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Quick answer: If you loved Hamlet, try Macbeth, King Lear, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Hamnet, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and Gertrude and Claudius. Each one explores revenge, grief, madness or a hero unable to decide what to do.
Shakespeare's tragedy follows Prince Hamlet of Denmark, whose father's ghost tells him he was murdered by his brother Claudius, now king and married to Hamlet's mother. Hamlet pretends to be mad as he hesitates over revenge, with tragic consequences for Ophelia, Polonius and almost everyone else. Readers love its soliloquies, its questions and its drama. These books and plays share its revenge, its doubt and its dark royal court.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Format | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macbeth | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who want a faster tragedy |
| King Lear | William Shakespeare | Play | readers who like family tragedy |
| Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead | Tom Stoppard | Play | readers who want a clever twist on Hamlet |
| Hamnet | Maggie O'Farrell | Novel | readers who want the story behind the play |
| The Story of Edgar Sawtelle | David Wroblewski | Novel | readers who want a modern retelling |
| Gertrude and Claudius | John Updike | Novel | readers who want the prequel |
| Ophelia | Lisa Klein | YA novel | readers who want Ophelia's view |
| Dating Hamlet | Lisa Fiedler | YA novel | readers who want a fun retelling |
| The Spanish Tragedy | Thomas Kyd | Play | readers who like revenge tragedies |
| Oedipus Rex | Sophocles | Play | readers who like tragic fates |
| The Count of Monte Cristo | Alexandre Dumas | Novel | readers who like revenge plots |
| Nutshell | Ian McEwan | Novel | readers who like daring narrators |
| Hag-Seed | Margaret Atwood | Novel | readers who like Shakespeare retellings |
| The Revenger's Tragedy | Thomas Middleton | Play | readers who want another Jacobean revenge play |
| Frankenstein | Mary Shelley | Novel | readers who like tortured heroes |
1. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
A general murders his king after hearing a prophecy.
Best for: readers who want a faster tragedy.
2. King Lear by William Shakespeare
An old king divides his kingdom and loses everything.
Best for: readers who like family tragedy.
3. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Two minor characters wander through Hamlet's story.
Best for: readers who want a clever twist on Hamlet.
4. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
The life of Shakespeare's family and the son who died.
Best for: readers who want the story behind the play.
5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
A mute boy in Wisconsin suspects his uncle killed his father.
Best for: readers who want a modern retelling.
6. Gertrude and Claudius by John Updike
Updike imagines the story before the play.
Best for: readers who want the prequel.
7. Ophelia by Lisa Klein
Ophelia tells her own version of events.
Best for: readers who want Ophelia's view.
8. Dating Hamlet by Lisa Fiedler
A playful YA take on Ophelia.
Best for: readers who want a fun retelling.
9. The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd
A father seeks revenge for his son's murder.
Best for: readers who like revenge tragedies.
10. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
A king discovers a terrible truth about himself.
Best for: readers who like tragic fates.
11. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
A wrongly imprisoned man takes revenge.
Best for: readers who like revenge plots.
12. Nutshell by Ian McEwan
An unborn baby narrates a plot to kill his father.
Best for: readers who like daring narrators.
13. Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
A director stages The Tempest in a prison.
Best for: readers who like Shakespeare retellings.
14. The Revenger's Tragedy by Thomas Middleton
A man plots revenge on the duke who poisoned his love.
Best for: readers who want another Jacobean revenge play.
15. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
A scientist is haunted by his creation.
Best for: readers who like tortured heroes.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Hamlet: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Hamlet. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead for a witty companion piece, and Hamnet for the moving story of Shakespeare's son. If you want modern retellings, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and Nutshell are excellent. For more tragedy, Macbeth and King Lear are the obvious next plays. The Count of Monte Cristo is a great choice if revenge was your favorite part.
Related: The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Hamlet about?
A Danish prince seeks revenge on his uncle, who murdered his father and married his mother.
What is Hamlet's most famous line?
“To be, or not to be: that is the question.”
Why does Hamlet delay his revenge?
Readers debate this: he doubts the ghost, overthinks and struggles with morality.
How does Hamlet end?
Almost all the main characters die, including Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude and Laertes.
Is The Lion King based on Hamlet?
Its story of an uncle murdering a king and a son who must act clearly echoes Hamlet.