Readings On The Character Of Hamlet

First published in 1950. This volume contains the essence of over three hundred well-known literary critics who, between 1661 and 1947, considered the great literary riddle of the years · Entries arranged chronologically by date of publication · International authorship of material

Passion, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy intertwine in this compulsively readable Hamlet retelling, from the perspective of a strong-willed, modern-day Ophelia. Meet Ophelia, high school senior, daughter of the Danish king's most trusted adviser, and longtime girlfriend of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. She lives a glamorous life and has a royal social circle, and her beautiful face is splashed across magazines and television screens. But it comes with a price--her life is ruled not only by Hamlet's fame and his overbearing royal family but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go. After the sudden and suspicious death of his father, the king, the devastatingly handsome Hamlet spirals dangerously toward madness, and Ophelia finds herself torn, with no one to turn to. All Ophelia wants is to live a normal life. But when you date a prince, you have to play your part. Ophelia rides out this crazy roller coaster life, and lives to tell her story in live television interviews.

""Like the life of any contained society," writes Bert O. States, "the phenomenal life of character reveals itself in a process of endurance, repetition, and interchange within a world that has a coherent character in itself and makes consistent demands on its citizens. One cannot study character thoroughly by making spot behavioral checks." Likening his approach to that of a field anthropologist conducting a long-term study of a single society, States explores the nature of dramatic character by examining the inhabitants of one of the world's best-known plays." "In the first part of "Hamlet" and the Concept of Character, States lays the theoretical groundwork by exploring such topics as the relationship of character change to character persistence; the theory of traits; the interplay between character and environment; and the problem of the humors and their obvious connection to Hamlet. The second part examines the significance of the major characters of the play (King Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia, and Horatio) in the formation of the Hamlet "mystery.""--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book includes nineteen critical essays on "Hamlet" and a biography of William Shakespeare.