"Denmark's a Prison..."
Set Design by Takeshi Kata
The set is made of pure iron fixings: the bars, railings, stairs, everything. This Kingdom of Denmark is a Militaristic State; one that is cold, ridged, and lifeless to help show us what state the nation is in.
There are sliding doors made of iron that help either open up the space for the characters to move in and out of, or slide to shut off nearly half of the stage, giving off a cramped and trapped feeling to the action.
Costume Design by Daniele Tyler Mathews
All of the royalty residents living within the castle wear darker and more muted colors: black, dark blue with small amounts of white, etc...
Everyone who comes to visit Hamlet and the royal family, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, wear more vibrant colors, showing a larger difference in how separated Denmark is from the rest of the world.
Context of the Play
"What is a man?"
In the thousands of productions of Hamlet that have ever existed, there is often one line in the play that everyone will go back to: “What a piece of work is a man”. This, as it was originally written, was a contemplation of what it means to exist: “What is a man? Is he good, bad, both, or neither?”, “Why were we put on this earth?”, “What should we do with our free will?”, etc.... However, this time around, the team working on this production of Hamlet sought to turn that original question on its head. Instead of asking about the questions of existence, it changes it so it asks “What does it mean to be a man by society's standards?”
In the past few years, as well as throughout all of history, the definition of what a man is has changed. However, a traditional definition of manhood still may look something like this: “A man is tough, aggressive, stoic, shouldn’t show emotions, and achieves respect through violence.”
From the start, we can see that Prince Hamlet fits none of these traditional molds. And not only that, but in the very first scene of the play, we see this pressure sitting on him. When Hamlet expresses his sadness for his father’s passing, the King scolds him, telling him that Hamlet’s long grieving process (only 2 months, mind you) is “unmanly grief”. If that sounds familiar, it's probably because you’ve heard something similar to that in your own life. The classic “C’mon, just get over it and move on already” apparently existed back in Shakespeare's time, too.
And what’s worse is that what drives Hamlet through the play are the expectations the ghost, his dead father, has of him! So no matter which direction Hamlet decides to move, forgiveness or revenge, he’s faced with the obligation of doing something he naturally isn’t capable of! This only drives him to think less of himself, and thus continues the cycle of self-hatred, fear, and anger. These masculine expectations weigh on him like a ton of bricks, squeezing him at every moment in the play. Hamlet isn’t a killer, yet he’s tasked with killing his uncle to avenge the death of his father. And it kills him… literally.
An eye for an eye: The traditional masculine way.
Which leads to another important part of this dynamic: Hamlet’s decision to put on the “antic disposition” in order to carry out his revenge means that he must make himself into an unhealthy example of a man to his family and friends… as well as his ex-girlfriend, Ophelia. She is an example of the flip-side of the coin that Hamlet faces; fitting into the mold of Femininity. At every turn, when Ophelia speaks for herself regarding what she ought to do, she is either given advice or instructed to behave in a way that isn’t true to what she stands for. And not for lack of courage: she’s quite smart, confident, and clever. However, because of her inability to act for herself, her soul and will are grinded down into her gender’s expectation, which sends her down a dark, spiraling hole of guilt, eventually leading to her suicide.
As an example, we see not only her brother tell Ophelia to change the way she behaves around Hamlet, but we also see Polonius instruct her to stop all communication with him altogether. And this is only the first scene! As we go through the play, we see her womanhood utilized like a chess piece at every turn by nearly everyone who has power over her: the king, her father, and even Hamlet himself.
Yet Ophelia isn’t the only victim of this; we see the Queen struggle with similar problems. While she’s been ruling over the kingdom much longer than the current King has, we slowly see the King overriding her and her judgments throughout the play. And as he does this, we hear the tone of what he says shift from a compassionate, considerate ruler to one doing “what must be done.”
That’s what lies at the center of why these characters do what they do. “What must be done” is what drives them to get violent and yell, to be quiet and passive. “What must be done” leads to men having to over-inflate themselves to fit their role, and women having to deflate themselves to fit theirs.
And yet, the most beautiful moments that these characters have onstage are the ones where there is patience, authenticity, and compassion coming from their inner world; When our characters aren’t obligated to do what’s expected of them. The story that we’ve made this season with Hamlet is a story that shows the pains that can be inflicted when duties are put on people to act in a way they wouldn’t. We want to show that doing this only causes pain, fear, anger, and unimaginable strife; no different than Horatio’s goal at the end of our play:
“...And let me speak to the yet unknowing world
How these things came about: so shall you hear
Of Carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts,
Of accidental judgements, casual slaughters,
Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause,
And, in this upshot, purposes mistook
Fallen on the inventors’ heads: all this can I
Truly Deliver. Let me haste to tell it;
Even while men’s minds are wild; lest more mischance
On plots and errors happen.”
- Horatio (Act V, Scene ii of “Hamlet
Credits:
Liz lauren