You'd think I'd have nothing left to say about this play after spending nearly three months discussing it. And, in a way, you'd be right -- I'm not going to say anything new or revelatory here. But I'd like to kind of recap a few of my thoughts from this reading.This time through, I particularly noticed how focused this play is on the difference between seeming and being. Obviously, I've long known this is a major theme in Hamlet, but this time so many lines jumped out at me as reinforcing that idea. From Hamlet's "Seems, Madam? Nay, it is. I know not 'seems'" (I, 2) to Claudius' "Or are you, like a painting of a sorrow, A face without a heart?" (IV, 7), it felt like every character was reminding me time and again to take a good look at appearances versus reality, acting/pretending versus being, truth versus deception, honesty versus intrigue.
No matter how often I read this play or see it performed, I always find some new nuances or details that help me see it in a fresh way. I've been studying it for 18 years, and it never gets stale. Amazing!
If you want to read some of my other posts on this play, this post has links to all the individual scene posts I did. And don't forget to enter the Hamlet giveaway here! It's open through the end of Monday, January 4th.
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for sexual themes and violence.
This is my 30th book read and reviewed for the Classics Club!
