Hamlet; Romeo and Juliet

Author: Shakespeare
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: Hamlet is the first of Shakespeare's famous "Four Great Tragedies," telling the mysterious bloodshed in an ancient Danish court. Prince Hamlet returns from university and discovers his father's sudden death, his uncle ascending the throne and marrying his mother, who is now widowed. The major upheavals in the family and kingdom plunge the prince into grief, confusion, and doubt. At the castle top before dawn, the ghost of his father appears to him, revealing the terrible truth: his uncle murdered his brother, seized the throne, and married his sister-in-law. He must avenge his father. But he faces a powerful enemy. Thus, there is the timeless lament of "To be or not to be," the deep and hopeless love of Ophelia, and the tragic conclusion of bloodshed in the palace. Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's most well-known love tragedy. This Western "Liang Zhu" story has left generation after generation, countless readers in awe.