How did this novel change your interpretation of Shakespeare's play?

What did you know about the origins of Hamlet, and about the history of William Shakespeare's life and family, before reading this novel? How did the novel change your interpretation of the play?

I read the play Hamlet many many years ago, so I have no idea if reading this book would change my interpretation of the play. However after reading this book, I now want to read the play. This is what I love about reading how one book leads me to another!

I taught the play in Junior College Prep English class. The book was absolutely fascinating to me. It reminded me of how I felt after completing "The Book of Longings" by Sue Monk Kidd. I knew very little was known about Jesus's personal life, although some biblical scholars have thought he probably would have had a wife in keeping with the traditions of Jewish men of this time. In this book I knew very little was known about Shakespeare's family life but that there has been speculation about his family and he did have a son that dies. I absolutely love Historical Fiction and this book kept me fascinated from page one. It was beautifully written and gave even more depth (which is hard to do) to possibilities about the creation of "Hamlet".

I read several of his plays many years ago. They were ok, kind of like required reading for a class. Now, I want to go back and reread all his plays. Maybe now, in my senior years, they will read differently. We shall see!

Not really changed my interpretation of the actual play but it did give me a greater understanding of how Shakespeare May have formulated his ideas and wrote Hamlet channeling his grief of kissing a son rather than a parent.

I have no recollection of ever reading Hamlet, so I don’t know if this book would have changed that. But I loved the author’s idea of having Shakespeare channel his grief over his son’s death into his writing. And also having his wife realize, after years spent apart, that they still share a link through their son.

There are always new ways to interpret a play and its meanings--this is an interesting possibility for Hamlet

I don't believe I have seen or read any of Shakespeare's plays. If I did, its been a very long time ago. In my senior years I find that I read differently than in my younger years and am more selective - and if I don't "get" into a book or story within 50-60 pages, I put it down as there are too many good books for me to find and read. I will attempt to read one or more of Shakespeare's plays though.

Like many others who have replied to this question, it’s been many years since I read Hamlet, but I’m looking forward to rereading it. This book’s interpretation is quite different from what I thought before about the plot. Previously, I thought the play was centered around a son seeking to revenge his father’s death. In this interpretation, is the father, as a ghost, seeking to change places with the son or perhaps feeling guilt for his son’s death?

Sadly, I haven't read Hamlet or even seen a stage or film production of it. The only Shakespeare play that I have read is Julius Caesar which we read in my high school senior year English class. I absolutely loved it which was probably due to the outstanding English teacher that taught the class. I have the full collection of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, yet they all remain on my TBR list. Time is running out; I'm a senior citizen so I need to get started on them today!

In truth, I do not even remember the crux of the play "Hamlet." So I cannot relate how or if it would have changed my interpretation.

Actually, no, it didn't. I was fortunate enough to attend a Shakespeare festival annually for many years, so I'm quite familiar with the play (and perhaps that's the problem). Other than the ghostly father and the son named Hamlet, I'm really not seeing many parallels. Like many of Shakespeare's plays, Hamlet is based on a legend (Danish?) and I'm not really convinced his son's death had that much influence on the plot. There's quite a lot of contemplation about life and death in the play, so perhaps that's where Hamnet's death influenced the composition, but it's certainly not an overt homage.

I was an English major in college. I read a lot of Shakespeare..almost everything he wrote. This novel didn’t change my feelings or enjoyment of his writings but it did make me think under what circumstances he did his writings. Very tempted to go back and reread Hamlet again.

I have read several historical fiction novels about Shakespeare’s mistress, Amelia, and distantly recall his only son’s death, but the incorporation of the plague, his wife, and family in such a fashion is most intriguing. It also makes me more curious about the importance of Richard Burbage, the first actor to play Hamlet, to Shakespeare. Was it solely his acting abilities that propelled him to lead roles?

It didn't change my feelings. but it did make me think about what gave Shakespeare his ideas when creating his plays.

By coincidence, I reread Hamlet a few months ago. Hamnet has been on my list for a while, so I was very happy to be given the opportunity to experience it for this review. I had not ever made the connection of Hamnet's death with the play, but now it seems obvious. What can be more devastating, life-changing than the death of a child? How could it not affect the work of Shakespeare's writing? The roles are reversed; the son dies, and the father survives. But the play over and over focuses on death: what is it? how can we understand it? what does it mean to those who are left behind?

It makes me want to reread the play to see if I feel differently. I agree with Kimk that at first I don't recall many parallels, but it would be interesting to review!

I was pretty familiar with the play having studied Shakespeare in college and I saw the play many years ago. What surprised me was that Will played the part of the Ghost and not Hamlet since the son was grieving the father. The Ghost told Hamlet he had been murdered and that focused Hamlet to expose his uncle and seek revenge. Since Hamlet was so grief stricken I thought that was the part that Will would play.

The book has caused me to begin re-reading Hamlet since it has been years since I read it. Like many reviewers I had forgotten about the death of Shakespeare's only son. I don't believe anything is more devasting and life changing than the death of a child.

The question of life and death is introduced at the very beginning of Hamlet. Hamlet, throughout the play, contemplates the complexity of life, it's meaning and what happens when someone dies. All questions Shakespeare may have struggled to answer with the death of his son.

I once had the good fortune to see Hamlet performed in an English meadow with sheep bleating in the background. I’ve always thought that Hamlet was a contemplation of death, grief, loss. I think sometimes modern people think that there was so much childhood death, loss of loved ones to plague, that people. Lost the ability to grieve. I love that historical fiction gives us a window into another time and place.

For anyone wishing to "read" Shakespeare, I recommend seeing a play. Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed and are FAR better seen than read. Classical versions are best first, but are much easier to understand when seen. Lots of good filmed versions are out there!