Welcome to Zero to Well Read, a podcast about everything you need to know about the books you wish you'd read.

I'm Jeff O'Neill.

And I'm Rebecca Sinsky.

Jeff, to Pod or not to Pod?

That is no question today as we turn to Hamlet by one William Shakespeare.

Madness and great ones must not unwatched go, and we do not know how to handle this.

So it's driving us a little bit crazy because it feels like trying to eat an elephant.

When I used to teach this, I would take two, three hour class periods, and that was still not enough, so we're

going to do the best we can to an introduction, an appreciation of, an investigation of

Hamlet by one William Shakespeare. It's especially daunting. We were talking about this yesterday,

Rebecca, where it's like, in things we've recorded before this, I'm not actually sure where

this is happening in the release schedule, but we've done, what, seven or not actually sure where this is happening in the release

schedule, but we've done what, seven or eight of these at this point? For each one of them,

you feel a responsibility to get it right. Yes. For sure. For this one, I'm feeling something else.

I'm feeling like unequal to the task, we're not worthy, the little Wayne's world here? Like, this is where I am

with this. I don't know if I feel we're not worthy so much as that it is an impossible task.

You can't sum up Shakespeare in one podcast episode. You can't really do any of the individual

plays full justice.

But we're trying to find that marriage of cocktail party and English class.

And I think through the lens of that vibe, we have arrived at a layout for this episode

that will satisfy both sides.

It will give people who have not read Hamlet or who have no desire

...