Play #4

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare

When I first started reading this play, I almost dreaded it because there is so much excitement from other people about this one. Everyone talks about how great "Hamlet" is, and what a wonderful playwrite Shakespeare is, I was afraid that the play is talked up too much, and not really as good as they all say it is. When I finally opened my book, I decided to put away all thoughts of what others have said about this play and decide for myself whether it is good or not. And, I thought it was pretty good.

When reading Shakespeare's plays, usually I go watch them during or after my read. With "Hamlet" I had no intentions of doing so. "Hamlet" is a play that should be read, and read slowly. The major speeches are beautiful, and I wouldn't pick up on that if I was just watching. Also, I liked this play because it was fun to try to figure out whether or not Hamlet is mad/crazy. I never could come to a conclusion because I kept finding evidence for both, and could never figure out if he was supposed to be feigning madness or if it had overcome him. Overall, I thought this was a pretty good play, and I'm starting to respect Shakespeare more and more, even enjoy reading his work. The next play I read will be "King Lear."