I have hoped in these fractures to subvert the convention of communication: Speech itself breaks and splits apart with each character’s inability to speak without stealth, manipulation, equivocation, and abuse of power, albeit honesty. Although Hamlet is born into power, he is not trusted by the King, his mother, Ophelia, or his buddies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. His voice is rendered useless. He is deemed dangerous or mad because he knows too much. He is tasked with the burden of revenging his father’s death by way of the ghost of his father. Remember, Hamlet, the man, is 19 years old. He is alone. He has lost his power and his support system. Ophelia is also devoid of power because of her gender and stripped of her voice. The queen’s gender also limits her voice and her status as wife to the King. The words these characters are desperate to say cannot be spoken without revealing weakness, a puncture in their code of familial stoic strength. Yet, in my version, even the King’s chaotic and brimming emotions cause him to use words that crack open the weakness of his character, words that make him more human, less Royal. Truth is, we humans are not, much of the time, in control of our emotions. Violent outbursts, words spoken out of grief, stress, exhaustion, frustration, disappointment, regret, or confusion, are the frailty and breakdown of our interpersonal relationships. This is the chaos of the day. In a word, I have attempted to give voice to the play’s characters and have tried mightily to withhold judgment in carrying this out. In my mind, we must risk using language considered brash, ignorant, or perverse to articulate what is at the root of us, as a feeling or a thought. We must break free from our prison houses. Language and form is the foundation of human connection. We must lay down our arms and risk expressing our hearts. Many of us have learned there is a right and a wrong way to speak our truth. If we cork our throats for fear of wrong expression, we cut ourselves off from our narratives, ourselves, and also from one another. Most of us can learn from the bad behavior of this list of characters. I know I did.
Scroll. Thank you. Much love, Cynie
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