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As an enotes contributor, I am ALWAYS reading Hamlet.  (Ha!)  It is one of my absolute favorite Shakespearean plays (and I've read most all of them).  The irony about me is that the revenge plot isn't what thrills me (it's supposed to).  I absolutely LOVE the banter (can I call it banter?) between Hamlet and Ophelia.  Perhaps even more, I love comparing that banter in versions of Hamlet.  My favorite?  The one starring Mel Gibson.  But, you know what's the best satirical piece?  The Mystery Science Theater 3000 version featuring an old (and BAD), German version of Hamlet.  You've got to be sharp to grab all the humor, but it's phenomenal.  Regardless, enjoy reading the wonderful play and the bawdy exchanges between the sexes within it!  : )

Hope this helps.

Can you read this on your own and completely understand it?:

So, oft it chances in particular men,
That for some vicious mole of nature in them,
As in their birth—wherein they are not guilty,
Since nature cannot choose his origin—
By the o'ergrowth of some complexion,
Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason,
Or by some habit that too much o'erleavens
The form of plausive manners, that these men—
Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect,
Being nature's livery, or fortune's star—
Their virtues else—be they as pure as grace,
As infinite as man may undergo—
Shall in the general censure take corruption
From that particular fault. The dram of evil
Doth all the noble substance of a doubt
To his own scandal.

Do you see what Hamlet is saying? Do you understnd each word and its context? Could you explain what is expressed above, line by line, to someone else? These are big questions and demand the utmost candor on your part. And this is an easy passage. Really.

When I teach Shakespeare, I do not send my students home to read a scene or an act; we read it aloud in class, enact it, day by day, line by line, and we chew on it and digest it. I don't know many students today who can dedicate themselves to really understand what they are reading when they read Shakespeare alone. It's a serious and laborious task. Sorry, but most students, if given an assignment to read at home, either will not do so because it's just too difficult to understand sufficiently, or they will resort to online interpretations and summaries. How sad.

Hamlet, like all of Shakespeare taught in high schools needs a guide who knows the territory and understands how to get the most out of it and to make it breathe, give it the life it calls out for.

Hamlet is exciting, heady stuff, but it is hard work for today's young reader. Most students do not have the basic knowledge or stamina to go it alone. And that is not meant to belittle anyone. The writing, the poetry, the humanity of the play is formidible and mature. But with the right guide, its riches can be revealed to you and relished.