Wendy Spradlin
asked:
Two questions: Am I correct that the authors did not include the "To be or not to be" soliloquy in the audiobook? Also, did they create this line, "With loves comes agony, and we know it" or did Hamlet murmur it in the play? (It's in Chapter 5 of the audiobook, with just under 19 minutes remaining.)
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Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,
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Charlotte
There are few lines from Shakespeare scattered around the novel, but to be fair, if we wanted to read the soliloquies, we could just read the play. As Joan says (above), " the authors are not regurgitating Shakespeare." Also, any student tempted to skip the play and read this instead is likely to be disappointed with their grade. The authors assign clear motives to many of the characters, which are ambiguous in the play. That's really part of the fun.
Joan Hollins
The authors are not regurgitating Shakespeare, but taking that idea of the plot and fleshing out the details and structure (This story was not made up by Shakespeare, either). It could go badly, but these writers know what they are doing, and do it very well. I also highly recommend their MacBeth novel.
Karen
This is my first (and perhaps my only listen), but it seems that none of the soliloquies are intact, and bits of various soliloquies are given to other voices, not Hamlet's. For example, lines from the "to be or not to be" soliloquy are spoken by Claudius? Or I may be confused. It's a perhaps too clever device.
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