Hamlet

by Russell Punter (Adapter), William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s classic tragedy retold as a graphic novel. When Prince Hamlet learns that his uncle murdered his father, he sets on a path of bloody revenge.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Classics, Shakespeare, Fiction, Comics

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Russell Punter was born in Bedfordshire, England. From an early age he enjoyed writing and illustrating his own stories. He trained as a graphic designer at art college in West Sussex before entering the world of publishing. He has written over one hundred books for children of all ages, ranging from original stories to adaptations of classic novels.

Reviews

[Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a graphic novel adaptation of Shakespeare. There’s not terribly much you can really say if you’re at all familiar with the playwright and poet’s work. I found it to be an accessible read for those who don’t have the greatest teacher or other opportunities to break down the original play’s language and follow the story with all its many stage directions and so on. This adaptation keeps all of the most famous lines exactly as they are and, of course, the art does a lot of good work in providing clues at to what it all means. I think this is a really cool and also helpful feature for anyone who’s trying to study Shakespeare for school or other endeavor. The reason I’m giving this the 4 stars, is because I really think it’s rad to have this practical reading tool to help make sense of this work which is still being thrown at high schoolers in English classes all over America.

[Rockleese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every moment of this over dramatic story

[David Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice way to get an introduction to the play.
This combined with the wikipedia plot summary is a nice way to get into the play.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

its just hamlet in the form of a graphic novel but its seriously so fire.

maybe i just like graphic novels...

[Eileen Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of my favorite quotes from this story:

"A little more than kin and less than kind." - Hamlet, to his uncle

"And this above all: to your own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, you cannot then be false to any man." - Polonius to his son Laertes

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamed of in our philosophy." - Marcellus

"Time is out of joint, oh Cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right." - Hamlet

Ophelia says "rich gifts are poor when the giver proves to be unkind."

Hamlet says "The purpose of acting is to hold a mirror up to nature."

There's one more quote I love, but it gives away the end of the story, so I won't post it here in case anyone doesn't know how Hamlet ends. This is a great adaptation of the story, though, and it thrilled me to read it even though I've read the play before and seen every movie adaptation.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems like a great adaptation, from what I know of the full play. There were a lot of famous lines from the original, and the characters seemed true to their originals, too, though some of the nuance is certainly lost. I don't read a lot of graphic novels, but I love the idea of making classics more accessible this way for young audiences! It would especially help kids who go on to read the actual play in school. I'll have to check out the other adaptations!


Content: murder and suicide (not gory)

[AB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great imagining of it. I like how even though they simplify the language, they still keep the original for the well-known quotes. It would have been better if they had kept it closer to shakespearean language— there’s a lot of nuance and detail that gets missed when they modernize it.

[elbow ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

story was good (obviously) but the art style made it a little hard to understand

[Sara Efinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the play, especially teaching it to my 11th grade students. This is a fantastic adaptation to help those struggling with the plot, but to also give as a supplemental pairing to the text.

[Del Rey Homeschool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought for my son and I read it and loved it! My first time reading Hamlet. The story is a little traumatic but this book made it possible for me to actually get the whole story for once.

[Nene · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great adaptation! Every time I read this play I am reminded how much I love it. Hamlet is absolutely insane (I veer on the side that he’s faking it) and it’s so entertaining. He had me gasping and laughing out loud the whole book. Also Horatio 💗💗 love him so much. The final scene is done so well and it was my favorite part of the story. This definitely is getting me back to my Shakespeare phase (I fear a If We Were Villains reread may be coming).

[Kayli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play, Hamlet. Our main character Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has returned from overseas and comes face-to-face with his father's ghost, who encourages him to avenge his death. I wouldn't say this is a spoiler (see the Lion King) but Hamlet isn't exactly surprised to find out that his uncle, now King Claudius, has seized the throne and married Hamlet's mother, the Queen Gertrude. Meanwhile we have royal advisor Polonius and his children, Laertes and Ophelia, turning background mischief into main events. And then we have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who bring around the age old vibe of who needs enemies when you have 'friends' like these. As Hamlet moves forward with his revenge, he soon succumbs to a calculated sort of madness leaving the other characters as well as the reader to question if it's true or not. Can Hamlet denounce King Claudius for the fraud he is? Will anyone believe him? Or will the villainous Claudius get the upper hand?

If you've already read Hamlet (or seen it in play or film form) then this is a great accompaniment to the classic work. If you've never read Hamlet or Shakespeare in general then this is an excellent introduction. The writing is essentially the same has the play, with some modern twists, but the famous quotes and speeches are the same. Because this book is for children (ages 9+) certain themes like that of adultery, suicide, and insanity are a little more subdued which is why this makes an excellent jumping off point if the reader is interested in further study. I've never read Hamlet in its original form but it was great to bounce back and forth between this adaptation and Spark Notes regarding the thematics. The art is exceptional and I particularly enjoyed the pages with King Hamlet's ghost, Ophelia, and Queen Gertrude. There's also a brief section at the back about the play and its spot in literary history, which I enjoyed. While I loved the graphic novel, its' artwork and reading in this way, I gave this book a four out of five stars simply because I wouldn't say Hamlet ranks high on my Shakespeare list. I am, however, excited to try the other graphic novel adaptations of his other works.

[Katie Kaste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamlet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. I love the drama of the plot. Hamlet is one of the great tragic characters. It is his own indecision at the beginning which leads to many of the deaths later in the play. Ophelia is also one of the most tragic losses in the play. She goes insane after her ex-boyfriend kills her dad. The dialogue was simplified but the meaning was not lost in this adaptation. I enjoyed the art and loved rereading this classic play.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a fantastic retelling! It was able to quote most of the most famous lines, but between the illustrations and the narration, a child would be able to understand the language. I think kids 5th grade on up would be fine reading it. I, as an adult, would never take the time to read through a full Shakespeare play, so this was a great opportunity for me to become more familiar with it as a literary piece.

[Abrianna Haythorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This only the second graphic novel I have ever read and I really liked it, I want to start reading more graphic novels. I really dislike people who marry their husband/wife's sibling after they die so I didn't like the queen or the king. There are more reasons than that why I don't like the king, he is a murderer for one.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geez, up until now (besides R & J) I’ve only read Shakespeare’s comedies! Hamlet is so depressing. But having my teens know the general story before diving into the play is fantastic and so helpful. Love these Usborne graphic novels!

[laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe this is a classic and a great play or whatever but I still kinda wish that my English teacher picked macbeth instead bc witches are cool and this is just some guy trying and failing to make a decision

[Brittany Matyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed from a friend's daughter 😆 I may have been more excited to read it than the 6th grader.