I FINALLY "get" Hamlet

Otterella · Aug 19, 2010

I have always maintained that Hamlet was a simpering little whiner who needed to pull his head out of his own ass and grow up already. I've never gotten why it's hailed as such a masterpiece when King Lear is so much better. And Macbeth. And Romeo and Juliet.

Then David Tennant ROCKED MY F&%#ING WORLD.

Hamlet has never felt so real, so deep, and so gritty to me before. I've just been steamrolled by 400 years of heartbreak that I never understood before now. I get it. And I love it.

Paul · Aug 19, 2010

Always good to get the greatest play of all time. congrats.
(toby or not toby)

Diana Hignutt · Aug 19, 2010

Now, you're ready for Hamlet 2!

SPOILER ALERT: Jesus shows up with his Time Machine and with Hamlet, they prevent all the deaths in the play, Jesus leaves, Hamlet and Ophelia get engaged and everone lives happily ever after. ROCK ME, Sexy Jesus!

Satori1977 · Aug 19, 2010

I love Hamlet, and MacBeth...my two favorites of Shakespeare. Whenever we read his plays in high school, I would get so excited amidst all the groans from other kids.

I will have to watch the version with David Tennant, haven't seen that one.

kaitiepaige17 · Aug 19, 2010

Hamlet was one of the only Shakespearean plays I could handle. I did love Romeo and Juliet, however.

Satori1977 · Aug 19, 2010

R&J was my third favorite. Haven't read King Lear yet.

As far as movie versions go, I adore Much Ado About Nothing.

Lyra Jean · Aug 19, 2010

I loved reading MacBeth in in HS. I got play Lady MacBeth and me and the guy who played MacBeth acted out our messy divorce in the school cafeteria trying to dump the kids onto each other instead of keeping them.

Lyra Jean · Aug 19, 2010

Satori1977 said:
R&J was my third favorite. Haven't read King Lear yet.

As far as movie versions go, I adore Much Ado About Nothing.

Is it the version with Emma Thompson in it. I love that movie version. Of course I haven't seen any of the others.

Toothpaste · Aug 19, 2010

Check out the oft forgotten histories. Especially RICHARD II and HENRY IV PART I (PART II is okay, with one of the most moving scenes at the end, but it is a deeply flawed play in general, PART I is just wonderful).

Not that HAMLET isn't wonderful, I just find that when people cite Shakespeare plays it's usually the typical tragedies and the amazing Kenneth Branagh MUCH ADO. The histories tend not to be taught in school (except maybe RICHARD III and even maybe-er HENRY V) and so aren't as common in the public consciousness, but the above two plays are currently at the top of my list.

Should add, while I haven't seen the Tennant HAMLET, I adore him (saw him onstage in THE PILLOWMAN - scariest play ever) and have a super crush on him, and so I am sure the show is just wonderful

.

DavidZahir · Aug 19, 2010

I haven't seen Tennant's Hamlet yet. But that is on my list. Up until now the best Hamlet I've seen was directed by and starred Kevin Kline.

There are, imho, three good movies of Richard III. One starring Olivier, another marvelously modernized-ish version with Ian McKlellan as a 1930s fascist, and the third is a documentary called Looking For Richard with Al Pacino.

Adored Zefirelli's Taming of the Shrew, Branaugh's Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing. Plus there's a very good version of Twelfth Night starring Toby Stephens, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley and many others.

Titus is a magnificently disturbing and powerful film of Shakespeare's first tragedy.

If you get a chance to see King Lear by Peter Brooks, do so. Ditto Ran, which is Kurosawa's Japanese retelling of it (his Throne of Blood may be the best Macbeth ever).

Bookewyrme · Aug 19, 2010

Hrm. Am I the only person in the world who adores Shakespeare but thinks R&J should be taken out back and shot? I have so much hate for that play (well, alright, except for Mercutio. Much <3 for him). Then again, I've never been overly fond of the tragedies, while I think the comedies are hysterically funny, and way understudied!

Taming of the Shrew is brilliant, and I adore the hyjinks of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream. There's a really interesting version of Dream with Calista Flockhart and Michelle Pfeiffer which I enjoyed. Zefirelli's Shrew is one of my favorite movies ever.

Aaanyway, starting to ramble.

Satori1977 · Aug 19, 2010

Lyra Jean said:
Is it the version with Emma Thompson in it. I love that movie version. Of course I haven't seen any of the others.

Yes, I have only seen that one. Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, really lovely cast.

Satori1977 · Aug 19, 2010

Bookewyrme said:
Hrm. Am I the only person in the world who adores Shakespeare but thinks R&J should be taken out back and shot? I have so much hate for that play (well, alright, except for Mercutio. Much <3 for him). Then again, I've never been overly fond of the tragedies, while I think the comedies are hysterically funny, and way understudied!

Taming of the Shrew is brilliant, and I adore the hyjinks of Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream. There's a really interesting version of Dream with Calista Flockhart and Michelle Pfeiffer which I enjoyed. Zefirelli's Shrew is one of my favorite movies ever.

Aaanyway, starting to ramble.

I love many of the comedies as well. Shrew and Dream are wonderful. But I have a thing for tragedies. I loved R&J. I just don't like when people call it the greatest love story ever. Totally misses the point.

Satori1977 · Aug 19, 2010

Toothpaste said:
Check out the oft forgotten histories. Especially RICHARD II and HENRY IV PART I (PART II is okay, with one of the most moving scenes at the end, but it is a deeply flawed play in general, PART I is just wonderful).

Not that HAMLET isn't wonderful, I just find that when people cite Shakespeare plays it's usually the typical tragedies and the amazing Kenneth Branagh MUCH ADO. The histories tend not to be taught in school (except maybe RICHARD III and even maybe-er HENRY V) and so aren't as common in the public consciousness, but the above two plays are currently at the top of my list.

Should add, while I haven't seen the Tennant HAMLET, I adore him (saw him onstage in THE PILLOWMAN - scariest play ever) and have a super crush on him, and so I am sure the show is just wonderful .

They really should teach more in high school I think (college courses will go much more in-depth). But because they don't many people don't know his other works. I really think the majority of people that have read Shakespeare only read it because they had to in school. I started collecting his works and have read most of them, but the ones I did in school are still some of my favorites (probably a reason those ones are singled out).

Henry IV is excellent, especially Part I.

kuwisdelu · Aug 19, 2010

Hamlet is great. But how come Othello never gets any love? It's my favorite.

Bookewyrme · Aug 19, 2010

kuwisdelu said:
Hamlet is great. But how come Othello never gets any love? It's my favorite.

Oooh! I forgot about Othello! One of the few tragedies I really enjoy, but that's entirely because the villain is sooo awesome. The hero and heroine are...meh...IMO, but Iago is frelling brilliant. I can't remember for sure, but I feel like we actually studied Othello in one of my high school english classes. I could be just remembering reading and discussing it on my own though.

SirOtter · Aug 19, 2010

Bookewyrme said:
Hrm. Am I the only person in the world who adores Shakespeare but thinks R&J should be taken out back and shot? I have so much hate for that play (well, alright, except for Mercutio. Much <3 for him).

Not my favorite, either, although I, too, think well of Mercutio. It's sad when the best part of a play is one of the supporting characters. I rather enjoyed what was done to the haury old thing in Hot Fuzz - "Three hours of so-called acting, and the only convincing thing about it was the kiss!"

I FINALLY "get" Hamlet

Otterella

Paul

Diana Hignutt

Very Tired

Satori1977

Listening to the Voices In My Head

kaitiepaige17

Inappropriate smiley INCOMINGGGGGG!

Satori1977

Listening to the Voices In My Head

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

DavidZahir

Malkavian Primogen

Bookewyrme

Imagined half of it.

Satori1977

Listening to the Voices In My Head

Satori1977

Listening to the Voices In My Head

Satori1977

Listening to the Voices In My Head

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World

Bookewyrme

Imagined half of it.

SirOtter

Il Cavaliere Marino