"The characters are introduced, first the major and then the minor: 'This is Hamlet's girlfriend. Her name is Ophelia. She is both a loving girlfriend and an obedient daughter. Unfortunately for her, these roles will clash.' The power bases are introduced, and then the main plot and subplots. The allegiances among the people are represented by diagrams showing the connections. The graphic representation of the plot and characters could be very useful for students who are experiencing Shakespeare's works for the first time. A concluding time line outlines the main action scene by scene, and an appendix explains historical sources of the play and offers some background about Shakespeare."—School Library Journal