare biography
-"Remember the Alamo" (Stories of Early America)
-"Damon and Pythias" (Great Lives)
-"Christy Mathewson's Great Series" (Stories from the World of Sports)
Includes:
-Shakespeare biography
-"Remember the Alamo" (Stories of Early America)
-"Damon and Pythias" (Great Lives)
-"Christy Mathewson's Great Series" (Stories from the World of Sports)
May 4, 2019
This was my first exposure to Hamlet when I was a kid, and it holds up pretty well. The adaptation is more adept than some film versions.
February 10, 2016
I read this over and over as a teenager, because I liked the ghost in the beginning, and because I felt like I understood more each time I read it. It captivated me for some reason. I found myself thinking "to be or not to be" a lot on my own. I was depressed when we watched the Mel Gibson version in high school, instead of reading it and discussing it as a class. I felt that we would have benefited from that.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews