Hamlet sees the ghost of his father. We have to wonder what other ghosts he might see. Oh wait a second, ghosts do not exist. So is Hamlet seeing things? Some might argue that Hamlet is having an inner dialogue. Well then have the inner dialogue. Shakespeare has no problem with actors droning on and on. We would accept Hamlet droning on and on about his inner feelings. When a modern American hears ghosts being discussed, the snickering can get loud. Why should anyone pay attention to someone that talks to ghosts? Hamlet is a superstitous fool.
Poison
Hamlet's father was poisoned. There is physical evidence of this event. Francis Bacon was developing his ideas of scientific inquiry at the time of Shakespeare. Observing and concluding were the popular thing to do at this time. Yet Shakespeare does not have Hamlet use any evidence. Hamlet struggles with feelings and desires but does not stregthen his argument with any evidence. Surely Hamlet could point at his father's body and ask what caused the father to have this discoloration or this slime or this condition. Hamlet lets the evidence of misdeeds go unnoticed. What a dolt.
Suicide
Hamlet's big speech about "To be or not to be" is just so much garbage. The important question is "I am here. What should I do?" If Hamlet asked this question then maybe this play could be resolved. Suicide is sad but it is not noble or heroic. We all suffer through bad times and bad things. That is life. Everyone endures the slings and arrows. Hamlet is not special. Hamlet makes us endure his inablity to see the reality of living in the world.
Government
Hamlet is one of the best arguments against royals. His dad did nothing to make Denmark better. His uncle does nothing to improve Denmark. Hamlet has not goals for Denmark. Why do we tolerate these fools? Hamlet, in all his talking never proposes a better Denmark. He just wants to be king. Hell we all want to be king. Big deal Hamlet.
The Real Solution
It is obvious that if Hamlet told someone what he knows, then he would get a resolution to his problem. If he told someone that he thought that his uncle and mother poisoned his father, then people would reject the uncle and mother as king and queen. If Hamlet, the great talker, had mentioned to the people that his father was killed by poison, then maybe the people would rise against his uncle. If Hamlet had opened his mouth with evidence and sensible thinking he would have become the king.
The End
Slicing and dicing the uncle does nothing to improve Denmark. We are always glad when royals die. They are worthless people for many reasons. After this adventure Denmark is not a better place. Hamlet has done nothing to improve the world he lives in. Shakespeare makes a good argument against royals.
Revenge
The original Hamlet was a revenge play. If Hamlet had just focused on getting revenge then maybe Shakespeare would have produced a good play. Instead we spend a lot of time watching Hamlet wonder what he should do. He should get revenge. Shakespeare could have had Hamlet deal with the problem of killing his mom and uncle. Hamlet could have proposed a new system for dealing with murder. The "eye for and eye" problem could make Hamlet a play worth paying attention to. "Revenge is a dish best served cold" would be killer cool to see. Hamlet via Shakespeare misses the point.
Motivation
Many modern actors ask "what is my motivation?" Hamlet has revenge, power, position, and righteousness to motivate him, but we do not see this. What we see is a guy asking "what should I do? what should I do?" FOCUS is what Hamlet needs. He does nothing that makes us cheer his efforts. In a revenge play we may not want killing but we want the justice that only revenge can bring. Hamlet is not motivated by revenge. Actually we never know what Hamlets motivation is.
Oh that's right he just wants to strut and fret his hour upon the stage. GO BACK HOME
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