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Hamlet
Hamlet's father has just died. By the time they've filled in the grave his mother has remarried. Hamlet suspects foul play, and it's troubling his spirit. Or maybe he was always troubled. Ophelia is in love with him. His best friend Horatio can't work him out. Then, on a cold, still night, Hamlet meets the ghost of his father...
This wonderful book, by one of Australia's most-loved writers, takes Shakespeare's famous play and makes it into a moving and full-blooded novel. John Marsden powerfully re-imagines the original characters and story. Hamlet, A Novel will be adored by readers young and old.
This wonderful book, by one of Australia's most-loved writers, takes Shakespeare's famous play and makes it into a moving and full-blooded novel. John Marsden powerfully re-imagines the original characters and story. Hamlet, A Novel will be adored by readers young and old.
229 pages, Hardcover
First published January 5, 2008
30 people are currently reading
736 people want to read
About the author
John Marsden
90 books1,954 followersThere is more than one author with this name in the database, see f.e. John Marsden.
John Marsden was an Australian writer and school principal. He wrote more than 40 books in his career and his books have been translated into many languages. He was especially known for his young adult novel Tomorrow, When the War Began, which began a series of seven books.
Marsden began writing for children while working as a teacher, and had his first book, So Much to Tell You, published in 1987. In 2006, he started an alternative school, Candlebark School, and reduced his writing to focus on teaching and running the school. In 2016, he opened the arts-focused secondary school, Alice Miller School. Both schools are in the Macedon Ranges.
John Marsden was an Australian writer and school principal. He wrote more than 40 books in his career and his books have been translated into many languages. He was especially known for his young adult novel Tomorrow, When the War Began, which began a series of seven books.
Marsden began writing for children while working as a teacher, and had his first book, So Much to Tell You, published in 1987. In 2006, he started an alternative school, Candlebark School, and reduced his writing to focus on teaching and running the school. In 2016, he opened the arts-focused secondary school, Alice Miller School. Both schools are in the Macedon Ranges.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
July 16, 2015
I'm amused, or perhaps irritated, by some of the reviews here. This is not Hamlet retold in prose, nor is it an attempt to explain Hamlet to a modern, younger audience. It's a new telling of the story of Hamlet, so it doesn't matter whether or not it is faithful to the Shakespearian Hamlet (and most scholars agree that Shakespeare borrowed heavily from other Hamlet-like stories and plays). It's the story you'd get if you asked one of the best contemporary writers for young adults to tell the tale of Hamlet ... and that's exactly what it is! Marsden gives us his own version of the story, not much different from that of the Bard, but it's the characters that come to life with Marsden. That's his forte - getting into the mind of the adolescent or young adult. Yes, his characters are different from those of Shakespeare, no less tortured, but believable as people.
It isn't clear into what historical period Marsden places his story. There's some tradition in productions of the play to include current political overtones, or even to set it in the contemporary world. Marsden's Hamlet wears jeans, but most other indicators suggest a setting several centuries old, and it probably doesn't need to have a fixed date. What matters is the characters, and that they come to life.
It isn't clear into what historical period Marsden places his story. There's some tradition in productions of the play to include current political overtones, or even to set it in the contemporary world. Marsden's Hamlet wears jeans, but most other indicators suggest a setting several centuries old, and it probably doesn't need to have a fixed date. What matters is the characters, and that they come to life.
June 28, 2012
I have a slight addiction to Hamlet, so I'm afraid that I am a bit picky when it comes to variations of the story. I am sure the author is probably quite talented, but IMHO, this story was awful. It's sort of a Cliff Notes version, but in novel form. So many of the themes are missing from the story, whilst other elements have been added that I certainly never took away from Hamlet before (I really don't want to guess at the size of Hamlet's penis nor do I want to hear about his bowel movements)... especially the bit where the gardeners all know about his habit of going down to kill livestock. WTF? That would give us a person that would not hesitate to kill his uncle, to my way of thinking. Signs of a serial killer, hello?! LOL What a terrible waste of money this book was.
June 16, 2017
I have wanted to read this novelisation of Hamlet since it was first published and I am so incredibly happy that I was not disappointed. It exceeded my expectations (whatever they were) and it has made me wish that more of Shakespeare's plays were given the Marsden novelisation treatment because I think they would be divine.
Whether it's Marsden magic or just the fact that the novel could include more detail, but I had so much more sympathy for Hamlet listening to this than I ever did with the play. Marsden's words really brings out Hamlet's home life and his despair, yes, he is a dramatic idiot and you roll your eyes at him at the start, but through the rest of the story you see what his life is like, what he is like, and you really pity him and for the situation his father put him in and how it affects him.
The plot follows the play in terms of events, I did find myself waiting lines to be included that are so well known from the play, but Marsden doesn't fall for cheap copying, the same elements are there, the same moments, but Marsden doesn't reduce this novelisation to simply adding quotes from Shakespeare in it.
The tragedy is there, Horatio is amazing and I love him throughout. He is my absolute favourite character in this whole thing. The extension of the story allows more character depth I found, you really get a sense of not just Hamlet, but also Ophelia, Claudius and the rest.
Marsden doesn't update the play either, the same events are there, but they aren't modernised or anything. Set in a time with swords and ships the locations are the same, and Marsden's writing feels write for the era in which it is set. Not overly complex but not basic either, very poetic and melodic at times, very Shakespeare without being Shakespeare. I would easily call this my favourite adaptation of Hamlet and I would readily sit down and read, or listen, to it all over again.
A longer version of this review was published on my blog http://wp.me/p3x8rS-1kt
Whether it's Marsden magic or just the fact that the novel could include more detail, but I had so much more sympathy for Hamlet listening to this than I ever did with the play. Marsden's words really brings out Hamlet's home life and his despair, yes, he is a dramatic idiot and you roll your eyes at him at the start, but through the rest of the story you see what his life is like, what he is like, and you really pity him and for the situation his father put him in and how it affects him.
The plot follows the play in terms of events, I did find myself waiting lines to be included that are so well known from the play, but Marsden doesn't fall for cheap copying, the same elements are there, the same moments, but Marsden doesn't reduce this novelisation to simply adding quotes from Shakespeare in it.
The tragedy is there, Horatio is amazing and I love him throughout. He is my absolute favourite character in this whole thing. The extension of the story allows more character depth I found, you really get a sense of not just Hamlet, but also Ophelia, Claudius and the rest.
Marsden doesn't update the play either, the same events are there, but they aren't modernised or anything. Set in a time with swords and ships the locations are the same, and Marsden's writing feels write for the era in which it is set. Not overly complex but not basic either, very poetic and melodic at times, very Shakespeare without being Shakespeare. I would easily call this my favourite adaptation of Hamlet and I would readily sit down and read, or listen, to it all over again.
A longer version of this review was published on my blog http://wp.me/p3x8rS-1kt
September 29, 2014
A bit vulgar at times but nevertheless a very accessible version of Hamlet. Great for anyone who wants to read the story but doesn't want to read Shakespeare, or if you're like me, wants to feel more prepared to read Shakespeare's words.
February 26, 2014
As one of those uneducated people who have never actually read Shakespeare - apart, of course, from a passing familiarity with some wonderful quotes, or the odd “scene” acted out (or parodied) at school, or a glimpse and at some of his beautiful poetry - I approached John Marsden’s “Hamlet: A Novel” full of anticipation, blissfully ignorant but waiting to be told just what was so rotten in the State of Denmark. Oh, joy, Marsden has absolutely done it for me with this one: I feel that I want to go out now and read the Bard’s version myself. Isn’t that th mark of a great writer, one who can open doors to give you a glimpse of other undiscovered goodies.
I am so glad that I purchased a copy of this book and didn’t just check it out from the library, because there are so many lines and passages which I have underscored, or highlighted, lines where I thought the writing particularly beautiful, or amusing, or just plain masterful, the sort of lines where you interrupt your partner, who is himself busy reading, to say, “Listen to this; isn’t this fantastic”. A few are:
“He was quickness and light, a shadow on the wall, an illusion, a dream, a fancy. He was a glimpse, nothing solid. How could she anchor her boat to a wave?”
There we have Ophelia talking of Hamlet. “How could she anchor her boat to a wave?” Wow, indeed.
Next, one of those amazing passages which I think is an amalgam of Shakespeare and Marsden:
“’Oh, to oneself, always to oneself. There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio, or in mine, but somehow we are expected to make it all intelligible; to carve statues from air and make books from bark. It is too much. This is the proper work of gods and we are not gods, indeed all our human errors come from the vain belief that we are.”
Powerful stuff, isn’t it, and who can say where the edges lie.
Is this just a cheeky passage, or does it appear in the original work, I wonder:
(the manager of the acting troupe), “… but we can do Romeo and Juliet if that is your wish. It’s not a bad bit of work, although a bit far-fetched.”
And now, just because it’s a fabulous little metaphor, “…busy as a line of laundry in a windstorm”. Can’t you just see those sheets getting whipped hither and thither?
Some great philosophy here, something which I myself would put my hand up to second:
“It’s a terrible thing to be a coward, but it is not so bad to be prudent.”
Kenny Rogers could write a song along those lines, methinks.
If the purpose of teaching is to make people want to learn more and more, writers such as John Marsden achieve this beautifully. Because Hamlet says, on page 87, in reference to the/his play which the visiting acting troupe is to perform, “… I am calling it The Mousetrap”, I then google that famous Agatha Christie play to see whether she did name her play according to that reference in Hamlet, and find that, yes, indeed, being unable to run the play as “Three Blind Mice”, which was the title of the original short story, her son-in-law suggested “The Mousetrap”, the title suggested by Hamlet, because “the play’s the thing”. Fantastic.
My next note is one where I’ve added exclamation marks to my underscoring just to show how artistically perfect I find the words to be. Here Hamlet is talking to his mother after having killed Polonius:
“’There’ll be trouble with this one’, he remarked. ‘He may weigh more in death than he did in life.’”
Weighing more in death than in life – so superbly put, and so fitting to more than just an old man in a play by Shakespeare.
I think John Marsden put his tongue firmly in his cheek when he wrote, on page 147, when Hamlet’s mother/aunt and stepfather/uncle are discussing where to send him:
“Further than England. To Australia. No, he’ll end up marrying some unsuitable girl.”
Oh, as if a Danish prince would marry an unsuitable Australian girl!
Master of the understatement, page 152:
“And then Ophelia went mad.”
That’s not just a sentence; it’s a whole paragraph. Look and learn, oh wordy ones (self included).
The last passage from “Hamlet: A Novel” that I want to share is another where Shakespeare and Marsden meet, and do so like old friends, I feel:
“’There’s a divinity that shapes our ends’, Horatio muttered, 'rough-hew them how we will.’
Hamlet looked at him with surprise and pleasure. ‘Yes, that’s it! Where did you get that from?’
‘I don’t know. I read it somewhere.’
‘I’d like to get that book.’”
And so, I really hope, will you now like to get this book. I believe that John Marsden took 12 years to write this book, and it is the one of which he is most proud. He should be; it’s wonderful stuff.
I am so glad that I purchased a copy of this book and didn’t just check it out from the library, because there are so many lines and passages which I have underscored, or highlighted, lines where I thought the writing particularly beautiful, or amusing, or just plain masterful, the sort of lines where you interrupt your partner, who is himself busy reading, to say, “Listen to this; isn’t this fantastic”. A few are:
“He was quickness and light, a shadow on the wall, an illusion, a dream, a fancy. He was a glimpse, nothing solid. How could she anchor her boat to a wave?”
There we have Ophelia talking of Hamlet. “How could she anchor her boat to a wave?” Wow, indeed.
Next, one of those amazing passages which I think is an amalgam of Shakespeare and Marsden:
“’Oh, to oneself, always to oneself. There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio, or in mine, but somehow we are expected to make it all intelligible; to carve statues from air and make books from bark. It is too much. This is the proper work of gods and we are not gods, indeed all our human errors come from the vain belief that we are.”
Powerful stuff, isn’t it, and who can say where the edges lie.
Is this just a cheeky passage, or does it appear in the original work, I wonder:
(the manager of the acting troupe), “… but we can do Romeo and Juliet if that is your wish. It’s not a bad bit of work, although a bit far-fetched.”
And now, just because it’s a fabulous little metaphor, “…busy as a line of laundry in a windstorm”. Can’t you just see those sheets getting whipped hither and thither?
Some great philosophy here, something which I myself would put my hand up to second:
“It’s a terrible thing to be a coward, but it is not so bad to be prudent.”
Kenny Rogers could write a song along those lines, methinks.
If the purpose of teaching is to make people want to learn more and more, writers such as John Marsden achieve this beautifully. Because Hamlet says, on page 87, in reference to the/his play which the visiting acting troupe is to perform, “… I am calling it The Mousetrap”, I then google that famous Agatha Christie play to see whether she did name her play according to that reference in Hamlet, and find that, yes, indeed, being unable to run the play as “Three Blind Mice”, which was the title of the original short story, her son-in-law suggested “The Mousetrap”, the title suggested by Hamlet, because “the play’s the thing”. Fantastic.
My next note is one where I’ve added exclamation marks to my underscoring just to show how artistically perfect I find the words to be. Here Hamlet is talking to his mother after having killed Polonius:
“’There’ll be trouble with this one’, he remarked. ‘He may weigh more in death than he did in life.’”
Weighing more in death than in life – so superbly put, and so fitting to more than just an old man in a play by Shakespeare.
I think John Marsden put his tongue firmly in his cheek when he wrote, on page 147, when Hamlet’s mother/aunt and stepfather/uncle are discussing where to send him:
“Further than England. To Australia. No, he’ll end up marrying some unsuitable girl.”
Oh, as if a Danish prince would marry an unsuitable Australian girl!
Master of the understatement, page 152:
“And then Ophelia went mad.”
That’s not just a sentence; it’s a whole paragraph. Look and learn, oh wordy ones (self included).
The last passage from “Hamlet: A Novel” that I want to share is another where Shakespeare and Marsden meet, and do so like old friends, I feel:
“’There’s a divinity that shapes our ends’, Horatio muttered, 'rough-hew them how we will.’
Hamlet looked at him with surprise and pleasure. ‘Yes, that’s it! Where did you get that from?’
‘I don’t know. I read it somewhere.’
‘I’d like to get that book.’”
And so, I really hope, will you now like to get this book. I believe that John Marsden took 12 years to write this book, and it is the one of which he is most proud. He should be; it’s wonderful stuff.
May 12, 2018
This was a good effort, truly. Did I love it? No. Did I dislike it? Not all all. Some pages made me roll my eyes, same pages made me close my eyes to better envision the scene as portrayed. The relationship between Hamlet and Horatio is set up beautifully, as is some of Ophelia’s internal monologue. It really would be a great way to introduce a middle or high schooler to Shakespeare before trying to guide them through Shakespeare’s actual text.
December 5, 2009
I'm not exactly sure what to make of this...Did it happen in the past? What was with the jeans? Why are there blue jeans in Hamlet. But, it couldn't have taken place in the present, because everything was so primitive. What was this?
Though, the fight scene at the end was well-written, and the meaning of the story well executed, I just couldn't get over the unclear time placement. Was I supposed to imagine them in present clothes? What about hair styles?
The relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet was also poorly executed (compared to other adaptations I've read), being more awkward than anything. The only character I really had any attachment to was Hamlet himself, mostly because he was really the only one who did any talking, which did a good job of portraying his madness. The prince's madness was even more illustrated by the vague sections involving the gardener. I like how these moments were glanced over, yet said so much about the prince, and his inner natures.
However, the most important part involving the apparition of Hamlet's father was glanced over, and didn't really have a chance to leave any impact.
All-in-all, I should have been doing my homework, and will be returning this to the library on the morrow, and never touching it again.
Though, the fight scene at the end was well-written, and the meaning of the story well executed, I just couldn't get over the unclear time placement. Was I supposed to imagine them in present clothes? What about hair styles?
The relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet was also poorly executed (compared to other adaptations I've read), being more awkward than anything. The only character I really had any attachment to was Hamlet himself, mostly because he was really the only one who did any talking, which did a good job of portraying his madness. The prince's madness was even more illustrated by the vague sections involving the gardener. I like how these moments were glanced over, yet said so much about the prince, and his inner natures.
However, the most important part involving the apparition of Hamlet's father was glanced over, and didn't really have a chance to leave any impact.
All-in-all, I should have been doing my homework, and will be returning this to the library on the morrow, and never touching it again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2018
I enjoy Shakespeare even when I have to re-read verses to understand it. I've read and seen several plays, both tragedy and comedies. But I had never read or seen Hamlet, which is arguably one of Shakespeare's most well-read, well-performed plays. I was telling a friend this and so he let me borrow a copy of this novelised Hamlet. Apparently, it's one of the greatest stories that he had ever heard.
So while I have still not read or seen the proper version of Hamlet, I still enjoyed getting to know the characters and story in this version. I doubt it's the same story. I'll have to read the original now to see what liberties Marsden took. But it's a decent read and probably great for younger readers to be introduced to Shakespeare.
It is written to appeal to a younger audience, I think. But while most of the style is simple, Marsden attempts to weave in simplified forms of the original dialogue, such as "to be or not to be". The dialogue isn't typically Shakespearen but it's not quite modern day talk too.
Marsden attempts to retain some of the original themes too, such as death, revenge, loyalty, and betrayel. He intergrates some themes of his own that might appeal to younger readers as well seeking to find some relevance.
By far, it isn't a perfect retelling and I'm not sure what Shakespeare would have thought of it himself. But I had fun reading it. Plus, it was a quick one too, which can be nice, especially since I feel like I've been reading some longer, more dense books recently.
So while I have still not read or seen the proper version of Hamlet, I still enjoyed getting to know the characters and story in this version. I doubt it's the same story. I'll have to read the original now to see what liberties Marsden took. But it's a decent read and probably great for younger readers to be introduced to Shakespeare.
It is written to appeal to a younger audience, I think. But while most of the style is simple, Marsden attempts to weave in simplified forms of the original dialogue, such as "to be or not to be". The dialogue isn't typically Shakespearen but it's not quite modern day talk too.
Marsden attempts to retain some of the original themes too, such as death, revenge, loyalty, and betrayel. He intergrates some themes of his own that might appeal to younger readers as well seeking to find some relevance.
By far, it isn't a perfect retelling and I'm not sure what Shakespeare would have thought of it himself. But I had fun reading it. Plus, it was a quick one too, which can be nice, especially since I feel like I've been reading some longer, more dense books recently.
November 23, 2011
I picked this book up because our school library just got it in to help some of our ESL students understand Hamlet more. I have a split rating for this one. I have given it 3 stars for the text itself, but as a tool for ESL learners I would likely give it a four stars.
The underlying issue I had with this book is that Shakespeare is not really know for writing incredibly unique or compelling plots (in my opinion at least). What is so powerful about Shakespeare is the language in which he tells his stories. When you take a story like Hamlet and remove the language of Shakespeare, you are left with a bit of a weak plot. I was impressed, with some of the language Marsden did use and he did try to maintain the poetics of Hamlet and, for an ESL or weaker audience, I think this text would be perfect. You get the story, you get a hint of the poetic language and you get an interesting gate into the play. It would be tragic, however, if this is where the students stopped and if they didn't then go on to read the Shakespeare text itself and experience the beauty of his poetry.
All in all, not bad, but it can't hold a candle to the original.
The underlying issue I had with this book is that Shakespeare is not really know for writing incredibly unique or compelling plots (in my opinion at least). What is so powerful about Shakespeare is the language in which he tells his stories. When you take a story like Hamlet and remove the language of Shakespeare, you are left with a bit of a weak plot. I was impressed, with some of the language Marsden did use and he did try to maintain the poetics of Hamlet and, for an ESL or weaker audience, I think this text would be perfect. You get the story, you get a hint of the poetic language and you get an interesting gate into the play. It would be tragic, however, if this is where the students stopped and if they didn't then go on to read the Shakespeare text itself and experience the beauty of his poetry.
All in all, not bad, but it can't hold a candle to the original.
November 16, 2012
Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com
Something's rotten in Denmark, but this time, it's not Shakespeare's normally confusing play. Marsden does a fantastic job of taking the Bard's poetic writing and updating it for modern readers.
Hamlet still faces issues the original author set for him (an unfaithful mother, a murderous uncle, the hauntingly attractive Ophelia), but the reader is able to delve more deeply into the characters as they are brought to life by Marsden's beautiful prose.
Since this is a modern version, it does have a few instances of cursing as well as some sexual innuendo, so I feel it would be better suited to older teens and adults.
Thanks to a fantastic high school English teacher, I never had trouble understanding HAMLET, but I enjoyed reading Marsden's version and seeing a more modern twist on the story.
Something's rotten in Denmark, but this time, it's not Shakespeare's normally confusing play. Marsden does a fantastic job of taking the Bard's poetic writing and updating it for modern readers.
Hamlet still faces issues the original author set for him (an unfaithful mother, a murderous uncle, the hauntingly attractive Ophelia), but the reader is able to delve more deeply into the characters as they are brought to life by Marsden's beautiful prose.
Since this is a modern version, it does have a few instances of cursing as well as some sexual innuendo, so I feel it would be better suited to older teens and adults.
Thanks to a fantastic high school English teacher, I never had trouble understanding HAMLET, but I enjoyed reading Marsden's version and seeing a more modern twist on the story.
March 28, 2015
I love Hamlet, and I gotta be honest -- this book just didn't do it for me. It read more like a Cliff Notes paraphrasing than a re-imagining and reinventing -- at times it seemed like the author literally copypasted lines from Shakespeare and rearranged a few words. There were a few interesting scenes added that weren't in the play (some flashbacks to childhood, a strange scene where you find out what Hamlet does at night), but there wasn't enough added substance to make it meaningful. Basically -- everything that was accomplished in this book could be accomplished by going to see a good live production of the play.
July 26, 2017
Reread July 2017: Even better than I remember it being.
I think all good retellings should bring something new to the story, and the most interesting way to do that is by focusing on a theme that was present but not prevalent in the original, and make it the main theme of the retelling. Marsden does that to wonderful affect here. By taking revenge and replacing it with sex, he's creating a baser, viler study of the characters: a view which allows us, the readers, to better understand the plights of the Danish royals and their loved ones.
Loved it once, love it now, will surely love it again in the future!
I think all good retellings should bring something new to the story, and the most interesting way to do that is by focusing on a theme that was present but not prevalent in the original, and make it the main theme of the retelling. Marsden does that to wonderful affect here. By taking revenge and replacing it with sex, he's creating a baser, viler study of the characters: a view which allows us, the readers, to better understand the plights of the Danish royals and their loved ones.
Loved it once, love it now, will surely love it again in the future!
October 22, 2016
This was aimed at a younger audience than i realised when i started... still interesting. writing an essay on how Marsden converted the script into narrative, his influences and interpretations of the script. pretty interesting. I was especially intrigued by the blonde hamlet... of course he would be, but hes always played by dark brooding actors...
December 18, 2024
My fave Shakespeare
January 20, 2025
3.5 stars
December 27, 2012
I'll give it to Text Publishing - this is an extremely handsome book. One of the most beautiful cover designs I've seen in a while, gruesomely elegant with its finely drawn death's head, and startling fluoro-orange end papers. Which kind of sums up this mish-mash: Shakespeare's 500 year old narrative blended into John Marsden's insight into contemporary teenagers.
I haven't ever read or seen Hamlet (my Shakespeare is limited to a romantic high school teacher's preference for the light-hearted comedies, and the spate of movie reinterpretations of the 1990s). I have osmosised up the general gist of the narrative, and the famous lines - something rotten in the state of Denmark, poor Yorick, to be or not to be, sweet angels singing Ophelia to her rest - in the way that you do, but I came to Marsden's retelling fresh.
And I couldn't quite get past the staginess. My sense is that Marsden tries to give more insight into the action of the play - more depth of character, in particular, to Horatio, Hamlet and Ophelia. Horatio I fell for early on - the decency, and tenderness Marsden gives him:
Ophelia Marsden paints as a icy cool hothouse flower; shiveringly beautiful, kept under lock and key by her father, the king's adviser, Polonius, melting and moaning in her tower room:
Straight after that lovely passage there's a bawdy 'What are you doing Ophelia' / 'I'm coming, father' exchange that could be pure Shakespeare or could be an attempt to pander to the masturbatory teenage audience (which could also be the same thing, right?).
And Hamlet. Oh, Hamlet. Is it okay to say you kind of despise Hamlet? Is he meant to be a heroic figure? A tragic one? I found him puling, manipulative, melodramatic - but then the baffling, baffled attraction between him and Ophelia, and his fondness for Horatio, pulled me through.
Marsden does a creditable job of drawing out the strengths of the narrative and patching over the weaker points. At the same time, it is a little like having someone sitting next to you narrating a movie. ('Now, you see, Hamlet doesn't trust Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because they are the puppets of his uncle, whom Hamlet suspects of conniving with his mother Gertrude in the foul murder of his father, the true king of Denmark...'). And that kind of just makes me long for the relative lightness of touch of Clueless ...
I haven't ever read or seen Hamlet (my Shakespeare is limited to a romantic high school teacher's preference for the light-hearted comedies, and the spate of movie reinterpretations of the 1990s). I have osmosised up the general gist of the narrative, and the famous lines - something rotten in the state of Denmark, poor Yorick, to be or not to be, sweet angels singing Ophelia to her rest - in the way that you do, but I came to Marsden's retelling fresh.
And I couldn't quite get past the staginess. My sense is that Marsden tries to give more insight into the action of the play - more depth of character, in particular, to Horatio, Hamlet and Ophelia. Horatio I fell for early on - the decency, and tenderness Marsden gives him:
Bernardo was just inside the door. Horatio was closer to the bed. But Horatio still hesitated. He didn't know how to do it. He wanted to stroke Hamlet into gentle awareness but though it would look too much like love. Instead, he shook Hamlet's shoulder roughly, as if he was angry.
Ophelia Marsden paints as a icy cool hothouse flower; shiveringly beautiful, kept under lock and key by her father, the king's adviser, Polonius, melting and moaning in her tower room:
Lying on the bed and remembering, Ophelia smiled. What did she feel for Hamlet? she asked herself, not for the first time. What was it that caught and twitched within her at the thought of his eyes? Flickering in her mind was the image of a fish spinning through water, hooked but not taken, a naked silver body streaming wet.
Straight after that lovely passage there's a bawdy 'What are you doing Ophelia' / 'I'm coming, father' exchange that could be pure Shakespeare or could be an attempt to pander to the masturbatory teenage audience (which could also be the same thing, right?).
And Hamlet. Oh, Hamlet. Is it okay to say you kind of despise Hamlet? Is he meant to be a heroic figure? A tragic one? I found him puling, manipulative, melodramatic - but then the baffling, baffled attraction between him and Ophelia, and his fondness for Horatio, pulled me through.
Marsden does a creditable job of drawing out the strengths of the narrative and patching over the weaker points. At the same time, it is a little like having someone sitting next to you narrating a movie. ('Now, you see, Hamlet doesn't trust Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because they are the puppets of his uncle, whom Hamlet suspects of conniving with his mother Gertrude in the foul murder of his father, the true king of Denmark...'). And that kind of just makes me long for the relative lightness of touch of Clueless ...
November 2, 2010
I'll start by stating that I am very familiar with Hamlet. I've read and studied the play, seen a variety of productions and have read several books that revolve around Shakespeare's tale. That being said, I was very disappointed in Marsden's efforts at introducing Hamlet to a younger generation.
First of all, parts of what make Hamlet great are some of the lines and monologues that the characters have in the play. A few of them are in the book, but many of the best lines are left out. ("Alas, poor Yorick", "To be or not to be", calling Polonius a fishmonger, "get thee to a nunnery", etc.) Many of these are just too good to leave out, but for some reason, are. Oh, and last I checked, the time frame is much tighter in the original play.
Second, I didn't feel like this did anything to enlighten anyone to Hamlet's frame of reference. Really, we don't know any more than we would have if we had read the play. There's no real risks being taken with interpretation of the play, which can be important if you're looking to "reinvent" it. I'm not sure that was Marsden's intention, but since it comes across as an effort to engage youth in Shakespeare, I have to assume that is at least some of the impetus behind writing yet another version of the great play.
Finally, the writing itself and the additions made...Marsden adds a heck of a lot of extra sexuality to the characters, primarily Ophelia, which winds up feeling out of place, especially since it's only in the beginning of the book and absent by the end. Though even these moments feel forced and slowly paced. The book is short, but moves very slow. While the narration follows characters other than Hamlet, i.e. Horatio, Ophelia, Claudius, Osric and Gertrude, it does little to add anything to the characters. At best, it simply reinforces stereotypical readings of each of them.
I wish I knew why I spent so much time finishing this one, especially since I knew how the story ended. There must have been a point in time where I realized that this was merely an over-sexualized and unimaginative retelling of one of my favorite plays. Maybe I just wanted to see what else I'd get mad at....
First of all, parts of what make Hamlet great are some of the lines and monologues that the characters have in the play. A few of them are in the book, but many of the best lines are left out. ("Alas, poor Yorick", "To be or not to be", calling Polonius a fishmonger, "get thee to a nunnery", etc.) Many of these are just too good to leave out, but for some reason, are. Oh, and last I checked, the time frame is much tighter in the original play.
Second, I didn't feel like this did anything to enlighten anyone to Hamlet's frame of reference. Really, we don't know any more than we would have if we had read the play. There's no real risks being taken with interpretation of the play, which can be important if you're looking to "reinvent" it. I'm not sure that was Marsden's intention, but since it comes across as an effort to engage youth in Shakespeare, I have to assume that is at least some of the impetus behind writing yet another version of the great play.
Finally, the writing itself and the additions made...Marsden adds a heck of a lot of extra sexuality to the characters, primarily Ophelia, which winds up feeling out of place, especially since it's only in the beginning of the book and absent by the end. Though even these moments feel forced and slowly paced. The book is short, but moves very slow. While the narration follows characters other than Hamlet, i.e. Horatio, Ophelia, Claudius, Osric and Gertrude, it does little to add anything to the characters. At best, it simply reinforces stereotypical readings of each of them.
I wish I knew why I spent so much time finishing this one, especially since I knew how the story ended. There must have been a point in time where I realized that this was merely an over-sexualized and unimaginative retelling of one of my favorite plays. Maybe I just wanted to see what else I'd get mad at....
February 15, 2021
To be, or not to be, that is the question.
We’ve all heard this line, and we’ve all probably seen or heard the story of Hamlet in some way or another. The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. I won’t give too much away as, for those who have not had much contact with Hamlet, I would absolutely recommend reading John Marsden’s wonderful version.
It is a beautifully done retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy aimed at a young adult audience. The book stays mostly true to the original storyline keeping the main points and themes while diving deeper into the main characters, so you’re able to feel more sympathy and compassion for them. You really get a sense of not just Hamlet but also Horatio, Ophelia and Claudius as well. Marsden has not made his retelling overly complex or too basic, it falls somewhere right in the middle. It is brilliantly written, almost poetic and melodic at times. It would be a great precursor for those who would love to read Shakespeare but feel a bit daunted by it.
For those of you who are fans of the original, I would recommend going into this with no expectations and an open mind. Yes, it is a retelling, but it is not exactly the same. It does not religiously stick to the plot, but I feel it doesn’t detract from it either.
I feel that all lovers of Shakespeare could enjoy this version just as much as I have. This book will stick with me for a long time.
October 7, 2009
A friend asked me to read this because I teach Shakespeare in high school. He (the friend, not Shakespeare, who is dead and doesn't know anything any more) asked me to see if I thought this version of Hamlet was worth passing along to our students.
I wish it was.
Instead of a solid modernization of an old story, Marsden has taken an interesting psychological study of a bunch of OCD sufferers and turned it into a hodgepodge mess of point of view, random events, and anachronism. At one point halfway through the story, I was ready to stop reading, if only to give the sex-crazed and unstable Ophelia a little rest. Really, why did I need to know what she does when her door's locked, or at what point Hamlet has a bowel movement, or that Hamlet sneaks out at night and strangles geese and tears up the garden. Shakespeare leaves room for interpretation in his play, but I'm much happier with the idea of Hamlet as torn between his love and duty to his father and the life he's led so far, which has been mostly intellectual. Action - especially action as dire as murder - is anathema to him, thus his conflict. Marsden's Hamlet is a borderline schizophrenic who wears jeans but rides places on horseback or in a carriage and stews for years and years. No wonder the poor kid's crazy.
I wish it was.
Instead of a solid modernization of an old story, Marsden has taken an interesting psychological study of a bunch of OCD sufferers and turned it into a hodgepodge mess of point of view, random events, and anachronism. At one point halfway through the story, I was ready to stop reading, if only to give the sex-crazed and unstable Ophelia a little rest. Really, why did I need to know what she does when her door's locked, or at what point Hamlet has a bowel movement, or that Hamlet sneaks out at night and strangles geese and tears up the garden. Shakespeare leaves room for interpretation in his play, but I'm much happier with the idea of Hamlet as torn between his love and duty to his father and the life he's led so far, which has been mostly intellectual. Action - especially action as dire as murder - is anathema to him, thus his conflict. Marsden's Hamlet is a borderline schizophrenic who wears jeans but rides places on horseback or in a carriage and stews for years and years. No wonder the poor kid's crazy.
May 4, 2014
This book's greatest potential was as a modern adaptation of the play for high school readers getting acquainted with Shakespeare. It's clear that Marsden is passionate about the source material. However, the vagueness of the setting, halfway between the play's world and the modern world, is confusing. It provides a mix of quotes straight from the play mixed with modern dialogue in a way that doesn't sit well. Marsden beginning his version of this story by giving Hamlet, Horatio and Ophelia a young, dark, sex-obsessed nature was something that worked well. When Hamlet has a sinister allure like that it ties in well with the themes of depression, grief and mourning, and death. Hamlet and Horatio have an ambiguously homoerotic tone to their relationship, which I think is good for a young adult audience. The book loses momentum with the stabbing of Polonius, maybe because Marsden completely ends the psychosexual tone. That is dictated by the play though, arguably, but it is interesting to see what aspects of the play are highlighted by each different adaptation. It seems like once Marsden can't talk about sex and death, and has to focus on life and death, the sting has gone out of the story for him.
April 22, 2016
2.5 stars.
Seeing as tomorrow is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, I figured I should read something Shakespeare related this week. And when I saw this on the shelf at work, it seemed perfect because I love John Marsden's books.
But this was...not great.
I think the problem is that it's trying to be a retelling while sticking far too closely to Shakespeare's original. Huge chunks of the dialogue are lifted verbatim from the play, and 90% of the time it feels like historical fiction. But then we'll be told that Hamlet's wearing jeans and confusion abounds.
It doesn't add anything new to the story - unless you count Ophelia masturbating or Hamlet having rage attacks where he goes around pulling up plants and stabbing piglets, which I don't - and it ultimately feels like a cheatery way for teenagers to read Hamlet for class without actually having to read Hamlet for class. So on the whole, I was pretty stinking disappointed by this.
I mean, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read. At its heart, it's still Hamlet which is a pretty damned good story. But it's also decidedly not good.
Seeing as tomorrow is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, I figured I should read something Shakespeare related this week. And when I saw this on the shelf at work, it seemed perfect because I love John Marsden's books.
But this was...not great.
I think the problem is that it's trying to be a retelling while sticking far too closely to Shakespeare's original. Huge chunks of the dialogue are lifted verbatim from the play, and 90% of the time it feels like historical fiction. But then we'll be told that Hamlet's wearing jeans and confusion abounds.
It doesn't add anything new to the story - unless you count Ophelia masturbating or Hamlet having rage attacks where he goes around pulling up plants and stabbing piglets, which I don't - and it ultimately feels like a cheatery way for teenagers to read Hamlet for class without actually having to read Hamlet for class. So on the whole, I was pretty stinking disappointed by this.
I mean, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read. At its heart, it's still Hamlet which is a pretty damned good story. But it's also decidedly not good.
March 23, 2018
This quaint short novel is brilliant, a pure pleasure to read! I avoided altogether the disappointments of many other readers by simply abandoning any expectations. I read this book without intentionally scrutinising, over-analyzing, and constantly comparing it with the Shakespeare's Hamlet. It is not the same! Yet, it is derived from the same good, elegant and somber stuff. If I were to make any comparison, to me it is as if an oenophile (a wine aficionado, connoisseur) complains that a good Cape brandy from the Southern Hemisphere (just like John Marsden, incidentally) does not taste as good/rich/complex/authentic/etc as that oenophile's most favourite French wine from a very particular estate in good old France. Although the both beverages start with the fruit of grape, they undergo different processes, gain different tastes and flavours, attain different hues and aromas, characters and nuances, length and strength, resulting in different products in the end.
May 31, 2009
I don't know. Hamlet is probably Shakespeare's best play, and since its hero is a self-consumed adolescent I suppose it's decent material for a YA novel. But although John Marsden's sentences are tight, his book feels less like a novel than like a prose summarization of the bard's poetry. I suppose that was the plan, but isn't that also what you get from Cliff's Notes?
What I appreciated most about this retelling of Hamlet is the author's confrontation of his protagonist's presumed sexual identity issues. Some of the sex talk seemed a bit hard core to me for a YA audience, but I seem to feel that way every time I read a so-called YA book. In any case, I like that some of the prominent modern "critical interpretations" of the play have worked their way into this novel.
What I appreciated most about this retelling of Hamlet is the author's confrontation of his protagonist's presumed sexual identity issues. Some of the sex talk seemed a bit hard core to me for a YA audience, but I seem to feel that way every time I read a so-called YA book. In any case, I like that some of the prominent modern "critical interpretations" of the play have worked their way into this novel.
January 9, 2009
Really enjoyed this, having revisited the play often through the years. Wish I'd had this version back when I was studying it - what a great introduction to the plot, the characters, and a humanising view which would be highly accessable to young readers especially. Marsden avoided any self-conscious and overplayed approaches to the oft-quoted passages, and yet maintained enough of them to satisfy expectations. Would recommend this to anyone who wants to know "what Hamlet is about" and it certainly sets you up to delve deeper into the motivations etc of the characters. As a stand alone book it was a rollicking good tale that leaves you wanting to know more - and, amazingly - it seems there are other works about these characters to satisfy that interest!
June 15, 2009
In anyone's books it is a fairly ambitious task to rework a work of one of the English language's great masters. And while Marsden is a polished writer, the link from his Tomorrow series to this seems unobvious (I don't know if that is a word - too late at night!).
Marsden cleverly turns to story into one of teen angst and sexual awakenings, and it is actually incredibly effective at capturing the mood and issues of the tragedy. Everything is dramatic as a teenager, you want to rebel against the world, and your parents are out to get you! And while it reeks of a nice little money spinner as an inclusion in every senior English course around Australia, nevertheless it is a really interesting and clever read.
Marsden cleverly turns to story into one of teen angst and sexual awakenings, and it is actually incredibly effective at capturing the mood and issues of the tragedy. Everything is dramatic as a teenager, you want to rebel against the world, and your parents are out to get you! And while it reeks of a nice little money spinner as an inclusion in every senior English course around Australia, nevertheless it is a really interesting and clever read.
July 9, 2017
Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, just lost his father. His boyhood friend, Horatio, tries to get Hamlet to open up about his grieving. One night, Horatio wakes Hamlet to tell him he thinks his father is a ghost. Hamlet finds the ghost who charges him to avenge his murder.
Hamlet bids his time, trying to decide if what he saw was real. As he believes the ghost was real, his demeanor also changes. His stepfather, his uncle and the new king, decides to get rid of Hamlet like he got rid of his brother. Hamlet gets his revenge, but manages to kill the entire family and a few others in the process.
Marsden reworks Hamlet and tries to make it more modern. It works for the beginning of the story but as it moves to the conclusion, it doesn't. The retelling is pretty on-point.
Hamlet bids his time, trying to decide if what he saw was real. As he believes the ghost was real, his demeanor also changes. His stepfather, his uncle and the new king, decides to get rid of Hamlet like he got rid of his brother. Hamlet gets his revenge, but manages to kill the entire family and a few others in the process.
Marsden reworks Hamlet and tries to make it more modern. It works for the beginning of the story but as it moves to the conclusion, it doesn't. The retelling is pretty on-point.
December 17, 2008
Truth: I usually would not have picked this book up. I only did so because it's John Marsden and I've adored him since sixth grade (I even met him in high school!), otherwise anything Shakespeare-related makes me cringe. Blame high school.
I delved into the first chapter as a cynic, ready to put it down and only turning the pages because it's on my Christmas Challenge list. Surprisingly I finished with a broader mindscape.
After being tortured with Shakespeare in grade ten, I have a new desire to give his works another chance. Maybe it's just the magic that is Marsden, but I really enjoyed Hamlet.
I delved into the first chapter as a cynic, ready to put it down and only turning the pages because it's on my Christmas Challenge list. Surprisingly I finished with a broader mindscape.
After being tortured with Shakespeare in grade ten, I have a new desire to give his works another chance. Maybe it's just the magic that is Marsden, but I really enjoyed Hamlet.
August 20, 2009
I was excited to read this novel, but I found it sadly lacking. It will be good for those students who struggle with Shakespeare because the book narrates the classic tale faithfully (but it does elaborate and further develop the characters and plot). Sadly, the author's writing style is awkward. It's as if he couldn't decide between writing a modern/hip version of the famous play or simply transcribe it into novel form.
My favorite line in the book belongs to Hamlet in reference to Ophelia, " He dreamed in prepositions: beside, with, on top of, under, in, out." (don't worry; that's the extent of anything titillating.)
My favorite line in the book belongs to Hamlet in reference to Ophelia, " He dreamed in prepositions: beside, with, on top of, under, in, out." (don't worry; that's the extent of anything titillating.)
July 8, 2017
I just finished teaching this book last Term (I did actually finish it a while ago). This is a reread for me. I think I enjoyed it more in the first read through where I saw less of it's flaws. I've got some colleagues who really don't like the treatment of women in the novel. May be that comes from the source material, but may be it could have been ameliorated in a modern version.
This is a very dark version of Hamlet. Sometimes a little disturbing. It uses bits and pieces of the original language in a way that 'paralell text' versions of Shakespeare's plays fail dismally at. But may be I mostly like it because the play is such a key text for me.
This is a very dark version of Hamlet. Sometimes a little disturbing. It uses bits and pieces of the original language in a way that 'paralell text' versions of Shakespeare's plays fail dismally at. But may be I mostly like it because the play is such a key text for me.
July 24, 2012
One of my ongoing daydreams is of writing a series of books . Of course, as a lazy person, I often think of short cuts. One shortcut I thought of, but dismissed, was writing books that just told the story of Shakespeare's plays. The plots just aren't that complex. It is the language that makes Shakespeare's writing so amazing (duh!). However, this book does as good a job as can be done, I think, in retelling a Shakespeare play. Very well done, with poetic language that echoes Shakespeare, but doesn't duplicate. And somehow the plot did seem a bit complex. I liked it.
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