s.penkevich's Reviews > Hamlet
Hamlet
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Something is rotten in the state of Denmark and, like Oscar the Grouch, I love it. And I love Hamlet. He can’t shut up, he’s a moody as hell bisexual and gets all philosophical while wanting everyone to think he’s losing his mind triggering a self-fulfilling prophecy of his mental health actually spiraling… okay so maybe I relate a bit too much. But this play rules and it has survived as a classic for a reason even if its characters don’t survive the play. Plus who doesn’t love a good revenge story? Especially one that has become a staple plot that has also led to great retellings like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead or even The Lion King and has so many elements that would later be revitalized as gothic tropes in literature and film.
This whole play is steeped in the interrogative mood that situates us in constant contemplation of ‘what a piece of work is man’ through a cavalcade of philosophical inquiries that move from sophism to existentialism. Of course ‘to be or not to be,’—one of the most quoted and recognizable lines of the play—is often considered to probe existentialist ideas long before Kierkegaard and Sartre would take up their pens and opens the play up as an investigation of identity and purpose that is, arguably, very existentially thematic. Much of the play asks ‘what is a man’ but is also Hamlet asking “who am I?” of himself as he schemes and stumbles through the ‘rotten’ state of the world. He also seems to express ideas of relativism central to the Sophists in lines such as ‘there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so,’ and this moral relativism coupled with a thirst for revenge adds a rather edgy and engaging texture to the narrative as it plunges forward into destruction and death.
It is also a coveted role on the stage and there is such an incredible list of people who have played Hamlet. Peter O'Toole, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Burton, David Tennant, Kenneth Branagh, Christopher Plummer, Daniel Day-Lewis, Alan Cumming and many more. Even Ian McKellen played him in a recent age-blind cast production. Who wouldn't want to play Hamlet? But Ophelia as well, one of the more interesting characters who has certainly had a life of her own across literature.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet lives on, like many of his plays, for having a rather universal quality to them that appeals to the times no matter when in history it is revisited or performed. Themes of being trapped by circumstance, themes of betrayal, themes of the in-fighting of the ruling class dooming a nation under them, and themes of struggling with identity continue to trouble people in every era and Hamlet always offers an avenue for confronting these ideas. A fantastic play that stands out even in Shakespeare’s impressive canon of works.
This whole play is steeped in the interrogative mood that situates us in constant contemplation of ‘what a piece of work is man’ through a cavalcade of philosophical inquiries that move from sophism to existentialism. Of course ‘to be or not to be,’—one of the most quoted and recognizable lines of the play—is often considered to probe existentialist ideas long before Kierkegaard and Sartre would take up their pens and opens the play up as an investigation of identity and purpose that is, arguably, very existentially thematic. Much of the play asks ‘what is a man’ but is also Hamlet asking “who am I?” of himself as he schemes and stumbles through the ‘rotten’ state of the world. He also seems to express ideas of relativism central to the Sophists in lines such as ‘there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so,’ and this moral relativism coupled with a thirst for revenge adds a rather edgy and engaging texture to the narrative as it plunges forward into destruction and death.
It is also a coveted role on the stage and there is such an incredible list of people who have played Hamlet. Peter O'Toole, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Burton, David Tennant, Kenneth Branagh, Christopher Plummer, Daniel Day-Lewis, Alan Cumming and many more. Even Ian McKellen played him in a recent age-blind cast production. Who wouldn't want to play Hamlet? But Ophelia as well, one of the more interesting characters who has certainly had a life of her own across literature.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet lives on, like many of his plays, for having a rather universal quality to them that appeals to the times no matter when in history it is revisited or performed. Themes of being trapped by circumstance, themes of betrayal, themes of the in-fighting of the ruling class dooming a nation under them, and themes of struggling with identity continue to trouble people in every era and Hamlet always offers an avenue for confronting these ideas. A fantastic play that stands out even in Shakespeare’s impressive canon of works.
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Finished Reading
September 24, 2011
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November 13, 2024
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Frankie
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Nov 14, 2024 04:44AM
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Oooo reading it right now—it’s what made me realize I should reread this since I last encountered it in high school. SO good so far, I think one of my favorites I’ve read all year possibly?
Haha totally attacked by Shakespeare! Hope you are well, long time! Just saw on your profile we both ended up as librarians which rules. Long live libraries!
Right!? I read an interview with him where he said they approached him about it and he said “me as Hamlet? That sounds silly!” But then was super into it. Wish I could have seen it too—I think he fell off stage in one production and hasn’t acted since though which is sad
But that is awesome! What an awesome role—did you do any other plays you really enjoyed? In 5th grade for some reason we did Macbeth and I got to play Macbeth so I’ve always loved that one best. Ooo speaking of gender blind casting, have you read Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad? Just finished last night and it uses Hamlet in really cool ways
I was going to joke "because its not King Lear" but good point, I shall correct that!
And thank you! In college, we read quite a few plays that still stick with me. Besides revisiting some classics from high school like Fences, Our Town, more Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams and Ibsen, A Man for All Seasons and Murder in the Cathedral come to mind right away — both so intense in thematically similar ways. In reflecting on college-specific plays, you've also brought up a memory for me, of seeing an excellent but chilling production from the theater club at my university, The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh (the same mind behind Three Billboards and Banshees of Inisherin, I believe?). It was haunting and I couldn't get it out of my head for the longest time, blending psychological horror with dark humor and philosophical reflection on themes of abuse, morality, and the impact of trauma on identity. Probably one of my favorite plays i saw the college produce while i was there, but it was nightmare fuel for a while.
And Enter Ghost sounds right up my alley! I’d vaguely heard of it but hadn’t looked into it much, but if you give it a thumbs up AND it plays with Hamlet, it’s definitely on my TBR now, thank you!
Good to hear! And as they say, you live long enough to see yourself become the librarian.
It would be SO cool to see him as Hamlet, he's got that charm down so well and can do darkness too--I recently watched the 82 Scarlet Pimpernel with him as the villain and he was great.
But that is an incredible list (and reminds me I still need to read Our Town). Do you still do much acting? Also WOW okay, I need to look up The Pillowman right away, that sounds amazing. And dark haha. I felt that way about his film In Bruges, I loved it and the dark humor was great but it truly haunted me for a long time and still does whenever I watch it. That makes so much sense now that he wrote plays as well since I always thought In Bruges had a real tightness to it that felt like a play. Thank you, I'm going to go look that up!
Ooo yes please, would love to hear what you think. I think I'm going to obsess about it for awhile. Learned a lot about the history of theater in Palestine too and, when googling to see if one of the plays mentioned was real, discovered a great article about Palestinian theater only to realize after reading it that she also wrote the article haha.
Good to hear! And as they say, you live long enough to see yourself become the librarian."
Indeed! haha
The college years were the extent of my dabbling in acting, but my love for theater and film etc will last a lifetime! I may be an engineer but the arts will always hold an equal place in my heart <3
And thank you for the rec! In Bruges is officially going on my watchlist now. I’m not surprised McDonagh’s haunting, dark humor translates well from stage to screen, and I can totally see from what I do know of the film why In Bruges would have that same tight, layered feel as his plays. If The Pillowman resonated with me so much, I can only imagine how his other cinematic works would hit.
As for Enter Ghost, knowing it dives into the history of Palestinian theater just seals the deal for me. I’m coming from placing a hold at my library💪—your endorsement definitely influenced me! I’m really looking forward to seeing how Hammad weaves Hamlet’s themes with that rich historical and cultural layer. And that article you mentioned? Such a cool discovery; Hammad seems like a truly thoughtful storyteller. Can’t wait to swap thoughts once I dive in!
Th..."
It's quite good! Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour are great in it too! And fair, careers do tend to take center stage but glad the arts still hold a special place! Do you go see much theater? I always mean to and very rarely do, though I did make it to NYC this summer to catch Eddie Redmayne in Cabaret and...it was perfect? I loved it so much. They reworked some aspects that made it VERY intense such as instead of having the emcee represent marginalized people he represents the political state of Berlin and becomes terrifying by the end.
Excited to hear what you think of both In Bruges and Enter Ghost. I just read the wikipedia synopsis on The Pillowman and woah does that sound incredible--the whole aspect of murders done in the style of the one guy's short stories is intense ha (oddly reminds me of that John Cusack movie where he plays Edgar Allen Poe investigating murders done in the style of his stories which is...okay its not good but also its charming and kind of good? haha). I need to see if I can find the play to read for sure.
I hope you enjoy the Hammad! There are some really cool aspects about art as protest and if its actually helpful or not that I really enjoyed. And learning so much about Palestinian theater was great. Oh, here's the article. No spoilers for the novel in it, though some of it does get talked about by characters in the book:
lithub [dot] com/the-revolutionary-power-of-palestinian-theater/
And wow, that Pillowman comparison with the John Cusack movie is hilarious! I think that Edgar Allan Poe film you’re referring to is The Raven, right? Definitely a "so bad it's good" kind of vibe, but you're not wrong—it has a weird charm to it. The dark twists in The Pillowman are so intense, and the psychological complexity really stuck with me because at that time I don’t think I’d ever seen a play that dark (having grown up mostly on musicals). It’s one of those plays where the horror feels existential as much as it does narrative, which is part of what made it so haunting for me.
I’m starting to see how Hammad might weave lovely Hamlet threads into Enter Ghost! I was particularly struck by the line about how theater — like Hamlet — was banned because of its potential to incite action. The fact that something as iconic as the “To be or not to be” soliloquy could be seen as an act of resistance? That speaks voluuumes about theater’s power to challenge authority/reshape narratives (also makes me think about the broader role of art in times of political struggle, something I’ve already been reflecting on a lot in our post-2024-election America :( ugh).
I really like where I think Hammad is going here, exploring the role of art as a space for social reflection and healing, how Palestinian communities are literally seeking to "see themselves reflected" through their art. That image of people standing close to a painting to “smell the paint,” as if trying to touch the very essence of their identity, is so visceral and evocative I found myself getting emotional...I’m. SO. excited. to. read. more.
I hope in the coming years it becomes more and more clear to folks that the need for self-representation and recognition is as urgent as ever (and that theater remains a vital form of resistance in this context).
Thank you again for sharing the article—I can already see that there’s so much to unpack and reflect on and that prospect is REALLY exciting to me, I’m feeling like a racehorse chomping at the bit in anticipation of getting my hands on the book xD.
ahhhh sorry for the delay it has been a busy few days. But that is awesome, I really need to go see more theater. Haha yea that Tony performance was super polarizing! I really enjoyed him, I guess I saw his last week on the show and then emcee was switching to Adam Lambert which is…an odd choice but cool? And hmmm I’ve seen Hadestown twice so apparently that is my favorite hahah
The Pillowman sounds so good on stage. I read a pretty detailed description of the plot and it seems horrifying haha I really liked it. And The Raven, that’s it! I should rewatch that. Or maybe not and just remember it as weirdly charming enough to not be all bad haha
But wasn’t that article fascinating!? Wow there is such a big history of theater as protest, that line about how every show had a least one actor arrested was wild. I had no idea about Hamlet being banned either. I was looking up more information on that and I guess Israel also banned Lord of the Rings. I feel like banning books and plays in case it inspires people to take action is REALLY telling on yourself. I liked how in her book she makes some really good points on the necessity of being able to tell your own narratives in a way that reveals culture. I was reading a recent interview with her and she chastises the US for only standing up for free speech when it protects people from defending genocide but the same people promoting free speech are silent when Palestinian voices are silenced or censored or people lose jobs for supporting them. She had a great line “It’s a totally lopsided ideological element of American culture, that the highest good is free speech, rather than that free speech is a side product of a just political system, but without any reference to what the content of the speech is” and then goes on to say that people are more concerned with using the correct phrases and arguing semantics in order to sidestep from taking any action. I think youll like Enter Ghost because it really tries to address how theater and art fits into that and how to…productively think about art without over inflating it i guess?
Haha I just looked that up and it sounds super fun! I like how the ghost of John Barrymore is so central to it!
Oh that is amazing, I imagine this is a really fun and fascinating one to teach. It also seems one that gets better on the reread since it’s so complex and dynamic? Like you say, super interpretable. And that’s awesome, I mean who wouldn’t want to play Hamlet haha good for you
Hahaha yessssssss
Thank you so much! It’s such a good one I really need to watch a performance of it asap now
And great to see that you have become a librarian -- how perfect!
Thank you so much!
And great to see that you have become a librarian -- how perfect!"
Thank you! Oh awesome, have you seen it performed? I really need to. I just finished Enter Ghost which gets really into Hamlet being performed in the West Bank and its probably my favorite book I've read this year so now I need to learn all I can about Hamlet haha.
And thank you! I enjoy it!
Thank you so much! It’s such a good one. And yea, I feel like Shakespeare often hits just as hard in the modern day as ever.