Last night we watched Hamlet. Cal loves the movie. I don’t. It’s horribly depressing—oh, look, everyone’s dead. You want to like Hamlet, but he’s no better than anyone else. Ophelia’s the only one I like and she goes mad and drowns. (Okay, no one else in our house shares my opinion.)
I will admit that the acting is superb. And the play has some of the best lines (though the Scottish play has more). To be or not to be. Get thee to a nunnery. The play’s the thing. Time is out of joint. Alas, poor Yorrick. Man is a wondrous thing. Frailty, thy name is woman. Horatio, I am dead. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
I would actually like to spend some time studying the play. I’d like to dig into the themes of truth and lies, predestination and free choice, sanity and madness, and love and vengeance. But if I did it would probably convince me that it’s a great play and I’d love it.
Why did we end up watching it? I quote a line from the play in the book I’m revising and I had to make sure that it’s in the movie. It is. Whew! Which line, you ask. It’s a secret! You’ll have to read the book. In the meantime, it’s a famous line, and it’s not one of the ones listed above.
I suppose you could guess...
Have you seen Scottland PA? It is, in my opinion, one of the best adaptation of shakespeare's work I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI could guess. . . but then again, I know.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched the movie yet, but I've heard it's good. I also haven't read Shakespeare in ages, but he was in incredible storyteller, that's for sure!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize all those famous quotes were from Hamlet! I don't like Shakespearean plays taken as a whole, either, but he definitely is the master of great lines. I think that's why I like his poems better.
ReplyDeleteI personally find Shakespeare Plays most enjoyable when they're performed on the stage. Films are fine, but they just don't capture the same essence..
ReplyDeleteYou know Mrs. Keller, you've gotten me very curious about this book. I don't even know what genre it is, or what time period it takes place in! I glimpsed a few words as they came out your printer, but they didn't tell me anything about it. You should give us a sneak preview about it or something.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, you like Shakespeare plays on stage when you're performing them.
ReplyDelete@Luke
ReplyDeleteHumph. Touche.
This above all: to thine own self be true? or maybe...You speak like a green girl, Unsifted in such perilous circumstance?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I never read the play - just saw the movie. Mel was a little overly bugged out in one scene as I recall - reminded me of Braveheart.
Hope your book is doing well.
I'll call it: The quote is "Buzz, buzz." (II.ii)
ReplyDeleteWhich version did you watch? I'm guessing it's not the Mel Gibson one, since about 85% of the lines were cut out to make room for Mr. Gibson's ~*~DEEP POIGNANT PAUSES~*~ and your quote would probably be lost. If it was the new David Tennant-and-Patrick Stewart one, then I am officially envious because that one sounds like a swoonfest and I haven't seen it.