Hamlet Author:W. Thomas MacCary Often regarded as Shakespeare's most complex and difficult play, Hamlet is also one of his most popular. It has been performed countless times on the stage and has been produced in many film and television versions. It continues to be studied by high school students and scholars alike and has elicited enormous amounts of criticism. This referenc... more »e book is a succinct but comprehensive guide to the play. The volume overviews the textual history of the play and the historical and cultural contexts in which it emerged. Special attention is given to the religious, philosophical, and psychological aspects of the text. The book also examines the themes, language, and imagery of Hamlet and provides an extensive summary of the critical response to the drama. Throughout, an attempt is made to visualize the play in performance, and constant reference is made to the staging conventions in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.« less