Hamlet is a sad boy

Hamlet is such a good play. I can't get over how enjoyable it is-- "enjoyable" is a weird way to describe it, I know. Maybe it's that masochistic side in all of us that enjoys feeling weepy and forlorn. In any case there's something supremely satisfying about tragedies. Comedies are great, but that sense of loss that is present in tragedies makes them so addictive. And Hamlet is funny in a twisted way. It's tragic as anything, but there are some legitimately humorous scenes -- mostly because of Hamlet, mostly because he's making fun of people to their face. It never gets old.

Also: damn, Hamlet is a BAMF. He is a genius character. If he didn't have the whole "murder" thing(s) consuming his life, I would totally...well... you know. Hell, I'd do it anyway. How can you not simultaneously feel sorry for him and admire the hell out of him? He is so awesome!

As an added bonus: BBC version of Hamlet, starring David Tennant. (Great for those of us who never got to see him perform onstage!) I'm not just being a fangirl when I say that that version is the best out of the versions I've seen.* The end made me cry REAL TEARS.

Less importantly, Hamlet is now the second Shakespeare play that I've thoroughly enjoyed (the first being Much Ado About Nothing). I'm sure it's partially because I have enough patience and (hopefully) enough intelligence to understand and contemplate the plot and writing, but it's also because I just think that they're better than any of his plays that I've read before.** I think that largely stems from the characters; if you don't like the characters, it's difficult to like the play. In Shakespeare's work especially, they're all that's given. Beatrice and Benedick are possibly the greatest fictional couple of all time. Every single one of the main characters in Hamlet is memorable; the vast majority all but force you to sympathize with them.

So, yeah. If you haven't read Hamlet and you're not going to read it for school, you must do so on your own. So good.

* Admittedly, I haven't actually watched any of the other versions all the way through, but comparing the scenes I have seen, the actors and set-up of the BBC version are much better. The BBC version is basically the film version of a stage show, so it completely focuses on the actors and the plot. And, dang, that Ophelia is amazing.
** There's a contrived sentence if I've ever written one.