Hamlet and Horatio's friendship is a cornerstone of Hamlet. From Hamlet's joy when he first sees his friend returned from Wittenberg to Horatio's tearrs as he bids his friend "Goodnight, sweet prince", these two act as a constant and reliable force where all else in the play is falling about them...
Back when we were doing our A Levels, I remember loving the topic of our English Literature AS: The Struggle for Identity in Modern Literature. We studied some amazing poems, a wide range of prose, and selected non-fiction. It was an all-round great topic that has a large part to do with how much I love literature now. It always seemed odd to me, however...
Hamlet is hands down one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. It was one of the first ones I saw on stage, and it was the first story that really grabbed me and made me think "wow. This is the sort of story I can get in to!". And to say that about Shakespeare, I thought was a pretty cracking thing. So, before I start having a dig in to Hamlet in all its glory, here's five reasons I think you should give this play a try...
We return to Act 5 Scene 3 again this week – the scene where the bodies continue to tumble… Last week we looked at Romeo, and how Shakespeare characterises him in the lead up to his death. This week we’re looking at the two other key moments in this scene: Juliet’s awakening and death; and the conclusion of this tragic tale...
Oh, Romeo. Poor, melodramatic Romeo. He’s spent Act 5 Scene 1 screaming “I defy you, stars!” and finding a poison to kill himself with, and now he’s made it to the Capulet tomb to visit Juliet one last time...
While Romeo is busy pining in Mantua, Juliet is going about trying to save herself. Her cousin is dead at her husband’s hand, and her husband is now staying the night to consummate their marriage. Act 3 Scene 5 opens with the famous lines “Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day”, but it is very much day, and one Romeo must flee from before Juliet is left to face whatever her parents throw at her...
We’re here! It’s THE FIGHT SCENE. Possibly the most exciting – and certainly the most action packed – scene in the whole of Romeo and Juliet. This is where the tragedy begins to spiral out of control; this is where we first lose characters we have come to know so well...
Mercutio! Best friend of Romeo, nomad who does not belong to either house, resident joker, and performer extraordinaire. Where to start with such a fascinating character?
We open Romeo and Juliet with two servingmen, Sampson and Gregory, trading insults with two Montague men and spoiling for a fight. Why open with a fight, not with our titular lovers, you may ask? Because of the family feud!
Teenage heartbreak, as we know, is rather all consuming. What is even more all consuming for Romeo, however, is his being attracted to literally anyone who is passably good looking. That’s right – today I’m looking in to Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting.
DISCOVERING SHAKESPEARE 