Sharked up a list of lawless resolutes

[nineveh_uk]

bookwormsarah’s post about Hamlet inspired me to wonder – and surely I am not the first – whether there are Hamlet parallel plays in which Horatio is in league with young Fortinbras. Surely there must be. I have always had a soft spot for Fortinbras since doing Hamlet for A-level; I preferred his just getting on and doing things, though admittedly invading Denmark is perhaps easier politically than killing your own monarch. Perhaps that is Claudius’s mistake; he should have recalled Hamlet and sent him to invade Sweden – via Norway. (Honestly, who believes “we’re not invading you, we’re just passing through en route to Poland?”)

I am feeling irritated. The weather is grey and dreary and cold and it didn’t help that the central heating in the office wasn’t working for much of yesterday. Another department of work has had a year to ask us to check some data. So now we get it right at the start of term, with 3 ½ weeks in which to do it. So now I am going to say sod the ironing that I have not done, and go and watch an episode of Frasier with Lilith in it.

Comments

[azdak.livejournal.com]

Poor Poland, everyone invades them.

Bookwormsarah's post is, alas, locked, so I don't know if she's already said this, but personally I think Young Fortinbras is a militaristic git with far too much of an eye to the main chance, so if there are parallel plays where the two of them are in league, I hope Hamlet double crosses him.

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

Sadly my (now public) post said nothing so thoughtful, more a bit of a rambling impression after seeing Hamlet for the first time...

[azdak.livejournal.com]

Thank you for unlocking it! I shall go over and read it now.

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

But at least Fortinbras does something towards getting the main chance rather than hanging around for 5 acts angsting about it. I like the play, but a lot of time spent studying the soliloquies did incline me to wishing Hamlet would just get on with things. I wold be fine if he double-crossed Horatio and Fortinbras, though - at least he would be doing something.

[azdak.livejournal.com]

You have to blame Shakespeare for that, though - when Hamlet does go all action hero on the pirate ship it happens offstage. Shakespeare was clearly more interested in the angsting than the doing.