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R. H. means Right Hand;
L. H. Left Hand;
U. E. Upper Entrance;
R. H. C. Enters through the Centre from the Right Hand;
L. H. C. Enters through the Centre from the Left Hand.
RELATIVE POSITIONS OF THE PERFORMERS WHEN ON THE STAGE.
R. means on the Right side of the Stage;
L. on the Left side of the Stage;
C. Centre of the Stage;
R. C. Right Centre of the Stage;
L. C. Left Centre of the Stage.
The reader is supposed to be on the Stage, facing the audience.
The play of Hamlet is above all others the most stupendous monument of Shakespeare's genius, standing as a beacon to command the wonder and admiration of the world, and as a memorial to future generations, that the mind of its author was moved by little less than inspiration. Lear, with its sublime picture of human misery; — Othello, with its harrowing overthrow of a nature great and amiable; — Macbeth, with its fearful murder of a monarch, whose "virtues plead like angels trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation of his taking off," — severally exhibit, in the most pre-eminent degree, all those mighty elements which constitute the perfection of tragic art — the grand, the pitiful, and the terrible. Hamlet is a history of mind — a tragedy of thought. It contains the deepest philosophy, and most profound wisdom; yet speaks the language of the heart, touching the secret spring of every sense and feeling. Here we have no ideal exaltation of character, but life with its blended faults and virtues, — a gentle nature unstrung by passing events, and thus rendered "out of tune and harsh."
The original story of Hamlet is to be found in the Latin pages of the Danish historian, Saxo Grammaticus, who died in the year 1208. Towards the end of the sixteenth century, the French author, Francis de Belleforest, introduced the fable into a collection of novels, which were translated into English, and printed in a small quarto black letter volume, under the title of the "Historie of Hamblett," from which source Shakespeare constructed the present tragedy.
Saxo has placed his history about 200 years before Christianity, when barbarians, clothed in skins, peopled the shores of the Baltic. The poet, however, has so far modernised the subject as to make Hamlet a Christian, and England tributary to the "sovereign majesty of Denmark." A date can therefore be easily fixed, and the costume of the tenth and eleventh centuries may be selected for the purpose. There are but few authentic records in existence, but these few afford reason to believe that very slight difference existed between the dress of the Dane and that of the Anglo-Saxon of the same period.
Since its first representation, upwards of two centuries and a half ago, no play has been acted so frequently, or commanded such universal admiration. It draws within the sphere of its attraction both the scholastic and the unlearned. It finds a response in every breast, however high or however humble. By its colossal aid it exalts the drama of England above that of every nation, past or present. It is, indeed, the most marvellous creation of human intellect.
CHARLES KEAN
莎士比亚四大悲剧之一的《哈姆雷特》，创作于 1601 年，时值欧洲文艺复兴运动进入晚期和英国伊丽莎白女王去世（ 1603 年）前两年，因而，《哈姆雷特》不仅体现了文艺复兴的思想意识，而且反映了英国社会转型时期的种种矛盾冲突。
莎士比亚以早期的“丹麦王子复仇”的故事为框架，将文艺复兴时期所崇尚的古希腊罗马文化植入其中，使这部悲剧具有了新的时代背景，被认为是文艺复兴时期的一面镜子。丹麦王子哈姆雷特的叔叔克劳迪斯是一位马基雅弗利主义（参阅“最经典英语文库”第三辑的《君主论》）的信奉者，为达目的不择手段，他毒死了国王，篡夺了王位并娶了王后。哈姆雷特从国外回来以后，老国王的鬼魂告诉他自己致死的原因，哈姆雷特决定复仇。此时，国王克劳迪斯开始怀疑哈姆雷特，在大臣波洛涅斯的建议下，克劳迪斯利用大臣的女儿、哈姆雷特的情人奥菲利亚去试探哈姆雷特，被哈姆雷特识破。之后，克劳迪斯又指使哈姆雷特的两个同学罗森格兰兹和吉尔登斯顿去试探他，都被王子一一识破。哈姆雷特借一次剧团到宫廷演戏的机会，验证了老国王鬼魂的话。哈姆雷特在力图说服母亲疏远克劳迪斯国王时，误杀了躲在帷幕后面偷听的波洛涅斯。随后，国王派哈姆雷特去英国索讨贡赋，想借别人之手除掉哈姆雷特。哈姆雷特识破阴谋，中途折返丹麦。奥菲利亚因父亲被情人所杀而精神失常，落水身亡。国王乘机挑拨波洛涅斯的儿子雷欧提斯以比剑为名，用毒箭刺死哈姆雷特。在最后一场比剑中，哈姆雷特、国王、王后及雷欧提斯同归于尽。
《哈姆雷特》的悲剧性包含了四个主要层次。
第一个层次涉及谋杀君王，篡夺王位，进而谋害王子的政治悲剧成分。克劳迪斯为达目的不择手段，殷勤、诚挚的外表下隐藏着魔鬼的内心。第二个层次涉及代表着文明进步的正面人物同丑恶与罪恶展开斗争的社会悲剧成分。在克劳迪斯周围聚集着波洛涅斯等一批趋炎附势、阿谀奉承的朝臣，他们为克劳迪斯的阴谋充当帮凶。第三个层次涉及因盲目而卷入政治冲突，导致毁灭的家庭悲剧成分。波洛涅斯自作聪明，事事插手，导致自己被误杀，女儿奥菲利亚疯癫溺水而死，儿子雷欧提斯则充当了克劳迪斯谋害哈姆雷特的工具，死于非命。第四个层次涉及爱情被摧残、被利用的悲剧成分。奥菲利亚的天真，皇后的缺乏辨别力，使她们都在险恶的环境中被利用而成为牺牲品。
主人公哈姆雷特的品格体现了欧洲文艺复兴时期的人文主义精神。文艺复兴时期正是欧洲社会从中世纪封建制度向近代资本主义转型的时期，植根于这一时期的人文主义思潮势必体现着新旧交织的历史特征。人文主义的产生与当时在大学兴起的哲学、医学、民法学、修辞学等人文学科密切相关，这些学科侧重讲授古希腊、罗马文化，强调人的实现的重要，更多地关注人而不是人以外的某种事物理论或学说。文艺复兴时期的人文主义正是资产阶级人性思想的最初形态，其本质就在于它高扬作为一种理性动物的人的尊严的观念，崇尚古典文学在知识和精神自由中所展示出的人的本质，这一观念与中世纪天主教宣扬的经院哲学与神学命定论相对立。
哈姆雷特崇尚古希腊、罗马文化，注重对人性的思考，他一方面汲取了文艺复兴早期有关人类伟大的观念，同时又在现实中发现了人性渺小、卑微的一面。受苏格拉底“认识你自己”这一古老遗训的浸润，哈姆雷特不断自我审视，自我剖析，在克服怀疑、摒弃错误的过程中逐步走向高尚，这种自省精神对于人类追求真善美具有重要意义。忧郁和踌躇是哈姆雷特性格的一大特征。对“生存还是毁灭”（ To be, or not to be, that is the question ）的思考，揭示了哈姆雷特始终秉持的社会责任感、宗教信仰以及理性主义的怀疑精神。在踌躇和怀疑中，他将复仇的过程升华为正义对邪恶的斗争，在社会转型的混乱时代，哈姆雷特所要担当的是重整乾坤的社会责任。
如果您是英文爱好者中的一员，希望您通过阅读英语原文，来欣赏这部作品，这无疑是种无法替代的精神享受。
如果您是学生家长，建议您给上中学或大学的孩子准备一套“最经典英语文库”，放在书架上。它们是永远不会过时的精神食粮。
如果您是正在学习的大中学生，也建议您抽空读读这些经时间检验的人类精神食粮文库里最经典的精品。一时读不懂不要紧，先收藏起来，放进您的书架里，等您长大到某个时候，您会忽然发现，自己开始能读，而且读懂了作品字里行间的意义时，那种喜悦感，是无法言述的，也是无与伦比的。您可能也会因此对走过的人生，有更深刻的感悟与理解。
关于这套图书的装帧设计与性价比：完全按欧美出版规则操作，从图书开本，到封面设计，从体例版式，到字体选取，但价钱却比欧美原版图书便宜三分之二，甚至更多。因此，从性价比看，它们也是最值得收藏的。
——马玉凤