Of all the Shakespeare plays, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark seems a logical choice to kick-off my "Shakespeare Literacy" campaign. All of Shakespeare's works are famous, but I think Hamlet is the most inescapable. By my own observation, only Romeo and Juliet is more rampant in American culture. I suppose the "romance with a bitter family rival" plot reaches a wider audience than "murder your family member and then commit incest." If anything, I'm jaded by Romeo and Juliet because it's become so commonplace. So if I'm going to start off with a bang, and I don't want to read Romeo and Juliet because pop culture has watered it down to almost romantic comedy status, Hamlet it is.
I managed to find a great, short, animated version of Hamlet on Youtube. While the animation doesn't quite hold up to the standards of the bleached-blonde Kenneth Branagh production of Hamlet, it's a quick-hitter for all the famous quotes.
You can watch the video on your own (the second and third parts are separate videos), but I'll give you a quick taste of my personal favorite quotes.
