The Works of ShakespeareCambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012 - 218 pagine Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK DRAMATIS PERSONS Claudius, king of Denmark. Hamlet, son to the late, and nephew to the present king. Polonius, lord chamberlain. Horatio, friend to Hamlet. Laertes, son to Polonius. Voltimand, Cornelius, Rosencrantz, Guildknstern, OSRIC, A Gentleman, A Priest. Marcellus, I Bernardo, ]omcers- Francisco, a soldier. Reynaldo, servant to Polonius, Players. Two Clowns, grave-diggers. Fortinbras, prince of Norway. A Captain. English Ambassadors. Gertrude, queen of Denmark, and mother to Hamlet Ophelia, daughter to Polonius. Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, Sailors, Messengers, and other Attendants. Ghost of Hamlet's Father. Scene: Denmark. chapter{Section 4INTRODUCTION Hamlet, the longest of Shakespeare's plays, was never printed, as it was certainly never performed, entire, in his own time. Our authentic text is derived from two early versions, each defective in certain points: viz. the Quarto of 1604 (Q2), and the Folio of 1623. The title-page of the Quarto runs: ? THE ] Tragicall Historic of Hamlet, ] Prince of Denmarke. By William Shakespeare. ] Newly imprinted and enlarged to almost as much ] againe as it was, according to the true and perfect ] Coppie. ] At London, ] Printed by I. R. for N. L., and are to be sold at his shoppe under Saint Dunstons Church in ] Fleet Street. 1604. This is the more valuable of the two editions, and the Hamlet texts of the last generation have steadily approximated towards it. But the Folio of 1623 was printed from an independent MS. containing some new passages as well as dropping many old; and while its variations in phrase were rarely for the better, it was much more accurately printed. Four Quartos followed that of 1604, each pr... |