The tragedy of Hamlet is one of the highest peaks of world literature. It is an astonishing accomplishment.

And whilst I have personally been convinced of this play's sublimity, and convinced of the genius and greatness of the man who penned it,

ever since I first encountered this play, this thrilling

tale of revenge, this utterly inexhaustible masterpiece, although I have long been convinced

of Hamlet's greatness, my recent re-emerion in the world of the play resulted in one of the most

profound reading and viewing experiences of my life.

We're one to ask me now, which work of literature sits at top spot in my personal canon?

I would no longer hesitate or waver between a handful of worthy contenders.

I would answer Shakespeare's Hamler.

Hamler is the longest of Shakespeare's plays and the most personal.

We lament the lack of personal records from the great writer.

We have no diaries.

We have no correspondence,, we have no correspondence,

although we do have a long list of legal disputes. We lament the lack of personal records,

and we say that Shakespeare is everywhere and nowhere in his work, with emphasis on the word

nowhere. But if you want to make Will's intimate acquaintance, you absolutely can

catch the man peeking out from the sonnets, both parts of Henry IV, and overwhelmingly Hamlet.

And the reason why my most recent engagement with this work was so profound is because I felt an intense sympathy for the central protagonist, our ambassador of death, as G. Wilson Knight might say.

I felt a strong, deep and even terrifying connection to this character.

In short, I saw myself in Hamlet.

Hamlet, who, in the Bard's longest play, has the longest speaking part of any role.

Hamlet who gives breath and life to 40% of the play's lines.

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