HAMLET: POEM UNLIMITED by Bloom, Harold (Author) & Shakespeare, William (Subject) - 2003

New York City, NY: Riverhead Books, 2003. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. Fine/Fine Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Riverhead Books, 2003. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. First Edition/First Printing. 154 pages. Book-length account on subject. One of Harold Bloom's finest achievements. The sequel to his masterly "Shakespeare: The Invention of The Human". The First Hardcover Edition. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Harold Bloom's "Hamlet: Poem Unlimited". A brilliant extended essay on Shakespeare's greatest play. "The Prince of Denmark, argues the eminent Bloom, was not much loved by his father the warrior king or by his mother, Queen Gertrude. Bloom adds that Hamlet was detached, moving through life like the lead in his own personal drama, giving a theatrical flair to moments such as the death of Polonius and aptly choosing a play to 'catch the conscience of the king'. The closest thing he ever had to a parent was Yorick the Jester, and his confrontation with Yorick's skull followed shortly by his attending Ophelia's funeral dealt a serious double blow to his indifference. It was then that he moves grimly toward the climax and his own death. Bloom generates any number of provocative themes, such as Hamlet's notions about plays and acting as reflecting Shakespeare's own rivalries with Ben Jonson, and that the prince never loved Ophelia. Short, sophisticated, and opinionated, this is a thorny guide for Bardolators and Bloomians" (Publishers Weekly) . There is no contemporary literary critic who understands and loves Shakespeare and done his best to make us understand and love him as much as Harold Bloom does. An absolute "must-have" title for Harold Bloom collectors. <b><i> This title is a contemporary classic. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a beauty. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws, are subsequent printings, or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. </b></i> The greatest literary critic of our time on the greatest writer of all time. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER HAROLD BLOOM TITLES IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 157322233X.