http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/218/act-v
This was my second exposure to Hamlet--Hamlet performed by inmates at a high security prison in Missouri. A reporter visited the prison for 6 months and watched the inamtes practice. The segment consists of interviews with the inmates about their interpretations of Hamlet as well as recordings of their performances. This was incredibly interesting because these men have all committed serious criminal acts (murder, rape, armed robberies), and at the core of Hamlet is a man contemplating a criminal act. The reporter found that these men knew much more about Hamlet than he ever thought he did. He says: "This is a play about a man pondering about a violent crime and its consequences performed by violent criminals living out those consequences".
One inmate had a very interesting insight into Hamlet's situation. He says, "Hamlet's dilemma is not really dilemma". He rationalizes that if someone wronged him in some way, he would know that he would have to "do him" or basically, get his revenge--there would be no hesitation or contemplation.
He also provides a very interesting comment on Hamlet's delay on killing his uncle. He says that "If I'm strong enough to believe in ghosts, then I'm strong enough to believe what the ghost tells me".
All in all, it is a very interesting and different take on Hamlet and I encourage you all to listen!
The Immortality of Garrick
David Garrick, the eighteenth-century actor, playwright, and theater manager often credited with Shakespeare's 18th-century revival, is here lauded by a group of 17 actors in their favorite Shakespearean characters, as he is carried to his apotheosis
Wow! This was great - really gave a refreshing spin on Shakespeare. I definitely never expected to see inmates performing or practicing Hamlet. The conventional portrayal or understanding of Hamlet is as a whiny, angsty, smart-alecky individual; but through the eyes of criminals, people who have committed crimes similar to the one Hamlet contemplates throughout the play, he seems more three-dimensional and a lot scarier.
ReplyDeleteI like how one inmate goes so far as to say that Hamlet does not actually face a true dilemma, since we spent most of Wednesday discussing the complexities of Hamlet and why he seems relatable to the audience. Ironically, the idea that Hamlet knows he has to "do him" alienates the reader and makes him appear not as riddled by factors of guilty conscience, delay, or hesitance.
Nice find!