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Hamlet Study Questions
Go to the Shakespeare Page on this site.
Background to the Play
Shakespeare Online has a brief introduction to the sources that Shakespeare used for writing Hamlet, which is not his original story.
Books Three and Four of Saxo Grammaticus's 1200 AD History of the Danes contains the story of Amleth, the Danish prince whose father, the king, is murdered by the king's brother.
Francois de Belleforest's 1570 version of the story of Hamblet (yes, with a b) is another source that Shakespeare likely used.
A course called "Some Versions of Hamlet," taught by Prof. Alan Baragona at Virginia Military Institute, has a page that contains many useful sites related to the play.
Study Guide Help
[a note for using study guides--SparkNotes and other summary sites are of course properly used after you've� read a section or the entire work independently.� My advice is for you to be cautious with these sites and try to stay away from them until after you've been able to think things through about the novel on your own.]
Take a look at Hamlet Online, a full directory of websites devoted to Hamlet.
North Dakota State University's Hamlet Page has a variety of links interesting-looking and useful sites, including a contemporary review of Sarah.Bernhardt's famous performance of the role of Hamlet in 1900.
Literary Criticism
Your best place to look for critical writing on the play is JSTOR, using the Newton South library's username and password.