Publisher's Synopsis
This book reads like a cross between a literary detective novel and a personal conversation with a passionate Shakespeare scholar, unpacking the play that Roth calls "the seminal text of the humanist religion." It unveils new realities about the play, explores troves of long-buried Hamlet lore, untangles centuries of commentary and criticism, and delivers the punch lines for a whole raft of Shakespeare's remarkably involved in-jokes. Roth tackles old arguments like Hamlet's age (he's sixteen), lays out the intricate time structure that's embedded in the play, and unravels several of the play's endless allusions that so "puzzle the will." He depicts a dense, ironic, and multivalent web of political and dramatic tension in Elsinore (plus a great deal of very dark humor), and delivers one "Aha!"moment after another for lovers of the Bard's greatest tragedy. "There is so much 'good stuff' in this book. Roth's analysis cuts deep into the text, addressing questions of character and cosmology with rare insight. Amidst the great, swirling sea of critical ink that's been spilled on behalf of Shakespeare's greatest work, this book stands out as being fresh, funny, and best of all, truly useful." -Anthony Powell. Associate Artistic Director, Denver Center Theatre Company "You've been able to cut to the chase, and avoid the muck that has accumulated around the play for 400 years." -Terri Bourus. Associate Professor, Indiana University "This book will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys the play Hamlet. Combining detailed historical context, impressive new critical readings, and an informal but well-informed style, it speaks as fluently to scholars as to non-specialists." -Dr. Gabriel Egan. Editor, Shakespeare: The Journal of the British Shakespeare Association "This is an unusual and appealing book. Academic criticism has often been criticized for having become an arcane pursuit only worth reading by the initiated. This book succeeds in bridging the gap between the professional academic and the general reader." -Dr. Matthew Steggle. Editor, Early Modern Literary Studies "Travelers into Roth's uniquely researched 'Undiscovered Country' will find new pathways towards an understanding of Hamlet, prince and play. An exciting and informative experience for all readers of Shakespeare." -Jan Kinrade. Lecturer in English, Epping Forest College
