Posted by susandanziger (admin)
Mar 29, 2010 11:36 pm

Replies (20)

Posted by

• One of my favorite phrases from phrases from Hamlet is when he is describing all of man's achievements and capabilities and ends it with "..and yet to me what is this quintessence of dust?"

  Mar 30, 2010 4:06 pm
  by semyon

• I am in the midst of teaching a unit on Hamlet to a group of kids aged 10-12. They have all read Hamlet and have been utterly enthralled by Shakespeare! I also invited my fencing instructors to come demonstrate for the class, and we worked through Act V, complete with rapiers and daggers! It was fantastic! The class will be going to see The Met's Live in HD Encore performance on April 14, but to see it live would be a thrill! Bringing Hamlet to life for these students has been a wild ride, and hopefully inspired them to continue reading Shakespeare and enjoy the richness of his language!

  Mar 30, 2010 4:23 pm
  by annadair

• I saw Hamlet for the first time in 1966 at the age of 12 at Stratford-on -Avon. My parents and I had standing room only seats. Sadly--especially for my mom--I fainted shortly after the first act--and she had to take me back to our B&B missing the rest of the performance.
  My most recent viewing of Hamlet was this Saturday--at Allentown Symphony Hall with theLive from the Met HD performance. What a great show--and I got to sit down this time!

  Mar 30, 2010 4:41 pm
  by SheilaKEvans

• I worked closely with the Quarto 1 Hamlet this past semester, and I was curious to discover the differences between Q1 and Q2. I was most intrigued by the Queen--Gertred in Q1, Gertrude in Q2--and how her character became a much more complicated figure. Where in Q2, the Queen was somewhat of a passive figure, in Q2, she is nearly as implicated in condemning her son as insane as Claudius is. In my reading, she implicates herself in the crimes Claudius has committed, yet she is never brought to justice for her clearly more active role in the play. The absence of such a presence in Q2 is part of the tragedy of "Hamlet."

  Mar 30, 2010 5:09 pm
  by troisenator

• EDIT:
  I worked closely with the Quarto 1 Hamlet this past semester, and I was curious to discover the differences between Q1 and Q2. I was most intrigued by the Queen--Gertred in Q1, Gertrude in Q2--and how her character became a much more complicated figure in Q1. Where in Q2, the Queen was somewhat of a passive figure, in Q1, she is nearly as implicated in condemning her son as insane as Claudius is. In my reading, she implicates herself in the crimes Claudius has committed, yet she is never brought to justice for her clearly more active role in the play. The absence of such a presence in Q2 is part of the tragedy of "Hamlet."

  Mar 30, 2010 5:13 pm
  by troisenator

• I first read Hamlet during my senior year of high school. While I loved the play, my best friend Chloe was less than enthralled when our teacher announced we would be reading more Shakespeare. My most favorite moment was when Chloe recanted all of her previous complaints over the play after watching the operatic version of Ophelia’s mad scene (starring Natalie Dessay in 2003). A trip to the Met to see the performance in person would really bring the entire experience full circle.

  Mar 30, 2010 5:31 pm
  by Lysippos

• I ALWAYS loved Shakespeare. Right from high school! I adored Hamlet, and my favorite passage is his "what a piece of work is man" sentiment. It pierced my heart when I first read it. I was 16. I am 47 today, and still can recite my favorite parts: "What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!" And Hamlet goes on to express how he "delights not" in man or woman. It is electrifying!
  Hamlet is a timeless, eternal piece of art.

  Mar 30, 2010 7:42 pm
  by humpbacks1962

• I grew up in Istanbul. When I was in high school I joined the drama club. We became fairly successful and went all the way to national drama competition among high school students. The genre was world literature..
  
  As young adolescents we were all into philosophy and existentialism in particular. After a short discussion we knew we wanted to perform Hamlet. I played Ophelia. We prepared for months, rehearsal, long discussions, practices... And the day came when we performed at the nationals. To our amazement the guy who played Hamlet forgot his line on Act III saying, which literally translates into "To be or not to be... ... uhmm.. that's what the big fuss about!"
  
  So we lost and but the joke about his line went on for years, still making me smile to this date.
  
  Hamlet is about doing the right thing, ethical struggles we all have. Hamlet is about facing the problems head on. Hamlet is about life.

  Mar 30, 2010 9:13 pm
  by varanpk

• When I heard Natalie Dessay wouldn't be playing Ophelie, I was more than a little disappointed. She is such an amazing actress as well as a lovely singer. But I went to see the Live in HD performance anyway, and I'm so glad I did. If I'd stayed away I would have missed the most amazing Hamlet I've ever seen. Simon Keenlyside captured the internal struggles as I've never before seen, and I've seen many interpretations of Hamlet. How he could do it while singing beautifully, I can't imagine. God gave him an amazing talent.

  Mar 30, 2010 11:34 pm
  by drgiv5

• In the Mel Gibson/Glenn Close movie version, there is a memorable kissing scene between Queen Gertrude and Hamlet. The director chose Glenn Close because he wanted a Queen who perfumed the halls with sex and corruption. I thought Glenn Close nailed it.

  Mar 31, 2010 10:12 am
  by dreamdust

• One of the most memorable Hamlets I ever saw took place here in New York. There weren't any big names, there wasn't even a curtain -- instead, it was performed by Gorilla Rep one chilly August night on the front lawn of the Cloisters in Ft. Tryon Park. The dusk that fell seemed to mimic Hamlet's moods and the climactic battle took place in the darkness. Bravo!

  Mar 31, 2010 11:31 am
  by nelletravieso

• I saw Hamlet when Jude Law was in it over here in NYC and it completely changed the way I thought about the play. I'd never imagined Hamlet the way Jude Law played him- physical, extreme, and switching constantly between a state of intelligent self-awareness and lunacy. He was terrifying and charming at the same time. It was so cool to watch.

  Mar 31, 2010 2:50 pm
  by hannah.e

• In 1974, Sam Waterston was playing Hamlet in Delacorte Theatre in NYC. On the night I attended, a cloudy night turned into a fierce thunderstorm and in a hurry. Waterston had just started the famous soliloquy when the rain turned into a deluge. He stepped out of character and said to the audience "Do you want me to finish the soliloquy before we suspend?" to which the soaked audience applauded. He finished, the performance was suspended and we left with a most memorable, albeit soggy, experience never to be forgotten.

  Mar 31, 2010 3:22 pm
  by schreffler

• One of my favorite lines from hamlet... "The serpent that did sting thy father's life
  Now wears his crown." It would be really cool to see this at the Met. I've never seen it performed before.

  Apr 4, 2010 12:44 pm
  by zensmile

• While it's a bit self-indulgent (it's Kenneth Branagh; of course it's self-indulgent), the 1996 film of 'Hamlet' is worth it just for Kate Winslet as Ophelia. Kate Winslet! As Ophelia! Enough said, really.

  Apr 5, 2010 9:25 pm
  by redrowan

• I've never had the chance to see Hamlet performed live. The closest I've gotten was an episode of MST3K when they heckled an old German movie version. I've grown out of my middle school age hatred of Shakespeare, mainly due to a fantastic college performance of Romeo and Juliet many years ago. I'm particularly excited at the chance to see Hamlet in another genre as an opera.

  Apr 5, 2010 9:56 pm
  by aobloo

• I love Hamlet, and one of the things I always think of when I hear about a Hamlet performance is the man who died and donated his skull to be used as Yorick's in the play. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3519640/Pianists-dying-wish-fulfilled-as-David-Tennant-uses-his-skull-in-Hamlet-performance.html)
  Although I think they've stopped using the real skull, I think that the story is amazing -- it shows just how dedicated some people are to Hamlet and how interesting and universal its themes are.

  Apr 5, 2010 11:22 pm
  by emilyyoung

• haha

  Apr 6, 2010 8:30 am
  by Robin928

• Have the winners been notified yet?

  Apr 7, 2010 7:18 pm
  by humpbacks1962

• We notified the winners today. Congratulations to;
  SheilaKEvans
  annadair
  dreamdust
  
  Thanks to everyone for sharing their memories!
  
  

  Apr 7, 2010 7:25 pm
  by MaggieH (admin)

• More about Hamlet:

  • View the book detail page.
  • Learn more about the author.