Thinking-Training

Hamlet, but with a happier ending. If you've had trouble grasping the intent of Shakespeare's classic endeavor, this should clear it up once and for all. The text remains very true to good old Will's basic fundamentals.

This book explores the remarkable phenomenon of Chinese lineages – groups of people connected through patrilineal kinship ties, which have existed for centuries in China and which are currently undergoing significant revival after being suppressed in many parts of China during the cultural revolution period. The book considers how lineages and the associated networks and membership associations have developed, surveys how lineages have been studied by anthropologists and others over time in different ways, and discusses the important social functions of lineages in contemporary Hong Kong and mainland China.

It is nearly two centuries since the first quarto of Hamlet was rediscovered, yet there is still no consensus about its relationship to the second quarto. Indeed, the first quarto, the least frequently read Hamlet, has been dismissed as “corrupt,” “inferior” or like “a mutilated corpse,” even though in performance it has been described as “the absolute dynamo behind the play.” Currently one hypothesis dominates explanations about the quartos’ interrelationship, supposing that the first quarto (published 1603) was reconstructed from memory by one or more actors who had performed minor roles in a version of the second quarto (published 1604–5). The present study reports on a detailed linguistic reassessment of the principal arguments for memorial reconstruction. The evidence—including a three way comparison between the underlying French source in Les Histoires Tragiques and the two quartos, and the informal features and specific grammatical aspects, and a documented memorial reconstruction in 1779—does not support the dominant hypothesis. The cumulative evidence suggests that the earliest scholars to examine the first quarto were right: the 1603 Hamlet came first, and the second quarto is a substantial, later revision.

This work defines the dramatic rationale of the Hamlet soliloquies in their dramatic contexts, thereby clarifying the tragic idea that organizes the play.

Part of Prufrock's new series for the upper level classroom, Advanced Placement Classroom: Hamlet allows teachers to take a fresh approach on one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, by moving beyond basic history and memorization of quotes. Students will study cultural variations of the Hamlet story, recreate the tale's events in a news show format, rewrite scenes using modern-day perspectives, and create their own blogs to discuss the play's relationship to contemporary life.

In the CliffsComplete guides, the novel's complete text and a glossary appear side-by-side with coordinating numbered lines to help you understand unusual words and phrasing. You'll also find all the commentary and resources of a standard CliffsNotes for Literature. CliffsComplete Hamlet covers details of the most widely produced and critiqued Shakespearean play. Written in poignant language, Hamlet contains all the elements necessary for a good tragedy, including a brave and daring hero who suffers a fatal flaw. Discover what happens to the complicated cast of characters — and save valuable studying time — all at once. Enhance your reading of Hamlet with these additional features: A summary and insightful commentary for each chapter Bibliography and historical background on the author, William Shakespeare A look at Early Modern England historical, intellectual, religious, and social context Insight into the play's classical elements and language A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters Review questions, a quiz, discussion guide, and activity ideas A Resource Center full of books, articles, films, and Web sites Streamline your literature study with all-in-one help from CliffsComplete guides!