Description Hamlet is Shakespeare's most popular, and most puzzling, play. It follows the form of a "revenge tragedy," in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father's murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. The authoritative edition of Hamlet from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes: Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play; Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently placed on pages facing the text of the play; Scene-by-scene plot summaries; A key to the play's famous lines and phrases; An introduction to reading Shakespeare's language; An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play; An up-to-date annotated guide to further reading.