The Hamlet Parodies

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Recommended: Annotated bibliography on hamlet

“To be, or not to be, that is the question…”-William Shakespeare. Though William Shakespeare wrote the original Hamlet, there have been many versions since then, such as: Orson Scott Card’s version, Hamlet’s Father, Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, as well as a more modern twist in film, Last Action Hero, directed and produced by John McTiernan. While the basic plot stays the same, some aspects change. Some authors have even gone as far as to write different versions of the soliloquy as well.

First, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is a story about Prince Hamlet and his quest to gain the throne as King of Denmark, which is rightfully his. Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, suffered a mysterious death when Hamlet was too young to succeed the throne; therefore, his Uncle Claudius took reign. However, when the ghost of Hamlet’s father visits Hamlet and his friends, Bernardo and Francisco, he receives some information that will change everyone’s life. The ghost of Hamlet’s father informs Hamlet that his death was in fact caused by Claudius. Hamlet then takes it upon himself to avenge his father’s death and take what is rightfully his, the throne of Denmark. Now, while this is an obvious brief synopsis, there are several other events that take place in other versions of Hamlet.

For instance, Orson Scott Card’s version of Hamlet, Hamlet’s Father, there are many similarities and just as many differences. Hamlet’s Father is a novella written in 2008 as a modern take on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. One main difference in Card’s version, opposed to Shakespeare’s, is Hamlet has a rather indifferent feeling about his father. Hamlet seems disconnected from his memory. In Shakespeare’s, Hamlet has a strong will to avenge his fa...

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...Orson. "Hamlet's Father." Wikipedia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec 2013. .

McTiernan, John, dir. Last Action Hero. Columbia Picture Corperation, 1993. Film. 5 Dec 2013. .

Miu, Mike. "The Parodies." Angelfire.com. N.p.. Web. 6 Dec 2013. .

Shakespeare, William. "William Shakespeare Quotes."brainyquotes.com. N.p.. Web. 6 Dec 2013. .

Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. 1966. Web. .

Twian, Mark. "The Parodies." Angelfire.com. N.p.. Web. 6 Dec 2013. .

Worthen, W.B. Hamlet. 6th Edition. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2007,2011. 219-264. Print.

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