Hamlet: New Swan Shakespeare Advanced Series

These editions of Shakespeare’s plays are designed for students at Senior Secondary (Higher School Certificate and ‘A’ level examinations) and University level. Each edition includes the General Editor’s preface, the introduction, the text of the play and a glossary. The introduction explains the historical, social and philosophical background to the play and the Elizabethan theatre, and certain points are clarified by illustrations taken from contemporary sources. The text of the play has a general note on each scene and detailed notes are set facing the text to which they refer. The glossary at the back gives the location of all the difficult or unusual words in the text together with a brief explanation of their meaning. The treatment of the play is detailed, but throughout the aim has been to ensure that the reader fully understands and appreciates the play itself.