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Title: Hamlet: A User's Guide by Michael Pennington ISBN: 0-87910-083-4 Publisher: Limelight Editions Pub. Date: 01 August, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (3 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Oh, the Life of an Actor's the Life for Me!
Comment: This is a delightful book that brings you into Hamlet as an actor. To see the play this way is to see it as a series of technical problems in the way of bringing off something elusive and difficult-that is, a fine and moving performance. Now Art, like Science, uses technique, but (like Science!) uses technique in the service of wonder. Bringing a great play to life should be a labor of love for the actors; in a great story it can bring them alive as well.

I am not an actor, and had not, before reading this book, been terribly interested in the craft. I am a playgoer, though, and had long appreciated that stage acting requires an impressive array of physical and mental skills, and to do Shakespeare well is perhaps as tasking as anything, given the requirements of diction and action, and the expectations of the audience, many of whom have seen the play many times, and tend to be hypercritical of performances of the sacred texts.

Pennington has much experience in classical theater, and knows Hamlet particularly well. After a refreshingly plain-spoken introduction he launches into a blow-by-blow for the five days of the play, trying to make the sequences of action and the lapses of time cohere into an intelligible and consistent narrative (a bit of challenge, actually). The running commentary here speculates on character and motivation, with rich asides on the way they did it at the Globe, or how it played in the West End recently, and alludes to other of the Bard's plays and characters without breaking stride. All of this is fun, but is also a necessary preparation. This is a story, after all, and every scene, every speech, every gesture, must contribute to the telling of it. But first, the action must make sense to the actors, or else gesture becomes grimace, and what should fizz goes flat. Reading this book will, I think, cure one of the notion that acting is simply about learning your part. Be that as it may, reading this is also a delightful way to prepare to watch the play.

Next, the author takes us through each character, giving us strong opinions, options, and a sense of the possibilities. In one sense, after four hundred years no one is going to have a strikingly original pose for Ophelia, or Hamlet, or Claudius. But the fact is, each generation begins anew, and as the actor forms a past and a personality for his character, he is doing it in a new world; he can't help but be original.

The conclusion, of the state of the Play and of the Theatre in general, widens the scope, but keeps the intimate sense of a conversation. Professionals will enjoy this book and profit from it I would think, but any playgoer will find his sense of this play-and all plays-enriched by Pennington's reflections.

Rating: 4
Summary: A book for all levels of interest
Comment: This is a book accessible to any Shakespeare reader - not just the theater or academic professional. The writing is direct & dynamic, Pennington discusses each scene & character individually, and his footnoted personal comments add even more to one's understanding. I particularly enjoyed his footnote about advice he received from an 11 year old regarding how to play Claudius and the Ghost. Something you will find here and rarely elsewhere: more than a passing mention of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern's roles, although I take exception to Pennington's view of them as essentionally innocent characters. I'd rate this 5 stars if he had written a better analysis of the character of Horatio. Pennington balances his odd defense of R&G by down-playing Horatio's integrity. His analysis of the Play Within the Play Scene comes to an astonishing & wise conclusion about the real victim. I've seen it nowhere else; no - I won't tell you here; read the book. Educators: this is an A+ supplement to a class study of Hamlet whether at the high school or college level.

Rating: 4
Summary: An insightful look at Hamlet from the angle of performing it
Comment: Michael Pennington, a Royal Shakespeare Company actor who has played Hamlet many times himself, writes this brilliant book to help both the actor attempting to play a role, and the confused reader who is starting out on their first play. It goes through the play scene by scene and makes frequent references both to other criticisms of Hamlet and other works of Shakespeare. Unlike many works of criticisms on Hamlet, this book does not focus only on the protagonist, but on all characters. Making frequent reference to past performances of Hamlet and the methods used, Pennington illuminates the script through discussing performance techniques. One instance where this is most helpful is the discussion of the ghost. One of the most difficult scenes to stage for any director, Hamlet: A User's Guide discusses the meanings that different stagings bring to the play. Hamlet: A User's Guide is an excellent companion when reading Hamlet and a good way to shed light on the motivations of some of the main characters.