Hamlet: Prince of Denmark

by Christopher Andrews, William Shakespeare (Other)

Overview

"To Be, or Not To Be, that is the Question." Here is the novelization of Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." It has been adapted to allow modern readers of the 21st century to enjoy the work of The Bard. Whether you are a student or perhaps have simply been intimidated by Shakespeare's text, this is the novelization for you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780977453559
Publisher:	Rising Star Visionary Press
Publication date:	05/21/2006
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.56(d)
Age Range:	13 Years

Read an Excerpt

IN THE 21st CENTURY, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND UNIFIED EUROPE, IN AN UNPRECEDENTED MOVE TO ESTABLISH A GLOBAL UNIFIED NATIONS, UNVEILED THEIR PLAN TO RECALL ALL U.S. AND EURO CURRENCY OVER A TWO-YEAR PERIOD. CONCURRENTLY, ALL CITIZENS WERE TO RECEIVE COMPUTER IDENTIFICATION CHIPS, CALLED IDCs. THE CHIPS, DEVELOPED USING A REVOLUTIONARY NEW CYBERNETIC INTERFACE GELATIN, WERE TO BE SAFELY AND PAINLESSLY IMPLANTED IN THE BACK OF EACH CITIZEN'S RIGHT HAND. THEY CONTAINED ALL PERTINENT INFORMATION, SUCH AS FULL IDENTIFICATION, MEDICAL HISTORY, AND FINANCIAL STATUS, TO MAKE EVERYDAY CHORES - BANKING, HEALTH CARE, SHOPPING - MORE CONVENIENT. DUE TO THEIR SMART FUNCTION, THE IDCs COULD BE TRACED VIA CELLULAR SATELLITE LINKS, MAKING ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS DRUG TRAFFICKING, VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE. THE U.S. AND UNIFIED EUROPE PROUDLY PREDICTED THAT IF EVERYTHING PROCEEDED ACCORDING TO PLAN, THE IDCs WOULD LEAD TO A ONE-WORLD ECONOMY WITHIN FIVE YEARS. GLOBAL PEACE AND A NEW WORLD ORDER WERE JUST AROUND THE CORNER ...
* * *

The steel birds of prey circled above. Young Elijah Barrett looked up at the hovering Police Organizer craft, but he could barely make it out from his short viewpoint amidst the rolling waves of the human sea around him.

His father's voice somehow drifted down to him over the chaos. Led by his anxious mother - and she was anxious, whether she wanted him to know it or not - Eli pushed forward toward his father. Mencer Barrett, slender, tall, proud, called out to the gathering before him from the back of an old flatbed truck, acknowledging the line of Police Organizers around him only when it served to further his points. The Constitution guarantees us the Right to public assembly, his father cried, so why did I need a permit to be here tonight? Why are there men with guns all around us?! Eli didn't understand everything that his father was yelling about, but he knew that it was very important.

Eli watched as a government man in a business suit climbed up onto the back of the truck beside his father. The man shook his finger in Mencer's face, shaming or warning him it seemed, but his father simply did what he did so well - he turned the situation to his advantage. He seized the man's accusing hand and twisted it, exposing to the crowd the new IDC chip that everyone had been talking about at school - before Eli was removed from the public system in favor of home education ...

("What do ya mean, your dad's not gonna let you get one? Everyone's gonna get one, you dork!"
"Nuh-uh! My dad says it's a trick, and the government is tryin-"
"I heard about your dad, Eli. My uncle says he's a trouble-maker."
"My mom said he's a freak!"
"That's not true! My dad's a great man!"
"Oh, really? Then how come he's not gonna let you get an IDC? Haven't you heard about all the great stuff you can do when you scan your chip?")

... Mencer indicated the clear-and-black chip on the suited man's hand. Is this what you want?! he demanded. Is this what you want for yourselves, for your children?! No! The bluster of the crowd grew more indignant, more hostile. Eli looked around nervously, his heart quickening in his chest and butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He wished his mother would pull him free of this!

The IDC isn't about your convenience! his father insisted. It's about power ... The government man pulled his arm free and shoved Mencer aside. A surge pulsed through the crowd, and for a frightful moment Eli lost sight of his father. Now listen to me, the suited man ordered.

Then everything really went crazy. As the suited man leaned forward, trying to stare his authority into the masses, a spectator burst forth from the rest of the crowd. Before the Police Organizers could react, he leaped onto the side of the truck, wielding a knife which he thrust at the startled government man. Eli and his mother broke into the front of the crowd just in time to see the Organizers grab the man with the knife and hurl him to the pavement. Eli gaped in shock and confusion. His mother was yelling, his father was yelling, everyone was yelling as the Organizers beat the man with their clubs. The man wasn't even holding the knife anymore - he was just trying to protect himself.

Mencer jumped over the side of the truck. He tried to reach the beaten man, but one of the Organizers turned on him and pushed him back into the side of the truck. Eli's mother tried to go to him, but then more men in suits grabbed her.

Eli panicked. He swung at the men holding his mother, hitting them with all the strength his eight-year-old body could muster, but they wouldn't let go. His father finally shoved his way past the Organizer, but the policeman spun around, lashing out with his club. He caught Mencer across the side of his left knee, bringing the larger-than-life man to the ground.

Before the horrible sight could even sink in, Eli was lifted right off his feet and carried forward as the protestors reacted to the assault, converging on the Organizers and suited men. The heat of human bodies and human rage threatened to smother Eli. Legs, knees, feet, and flailing arms pounded him from every angle, and for the first time in his few years, Eli experienced fearing for his life. Finally, the swell of protestors ebbed just enough to allow Eli his path. Mencer knelt before him, clutching at his broken joint and drawing breath through clenched teeth. Eli had never before seen his father so vulnerable, so mortal. Sensing his son's presence, Mencer lifted his head. Eli reached out with a numb, caring hand and touched his father's face, feeling the heat and sweat so foreign to his gentle visage. In spite of the turmoil around them, Mencer met Eli's gaze and actually smiled at his little boy.

Around Mencer's neck, a small, wooden cross had dangled into view. Eli reached out and touched the reassuring symbol.
It was over now. This would all stop soon and everything would be all right. They would go home and-
A Police Organizer parted the crowd like a shark. His arm was a blur of violence as his club cracked against the back of Mencer's skull. His father's head jerked unnaturally to the side, snapping the cord from around his neck, and Elijah Barrett found himself standing alone, the wooden cross dangling from his clenched fist.
Like the passing of a torch ...