Hamlet

I bought this edition as I'm building a hardback library and wanted to see if this collection was worth buying in full. Well... no. Emphatically: "No".Product features:- Dissappointingly small (it's a pocket-sized edition). As well as being diminutive it has a very cluttered layout and is not easy to read. And the binding is so tight (and the thickness so slim) that it's perpetually on the threshold of tearing apart like a chicken wing- Pages have the same thickness and touch as Rizla papers. And yet have a really gaudy "gold" edge. (Style guide: the collectors plates in your nan's front room.)It's hard to figure who this edition is aimed at. Not students, as it's a pain to read. Not collectors, as it's too budget and unattractive. I can only fathom that there's a niche market for people who *have* to carry small copies of Shakespeare in their bum pocket. That's unlikely to be you. With regret: avoid.

Now in their third round of edition, it started in the XIX century, the Arden series are deep and long reviews and essays on the works of Shakespeare. They review the different versions of the plays and sonnets - focusing in the quartos and folio and make a very thorough study on the spelling, punctuation, grammar and typos.It is hard to rate anything on Shakespeare with three stars only, but in my opinion, these books are not for the general reader, only for scholars and students of literature.Due to the numerous footnotes it is very hard to follow the play, so it is easy to read it in a conventional edition. The notes and essays are long, taking hundreds of pages and, eventually (again, when the reader is not a scholar), the read is a tad tedious.To conclude, a well of knowledge for scholars and students; for the general reader, do go to one of the many editions of annotated complete works (my favorite, the RSC published in 2007).

I've been interested in getting into Shakespeare recently, but have been deciding on what edition to go with, this Folger edition was highly recommended for its notes, clear formatting and additional information on the play in the front. While i'm not finished with the play, reading through the first few acts, with the notes has been a breeze, despite my lack of experience with old language. If your a student who needs an edition to study from, or like me, you want an edition that you can use to read Hamlet for pleasure- this is the version for you!

Esta é uma avaliação da edição Hamlet: Revised Edition, The Arden Shakespeare.Da obra em si, só digo que é recomendadíssima. Uma das grandes tragédias de Shakespeare, a preferida de muitos. Não é à toa que praticamente todo mundo conhece pelo menos uma citação da peça.Essa é uma edição do Segundo Quarto de Hamlet, ou seja, da maior versão da peça, e no primeiro apêndice estão os trechos que aparecem exclusivamente no Primeiro Folio (outra versão). É a edição mais completa e ideal para quem quer ler Shakespeare em inglês. Tem muitas notas explicativas, no geral elas ocupam mais da metade de cada página. Só a introdução tem umas 150 páginas e traz bastante informação útil, assim como os apêndices, abordando o lado teatral e o literário, além de adaptações da obra. São tantas explicações, algumas bem aprofundadas, que talvez quem queira apenas ler a peça "pura" não vá gostar. Antes de comprar, leve em conta que metade das mais de 600 páginas dessa edição é de textos de apoio, sem contar o espaço que as notas ocupam. Mesmo assim, posso dizer que nenhum esclarecimento é inútil e que acabei lendo com muito interesse até os apêndices que pensei que seriam um pouco maçantes.É bom que o nível de idioma do leitor seja de intermediário a avançado, mas não é preciso ter medo do inglês arcaico, as notas avisam quando o sentido de uma palavra mudou ou qual a sua forma atual e explicam o significado de expressões da época.

Obviously for criticism of the text, Amazon reviews is hardly the place so I am reviewing the Penguin Popular Classic edition. For £2 this edition is fairly good quality, although the paper is extremely thin and the cover creases easily. The book contains no notes so for learning isn't the best but for revision or performance it suffices, although making notes in the margin can only really be achieved with a pencil or a biro; the paper is as absorbent as tissue paper. You can download this for free but if you'd rather have a basic physical copy then this is exactly what you're looking for.