The Reading Guide

This blog contains a range of materials on Hamlet to assist secondary students of varying abilities, to understand what is a very complex work written by William Shakespeare. It is anticipated that this blog would be accessible via a public library website. It is envisaged that it would be part of a big reading guide on Shakespeare to assist students who are having to study various plays for school.
Materials cover a wide range of mediums and levels of understanding to meet a broad range of needs and interests within the student population.

Hamlet for beginners...

Hamlet  - Shakespeare Stories by Andrew Matthews & illustrated by  Tony Ross 

Hamlet For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!) by Lois Burdett 

Are you struggling to understand the basics of Hamlet? 

• Who is Yorrick and why is he a skull? 
• Why is Hamlet so depressed all the time? 
• What happened to Ophelia? 
• What is the play within the play all about?

All these questions and more will answered in these two easy to follow adaptations of Hamlet. The story is re-told in plain English to help you understand the complexities of the plot. The addition of terrific illustrations is a bonus and helps bring the story to life. This is a great introduction to the play for students who are reading it for the first time, or are completely bamboozled by the more mainstream versions. Don't be put off by the title - these are for everyone! 

Manga Madness...

Manga Shakespeare : Hamlet

Text adapted by Richard Appignanesi, Illustrations by Emma Vieceli

Hamlet in Manga?? That's madness! But then again, there is quite a bit of madness in Hamlet. 

This version of Hamlet is presented in true Manga style. Set in 2107, Earth has been devastated by global climate change and exists as a cyberworld. It's dark and grim, but that's how good Manga should be and that's what a Hamlet retelling needs. It contains great Manga illustrations by Emma Vieceli who is a leading artist in the London Manga scene  - her Vampire Academy Graphic novels are well known. Vieceli's illustrations bring alive the issues that Hamlet faces following the death of his father. Who can he trust? His best friend? His girl friend? The story stays true to the play using an edited version of the text, but the manga format provides a great visual setting with an moody backdrop that suits the tone of the play and makes it exciting to follow.

Award winning Graphic novel

Hamlet

by Nicki Greenberg, William Shakespeare

Joint Winner, 2011 Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year
Shortlisted, 2010 Aurealis Awards - Best Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel

If you love graphic novels you will love one. It is an award winning graphic novel by Nicki Greenberg. This novel makes the reading of Shakespeare an amazing kaleidoscope experience of colour and images. The illustrations are rich and lush, encompassing mixed materials of rich fabrics, flowers and drawings. 

The characters are not human but convey all the emotions that you expect in this play. Greenberg stays true to Shakespeare’s text, but the graphic format of breaking up the story into comic style boxes, allows the reader to digest each tumultuous scene bit by bit. The reader is able to get as much meaning from the images as the text. 

The book is a visual feast to be enjoyed and the images bring an extra dimension of understanding to the underlying themes of the play. 

No fear Shakespeare

No Fear Shakespeare Hamlet

So you are sitting at home and you have to write an essay on Hamlet. You have the text that the teacher has given you. You have no idea what it all means... I mean we don't talk like that now... You are breaking out in a sweat... You have bitten all your nails down... It all looks like gobbley gook....
What you need is the No Fear Shakespeare texts. These are available in book form, but I love the handy on line version. This is published by sparknotes, part of Barnes and Noble, and goes through each scene with a side by side translation of Shakespeare's English into every day English. Just what you need when you have to analyse the plot... now you can finally understand what they are actually saying to each other.

This...
ROSENCRANTZ

He does confess he feels himself distracted.

But from what cause he will by no means speak.

GUILDENSTERN

Nor do we find him forward to be sounded.

But with a crafty madness keeps aloof

When we would bring him on to some confession

Becomes this...
ROSENCRANTZ
He admits he feels confused, but refuses to say why.
GUILDENSTERN

And he’s not exactly eager to be interrogated. He’s very sly and dances around our questions when we try to get him to talk about how he feels. (Crowther, ed. 2005)

The website also has a short 8 minute video of an animated synopsis of the play which is great way to fill in the gaps and allows you to follow the play in its entirety, rather than just as sections of text.

These resources are a must for any assignment that relies on understanding the intricacies of the language. But don't forget to cite the editor if you do use them in your assignment. You don't want to get caught for plagiarising. The website also has a handy page on how you should cite the site to make it easier for you. 

No fear shakespeare Video Spark Note

Crowther, J. (Ed.). (2005). No Fear Hamlet. Retrieved from http://nfs.sparknotes.com/hamlet/

John Green - Crash Course Literature

John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars, brings a unique insight into Hamlet with his quirky sense of humour (and a great Scooby Do joke). This is a twelve minute video under the Crash Course Literature banner which takes you through the underlying themes of Hamlet. Is Hamlet the greatest procrastinator, or is he just a young man with a lot on his plate? 

This analysis is delivered in a fresh and engaging way with lots of changing scenes and graphics which make it visually interesting and easy to follow (you are not just watching a talking head). 

Green brings up all sorts of interesting facts to engage the viewer and lead them on to other avenues of thought (who would have thought that the Disney film - The Lion King - had Hamlet overtones?). The material is edited by educational staff so that you can be confident that it is not another Green work of fiction. 
This is not a resource to be used as stand alone, but to be a jumping off point into further research.

There are other parts in the series to follow up on, and the Crash Course website has many other interesting topics to delve into. 

Young Adult interpretation - John Marsden

Hamlet 

by John Marsden

This book is not for adults (and not for kids either)! The language and concepts would be too confronting for them. However if they catch you reading it they will be thrilled... you are reading Hamlet and it is by well known author John Marsden! 

This is a novel adaptation of Hamlet told in a modern setting using every day language. It follows the themes of Hamlet, but with more of a focus on the issues of being a teenager in a dysfunctional family. The language can be a little full on at times, and some of the scenes are a bit graphic. It is not one for the light hearted.

There is also an audio version of this book available so you can listen to it on your ipod as well as read it.

Enjoy, but remember not to leave it lying around!