Title: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Author: Tom Stoppard.
Genre: Fiction, plays.
Country: U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 1966.
Summary: The play which, as it were, takes place in the wings of Hamlet, and finds both humour and poignancy in the situation of the ill-fated attendant lords, caught up in and doomed by Hamlet's mania.

My Rating: 9/10
My Review:

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Title: Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts.
Author: Samuel Beckett.
Genre: Fiction, plays.
Country: Ireland.
Language: English.
Publication Date: 1953.
Summary: The story revolves around two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone—or something—named Godot. Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree, inhabiting a drama spun of their own consciousness. The result is a comical wordplay of poetry, dreamscapes, and nonsense, which has been interpreted as mankind's inexhaustible search for meaning.

My Rating: 8.5/10
My Review:

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Title: The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus.
Author: Christopher Marlowe.
Genre: Fiction, literature, plays, fantasy, philosophical fiction, occult, religion.
Country: U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: ~1592.
Summary: Faustus, a brilliant scholar, sells his soul to the devil in exchange for limitless knowledge and powerful black magic, yet remains unfulfilled. He considers repenting, but remains too proud to ask God for forgiveness, and in his indecision seals his fate.

My rating: 8/10
My review: Of the many adaptations of the Faust legend, this is probably both the most eloquent and the most basic one, which is an interesting contrast, because I do feel like the poetry and the piece's aesthetic presentation was the point of the play, more so than telling the story of Faustus (probably a fairly familiar myth at the time). There is not much plot to speak of aside from the bare minimum - Faustus sells his soul to the Devil, Faustus wreaks mischief and gains knowledge, Faustus begins to be afraid for his soul, Faustus gets taken to hell. But it's the poetry that really makes the play - Marlowe's poetry is truly beautiful. I love its epic and evocative style, and I love the Latin interspersed through it. The legend of Faustus has always rung true to me, because though I cannot relate to it from a religious stance (from an occultist's perspective, it's even a little silly), I feel like any person in pursuit of knowledge (or inspiration), academics and artists specifically, is often tempted with vices that turn out to be worse than they're worth (e.g. an artist's temptation to take drugs to tap into different aspects of the subconscious). What I particularly like about this, though, is that in an inexplicable way, Faustus may be one of the least likable characters of the play, while Mephistopheles comes off much more multi-dimensional and much less obnoxious. The entire play you get a feeling of a much wiser and older spirit toying with a spoiled, obstinate man, and though the last repentance, fear, and struggles of Faustus are pretty chilling, you get an odd sense of satisfaction of just deserts when he finally ends his career (the author makes sure this happens by showing Faustus doing cruel and mean things to ordinary, innocent people, whereas any of the Devil's convoys only tempt those who show interest themselves).

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Title: The Medea.
Author: Euripides (translated by Rex Warner).
Genre: Fiction, literature, play, classical lit, crime, tragedy.
Country: Greece.
Language: Ancient Greek.
Publication Date: 431 BC.
Summary: The plot centers on the actions of Medea, a barbarian and the wife of Jason; she finds her position in the Greek world threatened as Jason leaves her for a Greek princess of Corinth. Medea takes vengeance on Jason by killing Jason's new wife, as well as her own children with him, after which she escapes to Athens to start a new life.

My rating: 8/10.

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Title: Hamlet
Author: William Shakespeare.
Genre: Literature, fiction, play, tragedy.
Country: U.K.
Language: English.
Publication Date: Written between 1599-1602.
First Performed: 1602.
Summary: Ultimately derives from the legend of Amleth (figure in a medieval Scandinavian legend), it is a “revenge tragedy,” in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father’s alleged murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark, after the ghost of his father visits Hamlet to inform him of the details of his passing.

My rating: 8.5/10.
My review: Some of the most well-known Shakespeare quotes hail from Hamlet, and I think this is because it is probably the most accessible of his plays (rivaled only by, perhaps, Romeo and Juliet). And it is undeniable that he is at the top of his skill here. The poetry is gorgeous and evocative, as Shakespeare lets his characters duel with and challenge great concepts - the supernatural, the sense of self, love and sanity, loyalty and friendship, ultimately life and death. All that said, however, Hamlet has always been one of my least favourite literary characters. Whiny, over-dramatic, and overly-angsty characters (and, come to think of it, people) have always been a pet-peeve of mine (as they were even when I was a whiny, over-dramatic, angsty teen myself and, theoretically, should have been able to relate). Hamlet is a whiny, spoiled, selfish and callous young man who spits in the face of the people who care for him (poor, sweet Ophelia - is there anything more unfair and uncalled for than her fate?) and ultimately causes the tragedy that unfolds. I've also always gotten a strong sense while reading the play that he is as likely to have actually seen a ghost of his father, as gone into a bout of mania born of grief and a weak mental disposition and hallucinated the entire thing. What is clear is that in historical context, he is not in any way adapted to his position or role in life, and his death didn't evoke much pity in me, as, even if it wasn't a Shakespearean tragedy, it's evident from almost the very beginning there is no way but up for Hamlet. I do believe that it's indicative of Shakespeare's brilliancy that I can dislike the character as much as I do, but love the play as much as I do.

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