Seven Ages

Tragedy · c. 1600

Shakespeare’s Hamlet

The centre of the canon.

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By the Seven Ages editors2 min read · Contains affiliate links

A prince comes home to a dead father, a remarried mother, and a ghost demanding revenge — and instead of a revenge play, Shakespeare writes the first great drama of consciousness: a mind examining itself in real time, in prose and verse nobody has matched since.

It contains the most famous speech in the language and survives the fame. Every reading finds a different play: political thriller, family tragedy, philosophical essay, black comedy. Its length is real (uncut, it runs four hours) but so is its pull; more than any other work here, it repays rereading across a lifetime.

Which edition?

The full guide: The Best Editions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet →

Typeset series plate: Arden Shakespeare, Third Series — Hamlet. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the book's cover.ARDEN SHAKESPEARE,THIRD SERIESHamlet

1Arden Shakespeare, Third Series

Ed. Ann Thompson & Neil Taylor · Bloomsbury, 2016

The scholarly standard — and the only edition to print all three early texts in full.

Amazon
Front cover: The New Cambridge Shakespeare — Hamlet.

2The New Cambridge Shakespeare

Ed. Philip Edwards · Cambridge University Press

Edwards’s introduction remains the single best short essay on the play.

Amazon
Typeset series plate: Oxford World’s Classics — Hamlet. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the book's cover.OXFORD WORLD’SCLASSICSHamlet

3Oxford World’s Classics

Ed. G. R. Hibbard · Oxford University Press

Hibbard’s bold Folio-based text, with the liveliest editorial voice of the five.

Amazon
Front cover: Folger Shakespeare Library — Hamlet.

4Folger Shakespeare LibraryFirst read? Start here

Ed. Barbara Mowat & Paul Werstine · Simon & Schuster

Glosses on the facing page, nothing between you and the verse.

Amazon
Typeset series plate: Norton Critical Edition — Hamlet. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the book's cover.NORTON CRITICALEDITIONHamlet

5Norton Critical Edition

Ed. Robert S. Miola · W. W. Norton

The play plus two hundred pages of sources and criticism, Bradley to the present.

Amazon

Cover images from Open Library.

Hamlet on stage

  • Hamlet

    Union Arts Center · Seattle, Washington

    19 Sep – 11 Oct 2026The Allen Theatre, Seattle

    Tickets

  • Hamlet Hail to the Thief

    Royal Shakespeare Company · Stratford-upon-Avon, England

    31 Oct 2026 – 23 Jan 2027Barbican Theatre, London

    Adaptation with music by Radiohead; the RSC bills it 'by William Shakespeare'.

    Tickets

  • Hamlet

    Folger Theatre · Washington, DC

    2 Mar – 11 Apr 2027Folger Theatre, Washington, DC

    Tickets

Hamlet on screen

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Hamlet (1948), directed by Laurence Olivier. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1948HamletLAURENCE OLIVIER

1Hamlet (1948)

Film · dir. Laurence Olivier

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Hamlet (1964), directed by Grigori Kozintsev. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1964HamletGRIGORI KOZINTSEV

2Hamlet (1964)

Film · dir. Grigori Kozintsev

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Hamlet (1990), directed by Franco Zeffirelli. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1990HamletFRANCO ZEFFIRELLI

3Hamlet (1990)

Film · dir. Franco Zeffirelli

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990), directed by Tom Stoppard. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1990Rosencrantz &Guildenstern AreDeadTOM STOPPARD

4Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)

Film · dir. Tom Stoppard · inspired by Hamlet

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation The Lion King (1994), directed by Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1994The Lion KingROGER ALLERS, ROBMINKOFF

5The Lion King (1994)

Film · dir. Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff · inspired by Hamlet

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Hamlet (1996), directed by Kenneth Branagh. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.1996HamletKENNETH BRANAGH

6Hamlet (1996)

Film · dir. Kenneth Branagh

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Hamlet (2000), directed by Michael Almereyda. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.2000HamletMICHAEL ALMEREYDA

7Hamlet (2000)

Film · dir. Michael Almereyda

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Hamlet (2009), directed by Gregory Doran. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.2009HamletGREGORY DORAN

8Hamlet (2009)

TV film · dir. Gregory Doran

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation Haider (2014), directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.2014HaiderVISHAL BHARDWAJ

9Haider (2014)

Film · dir. Vishal Bhardwaj · inspired by Hamlet

Hamlet transposed to Kashmir

Typeset plate for the screen adaptation National Theatre Live: Hamlet (2015), directed by Lyndsey Turner. A designed placeholder, not a picture of the poster.2015National TheatreLive: HamletLYNDSEY TURNER

10National Theatre Live: Hamlet (2015)

Stage capture · dir. Lyndsey Turner

Benedict Cumberbatch; broadcast from the Barbican

Seven Ages recommends editions on their merits and takes no payment for placement. As an Amazon Associate, Seven Ages earns from qualifying purchases.

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