The core of the ground-breaking, three text edition, this self-contained, free-standing volume gives readers the Second Quarto text (1604-5) and includes in its Introduction, notes and Appendices all the reader might expect to find in any standard Arden edition. As well as a full, illustrated Introduction to the play's historical, cultural and performance contexts and a thorough survey of critical approaches to the play, an appendix contains the additional passages found only in the 1623 text."The new Arden Hamlet is a pathbreaking edition, one that promises to change irrevocably our understanding of Shakespeare's greatest play."- Professor James Shapiro, author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare'Hamlet's latest editors have undertaken a heroic task with great skill and thoroughnesss.' - Stanley Wells, The Observer"(The) new Arden Hamlet is quite simply the most comprehensive edition of the play currently available, a status I suspect it will enjoy for many years to come" - The British Theatre Guide"Stunning! There is absolutely no doubt about this being the text to buy if you are studying the play at A Level. And the same stands for those students who will be studying the play at university. This critical edition gives the reader the Second Quarto Text (1604-1605), annotated with intelligence and care, a wealth of historical and cultural references and a survey of different critical approaches to the play."- The Use of English, The English Association

Author Biography

Ann Thompson is Professor of English Language and Literature and Head of the School of Humanities at King's College London. She has edited "The Taming of the Shrew," and her other publications include "Shakespeare's Chaucer," "Shakespeare, Meaning and Metaphor" (with John O. Thompson), and "Women Reading Shakespeare, 1660-1900 "(with Sasha Roberts). She has also published widely on editing Shakespeare and Shakespeare's language. She is one of the general editors of the Arden Shakespeare.Neil Taylor is Dean of Research and Dean of the Graduate School at Roehampton University. He has edited "Henry IV, Part 2" and (with Brian Loughrey) "Thomas Middleton: Five Plays." He has also published widely on editing Shakespeare, Shakespeare on film, and other aspects of Renaissance and modern drama.