WEEK 6

RESEARCH: Research your own Shakespeare play: Hamlet, Richard III, Macbeth, Measure for Measure. What is the play about? When was it first performed? Find a contemporary production of the play you can get an idea of and research it in terms of concept, style, design, casting. Give some attention to your own character and their role in the play.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare at an uncertain date between 1599 and 1602. The play showcases Hamlet's revenge on his Uncle for the murder of his Father. His Uncle, Claudius, had murdered his own brother and seized the throne, also marrying his deceased brother's widow. It is Shakespeare's longest play and is considered one of the most powerful and influential. It was most likely one of his most popular works around the time it was written. Three different early versions of the play are extant: the First Quarto (1603); the Second Quarto (1604); and the First Folio (1623). Each version includes lines and entire scenes missing from the others. The play's structure and depth of characterisation have inspired much critical scrutiny. One example is the debate about Hamlet's hesitation to kill his uncle, which some see as merely a plot device to prolong the action, but which others argue is a dramatisation of the complex philosophical and ethical issues that surround cold-blooded murder, revenge, and desire. 

HAMLET AT THE ALMEIDA
A contemporary Shakespeare production I have seen recently is Hamlet, directed by Robert Icke. It was very different to works that Shakespeare himself would have produced. The production was quite high concept and used lots of multimedia like live video streams, pre recorded video and complex sets that were visually very minimalistic. Casting wise, there were some big names performing such as Andrew Scott (Hamlet), Juliet Stevenson (Gertrude), Jessica Brown Findlay (Ophelia), Barry Aird (Gravedigger/Francisco), Elliot Barnes-Worrell (Horacio) and Angus Wright (Claudius).

Hamlet as a character:
The prince of Denmark, and a student at the University of Wittenberg. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, has recently died, and his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married the new king, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle and disgust at his mother for marrying him. When the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears and claims to have been murdered by Claudius, Hamlet becomes obsessed with avenging his father’s death but keeps thinking of reasons why he should wait before killing Claudius—then chastises himself for failing to act boldly. Hamlet is a character of contradictions. He admires characters like Fortinbras and the Player King, who behave passionately and even violently for no good reason, but is himself thoughtful, reflective, and philosophical. At times Hamlet is indecisive and hesitant, but at other times he is prone to rash and impulsive acts of violence.

WEEK 5

WEEK 5 - SHAKESPEARE TODAY

QUESTION: Analyse contemporary Shakespeare productions with reference to live performances you may have seen or clips or footage available online. You should comment on what you notice about them and how they differ from what you know about the original performance conditions of Shakespeare’s work? (Don’t be afraid to point out the obvious).

A contemporary Shakespeare production I have seen recently is Hamlet, directed by Robert Icke. It was very different to works that Shakespeare himself would have produced. Shakespeare would have had less technologically advanced sets. This modern production had frosting and unfrosting glass used as a curtain which was something I'd never seen before. Shakespeare would have only used curtains and the majority of his sets would have been made out of wood. There would have been no lights that Shakespeare would use so he would have had to use natural light. Any music would have been played live and certain sound effects will also have had to be made using a compromise sound source as electricity didn't exist. The modern Hamlet I saw used multimedia live on stage and used live camera feeds during the performance. This can really take an audience to a complete other level and really makes you feel part of the world of the play.
Another modern interpretation I've seen is Twelfth Night at the National Theatre. The set was outstanding and was very versatile. It span around and moved horizontally and vertically. There were working water features on stage which the actors interacted with. It was obviously a very expensive production. The costume was very colourful and featured a lot of sequins and feathers. This is similar to Shakespeare's time where they used many different and lavish colours for their costumes.
The actors costumes are also much different. Some productions use the classic English costumes, but most modern productions base their plays in a more modern setting and use modern costume. On average, a west end theatre actor today would be earning about £518-£633 a week. It depends on the show. So financially, it is less frugal than in Shakespeare's time. In both the plays I saw, there were women who played the female characters. This is different than Shakespeare's time as boys played the female parts. In Twelfth Night, a woman actually played a male character which is vastly different to Shakespearian theatre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5xoRm8BGX0 - Here is a trailer for Twelfth Night at The National.

Shakespeare plays aren't just produced as plays, many have been produced into films with famous actors. Including Hamlet (David Tennant), Macbeth (Dame Judi Dench, Ian McKellen), Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh), Macbeth (Patrick Stewart, Kate Fleetwood0 and many more.