MBR Review of Hamlet Made Simple

James A. Cox writes in the Midwest Book Review’s Literary Studies Shelf:

Synopsis: “Hamlet Made Simple and Other Essays” by David P. Gontar (Adjunct Professor of English and Philosophy at Inner Mongolia University in China) presents the most compelling and original reading of Hamlet since A.C. Bradley. Professor Gontar dispenses once and for all with the psychoanalytic interpretation of the play; explains the actual meaning of the Oedipus myth; provides the “smoking gun” which establishes Shakespeare’s true identity; explodes the fable of Shakespeare’s appearance; and in the process of correcting misreadings of Shakespeare’s poetry and drama offers vital insights and indispensable guidance on how this challenging writer can be fairly and productively approached today.

Critique: Hamlet Made Simple and Other Essays is a welcome work of scholarship offering a fresh perspective of Shakespeare’s classic plays for the twenty-first century. The essays scrutinize not only “Hamlet”, but also “King Lear”, “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”, and Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies as a whole. Individual writings include “Crown of Horns: Male Self- Betrayal in Shakespeare”, “An Islamic Reading of King Henry IV”, “Speeches of Love in Shakespeare”, and much more. Inspiring, thoughtful, and daring to break new ground, Hamlet Made Simple and Other Essays is a choice pick for public and college library Literary Studies collections, along with author David Gontar’s “Unreading Shakespeare” (9781943003006, $34.95). It should be noted for personal reading lists that “Hamlet Made Simple and Other Essays” is also available in a Kindle edition ($9.95).