Cover of Hamlet

Drama · Fiction

Hamlet

by William Shakespeare

A prince confronts a ghost’s accusation and the uncertainty surrounding revenge.

3 hr estimatedB1–B2 Linden levelRead now availability5 chapters

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Overview

About this book

A prince returns to a Danish court marked by sudden death, remarriage and a ghost’s demand for revenge. The play tests action, evidence, performance and self-knowledge through scenes that continually revise what its characters think they know.

First published
1603
Language
English
Copyright status
Public domain

English level

B1–B2 · Steady progress

Hamlet is calibrated from 31,972 sampled words across 5 chapters: sentences average 8.4 words, 8.2% exceed 24 words and 4.1% of words are nine letters or longer.

Explore the B1–B2 level →

Sentence rhythm

What the prose asks

Mostly compact sentences averaging 8.4 words in the sampled text

Vocabulary

What may slow you down

4.1% of sampled words contain nine or more letters and about 17.08 marked archaic terms per thousand words; names and period vocabulary still vary by chapter

Reading rhythm

Short commitment

A few long sections make advance stopping points useful. About 6 calm 30-minute sessions.

Suggested approach

Read with momentum

Use chapter or section breaks to keep context while reading steadily

Best starting point

Begin with chapter one

The full text is ready with speech, lookup and saved progress.

CEFR-aligned Linden estimate · high confidence · sampled full text · Calibrated 2026-09-08 · Provisional, not an exam certification.

Table of contents

5 chapters

  1. 01Act I32 min
  2. 02Act Ii27 min
  3. 03Act Iii34 min
  4. 04Act Iv25 min
  5. 05Act V27 min
Portrait of William Shakespeare

Related author

William Shakespeare

An English playwright and poet whose comedies, histories and tragedies combine theatrical momentum with exceptional verbal range.

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