William Shakespeare, the 16th century English poet, playwright, and actor is generally regarded as the best writer in the English language and the world's best dramatist. He was a very prolific writer and his work consists of 39 plays, 154 sonnets, a few poems, and two long narrative poems. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. 

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. He married young, at the age of 18. His wife was 26 and already three months pregnant. They had three children, one of whom died at the age of 11. The child that died, Hamnet, was Shakespeare's only son, and it is speculated that he named Hamlet after the boy. 

In Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark has recently lost his father, but his mother is in a hurry to marry her late husband's brother. Hamlet is overwhelmed with grief for his father's death but also outraged because of the hurried marriage. 

Most people don't realize that there are three versions of Hamlet, printed at different times. There is a considerable difference between the texts of these versions, so to have a "complete" version of this play, editors had to make some adjustments. The three texts are simply different versions of the play.

You may of course skip all of it and go straight to the main title if you do not want any spoilers and come back later to the beginning.

Unique to this title are the following chapters:

• A Historical Introduction
• An Overview of Hamlet
• A Study of the Themes Present in Hamlet
• A List of Famous Quotes from Hamlet

Enjoy this timeless classic!