Hamlet's combination of violence and introspection is unusual among Shakespeare's tragedies. It is also filled with curious riddles and fascinating paradoxes, making it one of his most discussed plays. Professor Hibbard's insightful and original introduction explains the process by which various text variants were brought together in the eighteenth century to create the text most commonly used today. He draws on both critical and theater historical perspectives, demonstrating how this fusion makes Hamlet appear to be a much more problematic play than it was at its original appearance in the First Folio of 1623. The Oxford Shakespeare edition.