Hamlet: Character Studies Paperback [Bloomsbury]

Designed for first year students, this innovative guide builds on the usual knowledge base of students beginning literary study in HE by focusing on the familiar characters but introducing more sophisticated analysis. This study includes: an overview of "Hamlet", and of Shakespeare's approach to dramatic character; chapters addressing the character of Hamlet within a range of contexts: dramatic and generic, textual and performative; detailed analysis of the play's other characters, from the King and Queen to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern; engagement with key issues, from Hamlet's possible sources and analogues to the critical reception of its dramatic characters historically; a conclusion which suggests further links between character analysis in "Hamlet" and the play's broader ideas and concerns as a tragedy; and a guide to selected secondary texts with a comprehensive bibliography.