Since I started reading Hamlet, just over a month ago, I have been unable to shake my awe of how many ways the text can be interpreted into other settings. After spending a while contemplating Michael Almereyda's Hamlet movie, I envisioned a backdrop of my own that would truly exemplify the contextual diversity of Shakespeare's work.
I placed Hamlet in a Western ghost town, similar to Clint Eastwood movies (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly or Fistful of Dollars). Taking the place of the kings (Claudius, and previously Hamlet), would be the mayors of such towns. Meanwhile, Prince Hamlet would take the place of the the future mayor and the son of the recently killed mayor. Likewise, Polonius would be the sheriff. This Western setting would give a whole new perspective to the text of Hamlet. The country of Norway would be a Mexican group of bandits. The movie would be set in the late 1800’s.
An example of a Hamlet scene in the wild west would be when King Claudius (Mayor Claudius) and Polonius (Sheriff Polonius) throw Hamlet into a room with the sheriff’s daughter, Ophelia, and spy on him. The mayor and sheriff would be “testing” to make sure that heir Hamlet would be worthy of being the next mayor of this town. At that point, Hamlet would give his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy.
I placed Hamlet in a Western ghost town, similar to Clint Eastwood movies (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly or Fistful of Dollars). Taking the place of the kings (Claudius, and previously Hamlet), would be the mayors of such towns. Meanwhile, Prince Hamlet would take the place of the the future mayor and the son of the recently killed mayor. Likewise, Polonius would be the sheriff. This Western setting would give a whole new perspective to the text of Hamlet. The country of Norway would be a Mexican group of bandits. The movie would be set in the late 1800’s.
An example of a Hamlet scene in the wild west would be when King Claudius (Mayor Claudius) and Polonius (Sheriff Polonius) throw Hamlet into a room with the sheriff’s daughter, Ophelia, and spy on him. The mayor and sheriff would be “testing” to make sure that heir Hamlet would be worthy of being the next mayor of this town. At that point, Hamlet would give his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy.
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