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

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

The production I saw missed Fortinbras entirely! I think I'll visit my local library at lunchtime and see if I can find an annotated copy...

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

He's in the Branagh film, but then everything is in the Branagh film.

[heliopausa.livejournal.com]

I think the Fortinbras bit -- the threatened invasion at the beginning, not just the arrival at the end -- makes the play about more than Hamlet's angst. The politics is why Ophelia is no match for Hamlet, as Laertes tells her. And it's occurred to me (just now) to wonder if the need for a better king than Hamlet Snr wasn't part of the grounds for the murder. A palace coup, nothing personal, in the face of external threat that the then leader just wasn't good enough to handle? After all, Hamlet's father is expiating great wrongs in Purgatory, and his advice isn't much use to Hamlet (or to the State of Denmark, come to that).

[bookwormsarah.livejournal.com]

Without the politicking it came across as Laertes showing concern for his sister because he wasn't convinced she could be happy with Hamlet, who wouldn't treat her well. She was played as a fresh young thing, trusting and pushed and pulled by the political whims of her mother Polonia (gender swapping creates confusion in post-play discussion). The scene when Hamlet taunts her was increasingly distressing as she is first confused and then horrified by what he is saying. I understand that the order was played with slightly, which may be promoting this particular view...

Polonia was very well played - a practical woman who tries to move things along and control the future (failing fairly completely none the less). I was quite disappointed when she was killed. I have just downloaded the full play onto my ereader and I look forward to finding out what I missed.