Shakespeare's Hamlet

The genius in Shakespeare is that the text is so full of poetry and ambiguity that it can be interpreted (and often with reason) is diametrically opposed ways. TS Elliott thought it was a hack job whereas Coleridge saw it as a play about melancholy and inaction, Freud says Oedipus and AC Bradley sees a hero awakening to his fate. Somewhere in there, one must read the text for oneself and revel in its beauty and violence.

I watched both the 1948 film version by Laurence Olivier (2h46) and the 1996 version by Kenneth Branagh (4h) and found that they were both fascinating. Olivier brings out the more Freudian interpretation and Branagh the more Bradley-influenced one. I preferred the Branagh version for its relative adherence to the text with a few minor exceptions: he moved the "Angels and ministers of grace defend us" soliloquy from the middle of Act I sc IV to the beginning of Act I sc V, and also the "Tis now the witching time of night" speech at the end of Act III sc ii to near the end of III.iii when Hamlet is contemplating the murder of the praying Claudius and he removed Claudius' speech in IV.v after "O Gertrude, Gertrude!" entirely. I am in agreement that the first two changes keep the action moving and also the poetic narrative in place. I am more puzzled by the removal of Claudius' speech though because he speaks of Ophélia's madness and the arrival of Laertes. Given the hasty scene that follows, the final lines of that speech,
"Like to a murd'ring piece in many places
Gives me a superfluous death." IV.v. 95-95

This is an interesting forebodoing. But then the film was already 4h hours long...

Hamlet is a sort of porte-manteau: he carries in him all of our own insecurities: should I believe the Ghost? Is my mother who I think she is? Should this new reality push me to suicide? How can it be just for 20000 men to die for an eggshell? He hesitates during Claudius' prayer not wanting to send him to heaven and yet as he exits, the king admits that he wasn't really praying:

"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.
"Words without thoughts never to heaven go." III.iii 97-98

so it is all pointless. It takes him, as Bradley points out, four acts to move into action, but it is now too late to arrest the inexorable forward march of fate. Hamlet is also a mise-en-abime, a picture within a picture within a picture as Branagh beautifully portrays Hamlet before a mirror (behind which hide Polonius and Claudius) for the "to be or not to be" speech. And this is truly what makes it such powerful literature, such unforgettable theatre. I feel that sometimes Hamlet is trying to resist the pull of fate and in this passage, he reminds me of Michael Corleone in Godfather II (was Coppola inspired by Shakespeare in his screenwriting? Was Puzo?):

The time is out of joint. O cursèd spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!" I.v 188-189

I am having a hard time writing this review because, as over four centuries have passed since it was penned, most likely in 1600-01, so much has been written about Shakespeare and Hamlet that I feel that what I am writing must sound contrived or rebaked. One thing that did strike me in any case was the sardonic sense of humor that Hamlet has, right up until the end. He displays such a range of emotions and emotional states that it makes him feel so very real.

What makes this so incredibly real is the staging. Having Hamlet expounding on existence (yeah, the one you know by heart) walking into the room with Ophelia (oh, but why did you let Claudius and your idiot father Polonius talk you into this), Hamlet exploding into a rage, “To a nunnery, go!” and then storming off. I think Branagh’s filming of this with mirrors was exquisite. It is theater right on the precipice of reality.

Reading Hamlet is something most only do because they have to in high school. I would say that it speaks only superficially to teenagers because of the Elizabethan language and culture. It is, however, an extraordinary read as an adult full of intrigue and, for the modern reader, déjà vus of a sort because so many phrases we take for granted are found in it. Enjoy!

Fino's Reviews of Shakespeare and Shakespearean Criticism
Comedies
The Comedy of Errors (1592-1593
The Taming of the Shrew (1593-1594)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594-1595)
Love's Labour's Lost (1594-1595)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-1596)
The Merchant of Venice (1596-1597)
Much Ado About Nothing (1598-1599)
As You Like It (1599-1600)
Twelfth Night (1599-1600)
The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600-1601)
All's Well That Ends Well (1602-1603)
Measure for Measure (1604-1605)
Cymbeline (1609-1610)
A Winter's Tale (1610-1611)
The Tempest (1611-1612)
Two Noble Kinsmen (1612-1613)

Histories
Henry VI Part I (1589-1590)
Henry VI Part II (1590-1591)
Henry VI Part III (1590-1591)
Richard III (1593-1594)
Richard II (1595-1596)
King John (1596-1597)
Edward III (1596-1597)
Henry IV Part I (1597-1598)
Henry IV Part II (1597-1598)
Henry V (1598-1599)
Henry VIII (1612-1612)

Tragedies
Titus Andronicus (1592-1593)
Romeo and Juliet (1594-1595)
Julius Caesar (1599-1600)
Hamlet (1600-1601)
Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602)
Othello (1604-1605)
King Lear (1605-1606)
Macbeth (1605-1606)
Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-1607)
Coriolanus (1607-1608)
Timon of Athens (1607-1608)
Pericles (1608-1609)

Shakespearean Criticism
The Wheel of Fire by Wilson Knight
A Natural Perspective by Northrop Frye
Shakespeare After All by Marjorie Garber
Shakespeare's Roman Plays and Their Background by M W MacCallum
Shakespearean Criticism 1919-1935 compiled by Anne Ridler
Shakespearean Tragedy by A.C. Bradley
Shakespeare's Sexual Comedy by Hugh M. Richmond
Shakespeare: The Comedies by R.P. Draper
Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics by Stephen Greenblatt
1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare by James Shapiro

Collections of Shakespeare
Venus and Adonis, the Rape of Lucrece and Other Poems
Shakespeare's Sonnets and a Lover's Complaint
The Complete Oxford Shakespeare

1 like = 1 cookie for Lila Bard

Have seen and taught this play many times and may at some point write a review, but this is widely seen as one of the four great tragedies of Shakespeare including Macbeth, Othello and King Lear. Many great screen adaptations exist including that of Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Brannagh and others. Tremendous characters, and memorable speeches.

I write this here now because under the worldwide restrictions internationally I saw online a wonderful (zoomed) reading of the play managed by a Hong Kong theater company, with actors reading the script in Hong Kong, LA, NYC, Chicago, and Milwaukee, including a friend of mine. On the right you could read the same script they were using, and I tacked back and forth between the reading and the lively inventive production that sometimes allowed for minimal costumes and props (Yorick was raised from the grave as a roll of toilet paper; how's that for improvisation with a nod to contemporary circumstances!?). Many such live productions are now available online; now how to get them paid!

hamlet you petulant brat ily

When a play is considered the best ever written by the greatest author in history, well a serious reader ( maybe not too serious) must take a look and see, I for sure was not disappointed, a marvelous written view of human nature the good and the bad. Hamlet is a kindly man, and longtime student (over ten years not too dedicated it seems), at the University of Wittenberg,Germany . But his carefree life is destroyed, when his father dies suddenly. Having the misfortune to be a Prince of Denmark, he just wanted to have fun...Duty demands, going back to the royal palace at Elsinore immediately, the royal castle overlooking the
cold Baltic Sea, which controls its entrance. The new King, his uncle has married Hamlet's mother the Queen! And thus gaining the throne, just a month after the King's funeral quite shamelessly thinks Hamlet.The ruler was an elective office then so the Prince is still the Prince not the King. More shocking still, the ghost of the late sovereign appears (or the devil), above the walls of the castle in the depth of night and tells his son that he was murdered, can you imagine how his son reacts in the darkness in the creepy setting . By his own brother, what a situation for poor Hamlet to be and his mother involved too, the family honor demand revenge however the family are the killers...Others, the royal guards witness this frightening episode.The father wants satisfaction you can guess what... And you think you have problems! What will Hamlet do. The Prince becomes very melancholic, procrastinating, condemning himself for his weakness, relatives and friends become concerned about the behavior, is Hamlet insane? Telling Ophelia his sweetheart, he loves her, nevertheless later to her face to become a nun. She the daughter of Polonius a counselor to Claudius, the new ruler such a quandary. Spying for Claudius, Polonius is slain by the Prince who kills the wrong man. Who mistakes him hiding behind a curtain, for the odorous King. Claudius plots with the help of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two former school friends of his nephew , an inept pair of halfwits. To eliminate Hamlet, he has been making threats against his uncle.A long voyage to England with the evil two, which the Prince, will never return home.Sounds good to Hamlet, he needs to get away from the vile machinations. Besides Ophelia's brother will come back soon to Denmark and he wants blood. And on the horizon possible war against Norway , also becomes a very real possibility.Time to get out of town of course.But he does come back, mysteriously alone you need not wonder how. The first thing the Prince sees is the digging in a graveyard, with friend Horatio by his side.The skull of Yorick his father's jester is uncovered, Hamlet remembers him. Holding the clown's head in his hands he tells Horatio and the gravedigger how Yorick used to carry him on his back, the pathos flow out over the site unashamedly . Making jests to everyone he met Yorick was a merry man but no more.Sadly no more...."The Rest is Silence". A beautiful end to an unmatched skillful product of human endeavors.

i am not sure of many things, but there's one thing i know with the utmost certainty and it's that hamlet and horatio explored each other's bodies. multiple times.

بين العبقرية و الجنون شعرة. فهل ادعى هاملت الجنون ليثأر لمقتل أبيه أم أنه جن فعلا و تصرفاته بعد ذلك هي قمة الجنون؟
في مسرحية لم ينج منها أحد من السيف أو السم أو الغرق ... هل خسر الجميع و فاز الجمهور؟

تبدأ الحكاية بموت الملك و عودة ولده هاملت إلى الدنمارك لتولي العرش فيجد أن أمه قد تزوجت عمه الذي اعتلى العرش فيصاب بالإكتئاب الشديد حزنا على والده و أمه و عرشه. يتصور طيف أبيه الذي يصرح له بأنه مات بالسم صريع مؤامرة من زوجته و أخيه و يطالب ابنه بالثأر فتتصاعد الأحداث الدرامية ذات النكهة الفلسفية كعادة العبقري وليام شكسبير حتى النهاية في مشهد ميلودرامي مؤثر يموت فيه هاملت بعد أن انتقم لوالده و أراق بركة من الدم بها من الضحايا اللذين لا ذنب لهم أكثر مما بها من الخونة المستحقين للقتل.

هل تستحق الحياة الموت من أجلها؟ فماذا سيبقى بعد الموت؟ و هل الشرف في لذة العيش أم في الاستغناء عن الملذات في سبيل تحقيق الذات؟

عندما هتف هامل�� بعبارته الشهيرة أكون أو لا أكون .. تلك هي المشكلة. هل سلك الدرب الوعر الذي أفضى إلى حل المشكلة أم أنها ازدادت تعقيدا؟ ما جدوى الحياة أصلا و هي مليئة بالشر و المطامع و لن ينج منها أحد مهما اقترف من خير أو شر؟

مسرحية تم تقليبها على كل الوجوه منذ عدة مئات من السنين و ما زالت طازجة حتى الأن حتى أن دم هاملت ما زال ينزف و صوته يتردد بالأسئلة التي ليس لها أجوبة.

“Madness in great ones must not unwatch’d go.”

I don’t know what to say about Hamlet. I could go on about how it is a story of madness and revenge. I could talk about the bonds of family loyalty, the sacrifices of love, the breaches of trust and their deleterious effects on the psyche. But this is old news—Hamlet has been around for over four hundred years. What could I possibly say that hasn’t already been said?

When my wife saw I was reading Shakespeare, her snippy comment went something like, “What are you reading that for? Don’t you you have enough drama in your life?” Which, thanks Cristina, and yes I suppose I do, but what of it? Drama can be so much freaking fun. There is a reason it sells, a reason there are countless dramatic television shows on the air, countless box office films released each year rehashing the same old dramatic plotlines (some to great effect; others, not so much). And there is a reason people are still reading Shakespeare centuries upon centuries after his death: they are fun, they are witty, they are ever so dramatic.

Hamlet is no exception. With plot elements involving fratricide, lethal potions, mistaken identity, forgery of correspondence, espionage and treachery, along with a solid dose of hanging out with the ghosts of dead relatives, one could imagine I’m reviewing an episode of General Hospital. But what is Hamlet if not a soap opera for the Elizabethans? It is an epically tragic train wreck crammed into five tiny acts.

What makes this piece of drama so timeless, though, is that its action is served in such perfect complement by its depiction of character. We all know what Prince Hamlet is going to do before he does it. Hamlet himself, even while doubting his abilities and struggling with his resolve, knows how it’s going to all play out. Why else would he be so cruel to Ophelia? And yet it is this internal turmoil that fuels our interest in the action. It might seem like an ordinary train wreck at its surface, but upon deeper inspection it is a train wreck in whose conductors and engineers we have a vested interest.

So, witty discourse meets fast-paced drama meets penetrating character introspection? It almost makes me wonder what would have become of Luke and Laura had William Shakespeare been in charge of the script.