
Hamlet (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Unabridged Danish Revenge Tragedy with Classic BiographyBy William ShakespeareLength17h 28m
About this audiobook
Hamlet (The Unabridged Play) presents Shakespeare's most searching tragedy in its full dramatic complexity: a courtly revenge plot transformed into a meditation on conscience, mortality, political corruption, theatricality, and the limits of knowledge. Written in supple blank verse interwoven with prose, the play belongs to the high moment of Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, yet it revises the revenge-tragedy tradition through psychological depth, philosophical hesitation, and language of extraordinary rhetorical power. Paired with The Life of William Shakespeare, the volume frames the play within the cultural and literary world that produced it. William Shakespeare, actor, shareholder, poet, and dramatist of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, wrote for a public theatre alive to both popular entertainment and intellectual experiment. His Stratford origins, London theatrical career, engagement with classical and contemporary sources, and sensitivity to questions of succession, faith, family, and authority all inform Hamlet's haunted atmosphere and enduring ambiguities. This edition is recommended for readers seeking both the unabridged dramatic text and a biographical pathway into its creation. Students, theatre lovers, and general readers will find here a foundational work whose emotional force and interpretive richness remain inexhaustible.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- An Introduction draws the threads together, discussing why these diverse authors and texts belong in one collection.
- Historical Context explores the cultural and intellectual currents that shaped these works, offering insight into the shared (or contrasting) eras that influenced each writer.
- A combined Synopsis (Selection) briefly outlines the key plots or arguments of the included pieces, helping readers grasp the anthology's overall scope without giving away essential twists.
- A collective Analysis highlights common themes, stylistic variations, and significant crossovers in tone and technique, tying together writers from different backgrounds.
- Reflection questions encourage readers to compare the different voices and perspectives within the collection, fostering a richer understanding of the overarching conversation.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics
Length17 hrs 28 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 27, 2014
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5Hamlet (The Unabridged Play) + The Classic Biography: The Life of William Shakespeare
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6Hamlet
7ACT I.
8ACT II.
9ACT III.
10ACT IV.
11ACT V.
12PREFACE
13I—PARENTAGE AND BIRTH
14II—CHILDHOOD, EDUCATION, AND MARRIAGE
15III—THE FAREWELL TO STRATFORD
16IV—ON THE LONDON STAGE
17V.—EARLY DRAMATIC EFFORTS
18VI—THE FIRST APPEAL TO THE READING PUBLIC
19VII—THE SONNETS AND THEIR LITERARY HISTORY
20VIII—THE BORROWED CONCEITS OF THE SONNETS
21IX—THE PATRONAGE OF THE EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON
22X—THE SUPPOSED STORY OF INTRIGUE IN THE SONNETS
23XI—THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRAMATIC POWER
24XII—THE PRACTICAL AFFAIRS OF LIFE
25XIII—MATURITY OF GENIUS
26XIV—THE HIGHEST THEMES OF TRAGEDY
27XV—THE LATEST PLAYS
28XVI—THE CLOSE OF LIFE
29XVII—SURVIVORS AND DESCENDANTS
30XVIII—AUTOGRAPHS, PORTRAITS, AND MEMORIALS
31XIX—BIBLIOGRAPHY
32XX—POSTHUMOUS REPUTATION
33XXI—GENERAL ESTIMATE
34APPENDIX (pt. 1)
35APPENDIX (pt. 2)
36Analysis
37Reflection