The first chapter of the book is an open letter to W.W. Greg, the author of a previous work, entitled "Hamlet's Hallucination." I did not realize until I opened Wilson's book that it was tied directly to a previous post (11/11/13). That roped me in immediately.
Wilson suggests jumping ahead to Chapter V, which I did. It is excellent! It discusses "The Mousetrap" in depth. Much consideration is given to the dumb-show and to why Claudius does not react. I found Wilson's hypothesis to be both unique and entirely plausible. Exceedingly interesting was his description of how he would block the scene were he the director. That has given me a standard by which to base future productions that I will see.
Once Chapter V was concluded, I returned to the beginning of the book and read the rest in order (giving Chapter V a second perusal). The entire book is an analysis and explanation of the plot of Hamlet. As Wilson states repeatedly, Hamlet is a drama to be acted and not merely a book to be read. He treats it as such, and his discussions center on the staged performance of the play. For as much as I have read of Hamlet and for all of the versions that I have seen, I learned quite a bit from Wilson. He does a tremendous job of helping a modern-day student of the play to understand what an Elizabethan audience would have taken for granted. His discussions of Elizabethan politics and spiritualism were particularly illustrative.
Chapter VI is another highlight. In it, Wilson discusses the mystery of Hamlet's melancholy. We know that Hamlet is not well, but we are never given an exact cause for his disorder. The description provided by Wilson reads as a diagnosis of manic depression. As Wilson states repeatedly throughout his book, though, Hamlet is a fictional character in a fictional play. To attempt to take him out of context and to analyze him as if he were a real person is "wrong in method and futile in aim" (Preface to 3rd Edition).
Chapter VII left me thinking one word: Bravo! Wilson dissects the duel, explaining Elizabethan fencing terminology in a manner that is both understandable and informative. Much of the context of the scene is lost on modern-day students, and the manner in which the scene often is staged causes considerable confusion. As with his treatment of "The Mousetrap," Wilson describes in depth how he would block the scene as a director. Reading the chapter made me realize that I have never seen the duel as Shakespeare might have intended it and as Wilson would stage it. As Wilson comments, "How different an atmosphere from that of the modern theatre!" (287).
I noted one very interesting and ironic footnote in the book. Although it has nothing to do with Hamlet, it definitely struck me. The first edition of the book was published in 1935. At the beginning of Chapter VI, Wilson makes the following comment: "Whatever may be thought of the Nazi movement, it offers plenty of first-class material for future dramatists, or film producers" (200). If only Wilson had known how prescient those words would be!
As Wilson concludes at the end of Chapter VI, "There are as many Hamlets as there are actors who play him..." (238). I already have seen many of those, but this book does a masterful job of hypothesizing how Shakespeare intended his Hamlet to look. It is bar none the best Hamlet reference that I have encountered. I already have purchased a copy to add to my own bookshelf and to return to many times. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I believe that Harold Child has described this book best.
"Your Ideal Spectator for this purpose would be a very thorough and intelligent Shakespearian who knew Hamlet well but (to his shame) had not read What Happens in "Hamlet"--if anyone could be said to know Hamlet well without having read your book."
Wilson, J. Dover. What Happens in Hamlet. 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press, 1956.
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