William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a timeless exploration of betrayal, revenge and the complexities of the human psyche. Set in the gloomy, gothic halls of Elsinore Castle in Denmark, the play centers on Prince Hamlet, a university student who returns home to find his world completely turned upside down. His father, King Hamlet, has died under mysterious circumstances, and his uncle Claudius has quickly seized the throne and married Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, in what Hamlet perceives to be an indecent hasty union.
From the beginning, Hamlet is deeply troubled by these rapid changes and the moral corruption he perceives in the things around him. Claudius, who lacks the late king’s nobility and grandeur, is seen by Hamlet as a usurper and a base imitation of his father. This tension is heightened by Hamlet’s sadness and disgust at his mother’s quick marriage, which he considers a betrayal of his father’s memory.
The supernatural soon intervenes in this court drama and gives direction to the case and vertigo to the prince. One night, the ghost of the late King Hamlet appears on the ramparts of Elsinore. The ghost, at first visible only to the night watchmen, later reappears to Prince Hamlet. In a terrifying revelation, the ghost claims to have been murdered by Claudius, who poured poison into his ear while he slept. This unexpected twist sets Hamlet on a course of revenge, spurred on by his father’s spirit to do justice to this “dirty and most unnatural murder.” The father’s phrase “Remember me” cuts, same ax, the prince’s life in two, everything is now classified before the phrase and following it and Hamlet’s life and the way he thinks and the way he acts even the way who sees the things around him, everything following this phrase is painted with the colors of revenge.
However, Hamlet is no mere avenger. The prince is a thinker, a philosopher, prone to deep introspection and existential reasoning. This mental nature complicates his quest for revenge. In order to navigate the treacherous waters of the Danish court and confirm Claudius’ guilt without arousing suspicion, Hamlet pretends to be mad. This feigned insanity serves as a cover for his investigative efforts, allowing him to probe the consciousness of those around him while also struggling with his own doubts and moral dilemmas. The court of Elsinore, already full of political intrigue, turns into a web of fraud and espionage. Claudius, suspicious of Hamlet’s erratic behavior, hires Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s former friends, to spy on him. Polonius, the king’s slanderous adviser, also watches closely, involving his daughter Ophelia in his schemes, which heightens the tension and tragedy. As Hamlet oscillates between action and inaction, he stages a play that mirrors his father’s murder, hoping to “catch the king’s conscience.” The play’s impact on Claudius acts as a pivotal moment in the play, revealing his guilt to Hamlet. This revelation leads Hamlet further into a moral and psychological maze as he ponders the nature of justice, revenge, and his own role in the world order.
Hamlet is struck by the waves of restless youth and at the same time is crowned by the wisdom of the measure of rationality. Immovable, unwaveringly committed to finding and uncovering the truth. When he gets to the core of the truth, everything boils down to no return. Only the sweet paternal memory is able to calm him down, calm him down, heal every wound and pain and at the same time lead him resolutely to the delivery of justice. Hamlet feels good only when he has his father in his memory and the revelation of the truth as his goal, where else he feels like a stranger in his palace and in his country and even on the planet.
The secondary characters of the play, who are involved in the central conflict, contribute to the increasing tension. Gertrude, whose motives remain ambiguous, seems torn between her new husband and her son. Caught in the crossfire of family and political machinations, Ophelia confronts her own tragic course and, disembodied, broken, whispers heartbreakingly “That wonderful mind – how it broke.” Laertes, Polonius’ son, mirrors Hamlet’s quest for revenge, adding a parallel strand to the narrative.
In Shakespeare’s and world theater’s masterpiece, the poet masterfully weaves themes of mortality, madness and the supernatural into a rich mosaic, challenging us to ponder the depths of human emotion and the consequences of revenge. “Hamlet” remains a profound commentary on the human condition, exploring the delicate balance between thought and action, reality and appearance, life and death.
“Hamlet” is a compelling drama that delves into the darkest corners of the human psyche, driven by a protagonist whose search for truth and justice reveals the inherent ambiguities of life. The complex unfolding of Shakespeare’s story and complex characters ensure that the play resonates with audiences of all ages, which proves its enduring power and relevance.
The show
The performance, awkward, rested on the capabilities of each actor alone, the poet’s speech may have been heard more clearly by actor a than by actor b, but altogether all was lost in confusion and lack of emotion and non-existent overall design and vision.
Hamlet by Anastassi Roylous easily took us on a journey to the deep questions of the tragic hero, with the same ease he led us to the deep darkness of his destiny but that’s it. When pain, despair and annihilation overwhelmed those around him, we had to find our way back on our own. As if the actor dried up, as if he had no more inspiration, as if he might not be supported to the end by some overall consideration of the performance. The scheming avenger dominates the actor’s interpretation and the tragic hero crushed by events, heavy questions and inhumane situations is lost.
Ioanna Pappa’s Gertrude didn’t move us an inch from our seats, the despair of the worn, confused and in the end annihilated queen was lost in the neutral description of the role and the lack of overall vision for the performance.
In the midst of the general mediocrity, Michalis Syriopoulos’s Claudius with a lot of persistence, a bit of headiness and with clarity, clarity and relative competence described to us what we might not see and what we had to feel was happening behind the half-open doors and the thick darkness.
Otherwise the show moved to the description of the play, no one bothered to dig into the play, to find what it hides behind the action, twists and revelations.
We should note that the “dirty”, “smeared” and teasing lighting of Nikos Sotiropoulos more clearly captures the mental state of the tragic hero than the overall and directorial consideration of the work. Even the video-art of Thomas Palyvos was in harmony with the lighting and the shattered mental harmony of Hamlet. The music of Stavros Gasparatos accurately underlined, emphasized and pointed out what was needed in the performance.
However, the show lacked the overall view that would bring out the emotion and emotion of the viewer. Thus we felt no sympathy for the impasses and despair of our tragic hero. We didn’t feel disgust, anger and rage for all the horrors that were being woven behind Hamlet’s back, we didn’t feel Ophelia’s despair, pain and madness despite the honorable efforts of Jenny Kazakou. Everything moved in a mechanical one-dimensional way, lacking imagination and above all lacking vision, for Shakespeare’s and world theater’s masterpiece.
Translation: Giorgos Heimonas
Directed by: Themis Moumoulidis
Scenery: Mikaela Liakata
Costumes: Royal Wire
Music: Stavros Gasparatos
Lighting: Nikolaos Sotiropoulos
Choreography – Kinesiology: Patricia Apergi
Starring: Anastasis Roilos, Ioanna Pappa, Michalis Syriopoulos, Thodoris Skyftoulis, Thanasis Dovris, Marouska Panagiotopoulou, Tzeni Kazakou, Aris Ninikas, Dimitris Apostolopoulos.
#Hamlet #Tragedy #Intrigue #Madness #Despair
