'To be or not to be’ is probably the most famous Shakespearean line in the canon; everybody knows it and there's an almost equally large group who will strike a pose, grab an object and declaim ‘Alas, poor Yorick!’ Any book that reflects the huge range of actors who have attempted the role through time is an interesting read.
This is really a book in three parts: firstly, a stage history up to the 1950s; a decade by decade survey of all the actors who have played Hamlet from the 1950s, which includes discussion with the directors and critics (and sometimes designers); and an in-depth rehearsal process recording of Simon Russell Beale's Hamlet at the National Theatre.
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