In my version of Hamlet, Hamlet, son of ex-principal Hamlet I, is having trouble dealing with his father's recent death, and has been rather depressed lately. To make matters worse, his horrible uncle is taking over as the new principal and his new father. Not even his girlfriend Ophelia or best friends Horatio and Marcellus seem to understand. Poor Hamlet has absolutely no one to talk to-- not even the guidance counselor, Polonius, would be able to offer any advice even remotely helpful to Hamlet's situation.
Act 1 Scene 2 would open on Principal Claudius droning on and on over the intercom about how tragic Principal Hamlet's sudden death is, but that the school must continue to move forward. However, because of the sad state the school is in, he's calling off the big game against Denmark High's rival school, Norway High.
Afterward, he's allows the guidance counselor's son, Laertes, to participate in a foreign-exchange program in France. Not that he'd ever let Hamlet do anything like that-- with Claudius as his stepfather, Hamlet has little to no freedom.
In the middle of class, Hamlet is called to Principal Claudius' office, in which he finds Principal Claudius and his mother, who lecture him on why he needs to get over his father's death for the good of his studies.
After school, Hamlet is approached by his best friends, Horatio and Marcellus, who deliver some interesting news about Hamlet's father. . .
Eliana,
ReplyDeleteI think that this a great blog post, and you have some really great ideas. I knew that you would have a really great and clever idea for this because you are an extremely creative individual. I think that this would be a very interesting and entertaining way of performing Hamlet. You have a lot of good ideas, and I think that it would be even better if you add a few more details to it. I think that the scene that you would chose to reproduce was extremely helpful in receiving the main picture and idea of what kind of Hamlet setting you are looking for! Overall, I think that this was a great blog post because you have very original and unique ideas. I think that this setting would be a very fun way to perform Hamlet. Great job!