Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

74 reviews

kidicarus's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was personally a hard one for me. My parents have always had an affinity for Shakespeare, and this was my late father's favorite. Reading it after losing him and seeing a lot of my own grief in one of his favorite stories has been a big hurdle for me, but I think it made it all the more powerful. That being said, despite being the longest Shakespeare play, it still feels as if something is missing from this story, which keeps it from being among my favorite of his plays. There's a popular saying that you can't read Hamlet for the first time, and I think that is a detriment to the play itself. I was expecting more from Ophelia, who is unfortunately killed offscreen only to be made fun of right before her burial. I was hoping for a climactic battle between Hamlet and Claudius, only to get a barrage of deaths in the final pages with very little sendoff for each character besides Hamlet himself. Still, this play is iconic for a reason, and I can see why it was my father's favorite - he always had an affinity for stories dealing with death, funnily enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexism and Death of parent

gwenswoons's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and War

bookwormsj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

halaagmod's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

victoria_elaine06's review against another edition

emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I read this book for school, and it didn’t live up to the hype it gets. The characters were pretty surface level, and there was not really a plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent

white_dragon_tea's review against another edition

challenging dark funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder

readwithsophsx's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder

readwthsam's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and War

finn_vibing's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

the_embodiment_of_chaos's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide