It has drawn substantial criticism for its portrayal of King Hamlet as a pedophile who molested Laertes, Horatio, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the implication that this in turn made them homosexuals.

He does not envy Claudius as the new king, believing him to be a fine monarch, although he pines for the day when he can rule Denmark peacefully and without war.

[2] Orson Scott Card has modernized other Shakespeare plays, including The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, and Romeo and Juliet, "so that modern audiences can understand them instantly and easily while still remaining [sic] all the flavor of blank verse in Elizabethan English.

"[8] Numerous outlets began publishing reviews after the Rain Taxi article,[9] including IO9,[2] SF Site,[1] and The Guardian,[9] all commenting on the book's link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

In his response, he says that none of the characters were gay, that Hamlet's father was a "pedophile, period," and says that he would not make a link between pedophilia and homosexuality.

Further, he states that his "vilification by the hate groups of the Left" has prompted him to write fewer gay characters in his stories, saying that, "no matter how I depict them, I will be accused of homophobia.