Today we will round up our understanding of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by
- Playing the Hamlet Quote Game
- Screening The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s version of Hamlet from its 2001 stage show The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). The RSC is an acting troupe that performs fast-paced, seemingly improvisational condensations of large topics such as Shakespeare's complete works. As you watch, consider the following questions:
- Do you agree with the RSC's depiction of Polonius?
- What is the effect of giving Ophelia a complex subtext? What did you learn about her character from this interpretation?
- What is the effect of replacing the straightforward performance of "To be or not to be..." with "What a piece of work is man..."?
- Why is it appropriate (if funny) that the same actor plays both Claudius and Gertrude?
- What, according to the RSC, are the important moments in Hamlet, as revealed when they perform it "faster" and "even faster"?
- Why is it appropriate that the RSC emphasizes the comedy in this tragedy?
For next class
Bring a copy of Othello, The Moor of Venice
