'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare
Everyone knows that William Shakespeare is a master of his craft, and 'Hamlet' only reaffirms that fact. 'Macbeth' is really the only other Shakespeare play that I have really loved, but I think 'Hamlet' is my new favorite. Check out a synopsis if you are not already familiar with the story:
"The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in the Kingdom of Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius for murdering the old King Hamlet, Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and marrying Gertrude, the King Hamlet's widow and mother of Prince Hamlet. The play vividly portrays real and feigned madness—from overwhelming grief to seething rage—and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption."
It was amazing how easy this play was to read. I've tried to read many other Shakespeare plays and I gave up because I felt they were just boring and too difficult. 'Hamlet' was very interesting and a very easy read. One would think that a play would lack the intrigue and suspense that a novel has, but I was addicted to the story. It kept me wanting more, and that surprised me. The turmoil that Hamlet goes through and how he changes by the end of the play is really extraordinary. Shakespeare layers the play will all sorts of parallel subplots and motifs that make the play even more interesting as you study them. As you might have guessed, I had to read this for my AP Literature class, but I urge you to read it if you just love to read. It is definitely worth it.
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