This is a play I’ve been obsessed with since I was 16 years old. There’s so much to say about it, but I’ll be focused mainly on the mysteries of its famous plot and characters. In the meantime, here’s some background info on the play collected from the posts I’ve done on it over the years:

1. Play of the Month: Hamlet. My complete summary with pictures, videos, and discussion questions
2. How Accurate Is Hamnet? I review the novel “Hamnet” which is a work of historical fiction. It focuses on the possibility that Shakespeare wrote “Hamlet” after the death of his 11-year-old son.
3. Shakespeare on Ghosts: In this post, I discuss the meaning and psychological significance of the Ghost in “Hamlet”.
4. Close Reading: To Be Or Not To Be. You can’t talk about “Hamlet” without talking about his most famous soliloquy.

Basic Summaries

Text Editions

1. Internet Shakespeare Editions: https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/Texts/Ham/. Has all four quartos in modern and original type, lots of background sources, and the text of the German Hamlet “Bestrafte Brudermord.”
2. The Folger Shakespeare Library: https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/hamlet/

Lesson plans/ useful websites

1. The British Library: Hamlet: https://www.bl.uk/works/hamlet
2. RSC Learning Zone: https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone/hamlet
3. Varsity Tutors.com Hamlet: https://www.varsitytutors.com/englishteacher/hamlet