Rating: 
Derek Jacobi looking rather old for a teenage Hamlet
I found Hamlet rather difficult to follow. Few stage directions meant I couldn’t tell what the characters were supposed to be doing physically and all nuance of emotion was lost. (Earnest words or sarcasm? Genuine cruelty or pushing someone away for their own good?) About halfway through I decided to watch the BBC’s 1980 adaptation starring Patrick Stewart and Derek Jacobi on YouTube while reading at the same time.
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For this project I figured I would need plenty of notes to understand the text from a reliable source. To keep costs down I looked at buying a complete works. Two editions were available: one produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Norton Shakespeare. Since there were no previews for either edition, I went by popularity. The former won the battle for my cash.
Continue reading Project Shakespeare: The RSC William Shakespeare Complete Works
Aim: To read as much Shakespeare as I can handle.
Previous Experience:
For my SATs (age 12-14) we studied Romeo and Juliet and though we watched a few adaptations, Romeo + Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes is the one which stuck. Gnomeo and Juliet was a good introduction for smaller children.
Literary Ames 