# Hamlet by William Shakespeare

6 Hacker News commenters recommended Hamlet by William Shakespeare and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as an excellent play that many find confusing on the page but clear when performed. The most common caveat is that reading it alone can feel confusing and lifeless.

## Why people recommend it

- Excellent play worth the effort (2 comments): "they also take some getting used to but are worth it in the end" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45970990)) "I think it's an excellent play." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48847317))

## What people warn about

- Confusing and lifeless when read alone (1 comments): "reading it alone just felt so confusing and lifeless... But then later on I saw a play version of it and suddenly it all made sense!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49379204))
- Recurring ears motif seems arbitrary (1 comments): "the recurring theme of ears in Hamlet means something or it's just something Shakespeare felt like adding" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49379808))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Arcadia by Tom Stoppard](https://hackerapproved.com/p/arcadia.md): 7 recommend
- [Shakespeare's plays by William Shakespeare](https://hackerapproved.com/p/shakespeare-s-plays.md): 4 recommend
- [Macbeth by William Shakespeare](https://hackerapproved.com/p/macbeth.md): 3 recommend
- [Faust by Goethe](https://hackerapproved.com/p/faust.md): 3 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/158731438X?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781587314384) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Hamlet by William Shakespeare", https://hackerapproved.com/p/hamlet/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).