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The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Hamlet: The 30-Minute Shakespeare
Hamlet: The 30-Minute Shakespeare offers five scenes from this enduring tragedy. The Ghost of Hamlet’s father calls for vengeance, and Hamlet uses the players to prove Claudius guilty. The cutting includes the murder of Polonius, Ophelia’s mad scene, and the timeless “To be or not to be” speech, climaxing in the swordfight and poisoning that bring the story to its riveting end.
The edition includes helpful advice by Nick Newlin on how to put on a Shakespeare production in a high school class with novice actors, as well as tips for performing the specific play and recommendations for further resources.
The edition includes helpful advice by Nick Newlin on how to put on a Shakespeare production in a high school class with novice actors, as well as tips for performing the specific play and recommendations for further resources.
72 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2011
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About the author
William Shakespeare
28.6k books47.8k followersWilliam Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 25, 2020
The 30 minute Shakespeare series is pure brilliance. Each book takes language that is difficult for high school students and focuses the language on the meat of the story, keeping the Shakespeare alive. Not only that, but he differentiates for different learning levels. As a high school teacher, I can tell you that this differentiation is so important. Each book in this series makes Shakespeare more accessible to regular people, especially for students. I wish every middle and high school English and drama teacher in the country would consider The 30 Minute Shakespeare series for their classroom and/or stage. They're that good.
June 25, 2020
I'd like to thank Mr Newlin for all of the work he's put into this series. Hamlet is a tough play for middle schoolers (although we live in a hamlet in new hampshire!) but this condensation made not only the plot clear but fascinated my students with the clear and understandable characters and motivations. Now we're watching the terrific Slings and Arrows series on canadian broadcasting as a follow up .. I highly recommend both
June 25, 2020
What an excellent way for people to access Shakespeare! Acting really builds one's sense of self confidence. These are a great lead in for beginner actors and even nonnative speakers.
June 26, 2020
Hamlet was the first of the 30-Minute Shakespeare series books that I read, and I have to admit that I was skeptical of them when I started, but what a wonderful surprise! Hamlet in 30 minutes without losing the tension, thrill, chill, suspense, etc? Who knew it was possible? Thank you to Mr. Newlin for making this cultural touchstone accessible to students who might not otherwise be able to enjoy it because true comprehension would be such a barrier. As a longtime high school English teacher and former purist, I am genuinely grateful that this wonderful resource is now available to kids who need a little boost to help them see what's really great about Shakespeare. And all the really great parts of the play are still in here! This series will put Cliff Notes out of business because they aren't even necessary or worthwhile anymore when you can read the real language in the same amount of time and gain a better understanding of the material. Cannot recommend enough!
June 25, 2020
This entire series is a wonderful resource. The clever way in which the meaningful themes and quotes are distilled allows my younger students to explore the themes and provocative use of language and vocabulary. They are able understand and to see parallels in their own lives with both the complexity and simplicity of the human experience. I think Shakespeare would be pleased to see his work made accessible to so many! Highly Recommended.
June 27, 2020
I love these editions! It is so hard to introduce the wonderful world of William Shakespeare to new students. So worthwhile doing, but it's very difficult to make the great material accessible to both young people today and also people of all ages not yet familiar with this poetic and human literature and living theatre work!
Compounding the challenge, as those familiar with the Bard know only too well, "two hours' traffic of our stage" often stretches to more like three or four.
Enter editor Nick Newlin, giving us these beautiful abridgments -- that play in under 30 minutes! -- and, that retain all the original characters' original language! The 30-Minute Shakespeare -- by definition -- are not the full length works. Perfectly, The 30-Minute Shakespeare serve as a fabulous entry: a key to open the door into Shakespeare's timeless, historic world and into his universal, truthful experience, enacted in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
And enacted is what these wonderful, handy volumes are designed to be (just like the original scripts). Newlin gives awesome, folksy, anecdotal, and very specific, clear instructions, detailing (from amongst the infinite possible number of ways) one approach to get these plays up on their feet, with The 30-Minute Shakespeare script in the hand of student and novice actors. Nothing more need we ask: these books are gems, perfect as what they are, serving a very specific purpose and fulfilling the exact need for which they exist.
Indispensable! Ideal for youth, and others of all ages, for the first time being introduced to the beautiful plays of Shakespeare.
Compounding the challenge, as those familiar with the Bard know only too well, "two hours' traffic of our stage" often stretches to more like three or four.
Enter editor Nick Newlin, giving us these beautiful abridgments -- that play in under 30 minutes! -- and, that retain all the original characters' original language! The 30-Minute Shakespeare -- by definition -- are not the full length works. Perfectly, The 30-Minute Shakespeare serve as a fabulous entry: a key to open the door into Shakespeare's timeless, historic world and into his universal, truthful experience, enacted in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
And enacted is what these wonderful, handy volumes are designed to be (just like the original scripts). Newlin gives awesome, folksy, anecdotal, and very specific, clear instructions, detailing (from amongst the infinite possible number of ways) one approach to get these plays up on their feet, with The 30-Minute Shakespeare script in the hand of student and novice actors. Nothing more need we ask: these books are gems, perfect as what they are, serving a very specific purpose and fulfilling the exact need for which they exist.
Indispensable! Ideal for youth, and others of all ages, for the first time being introduced to the beautiful plays of Shakespeare.
June 25, 2020
How I wish I'd had this kind of a tremendous resource when I was flailing my way through Hamlet back in high school! It's amazing that this tight of an abridgment can make it easier to understand all the complex themes, intricate dialogue, and character motivations. I feel like I truly understand Hamlet for the first time ever, plus now I have a much better sense of how to direct this play with novice actors, should I ever be fool-hardy enough to attempt that one. I highly recommend this book for enlightening kids from age 4 to 104.
June 25, 2020
What a delight. I used the book series in classes with not only students whose skills in English class varied, but also with some students who did not speak much English. They made for nice, brief, up-on-your-feet experiences for the students. In the future, I will try breaking students into small groups working with, perhaps, three plays. My students would have a ball--a nice shift from my grammar lessons!
July 28, 2020
All of the 30-Minute Shakespeare's by Nick Newlin are truly fantastic. As a professional actor, teaching artist and Shakespeare fan for twenty plus years I have relied on these short and sweet books for myself and my students as an entry point to un-lock plot and character. Shakespeare's texts are a privilege to know and love. Newlin invites us in and makes them accessible to all. Thank Goodness for these books! Newlin's books give me hope that Shakespeare's stories will continue to draw in readers of any age and keep them alive and strong! We all need Shakespeare in our lives and this is exactly the place to start.
July 1, 2020
What an excellent introduction to Shakespeare! This is an enticing gateway into the works of the Bard. It allows people who are unfamiliar with his works to sample the original language and get a birds eye view of the power and beauty of each play.
I am enjoying Newlin’s version - and I look forward to reading the whole series.
These will be useful for so many things beyond the class room. I am thinking of using this one, and eventually some of the others. on creative retreats for adults. They will provide a majestic way to get creative juices flowing.
I am enjoying Newlin’s version - and I look forward to reading the whole series.
These will be useful for so many things beyond the class room. I am thinking of using this one, and eventually some of the others. on creative retreats for adults. They will provide a majestic way to get creative juices flowing.
February 16, 2019
Nick Newlin is a disgrace to the teaching profession.
As a high school teacher, a lover of Shakespeare, and someone with a brain, I despise this entire series. The cuts are horrible, the additional material in each book is insultingly bad, and some of the best scenes/lines from Shakespeare's plays are left out. I'm offended by these, and the "editor" - Nick Newlin - should be ashamed of himself. Because of his association with Folger, I now think less of them as an institution and will no longer support them in any way. Horrible. No excuse for these to exist.
As a high school teacher, a lover of Shakespeare, and someone with a brain, I despise this entire series. The cuts are horrible, the additional material in each book is insultingly bad, and some of the best scenes/lines from Shakespeare's plays are left out. I'm offended by these, and the "editor" - Nick Newlin - should be ashamed of himself. Because of his association with Folger, I now think less of them as an institution and will no longer support them in any way. Horrible. No excuse for these to exist.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews