Tag Archives: Hamlet

The Trial of Hamlet

Shakespeare knew that trial scenes made great theatre, often putting them at the heart of his plays. Probably the most dramatic courtroom scene is the trial of Antonio in The Merchant of Venice, but the trials of Queen Katherine in … Continue reading

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Black Shakespeare: Paapa Essiedu from Hamlet to Edmund

On 13 August it was the last performance of the latest production of Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford. Every production of this play is notable, but particularly this time because Hamlet was played by a man of … Continue reading

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Shakespeare 400 continues

Following the fabulously successful but exhausting weekend celebrating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and his 452nd birthday, I’ve had a few days rest from the blog, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy researching and writing a book … Continue reading

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Royal Shakespeare Company’s plans for 2016

All the large Shakespeare organisations are celebrating the four-hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016 with events to show that Shakespeare is universal, appealing to people of all ages and backgrounds. As befits the best-funded Shakespeare company in the UK … Continue reading

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The divine Sarah Bernhardt’s Hamlet

On Radio 4 Francine Stock is currently investigating the concept of charisma. This week in Pinning down the Butterfly: the It Factor, she looked at an actress whose fame spread across Europe and North America, the divine Sarah Bernhardt. Bernhardt … Continue reading

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“To be or not to be”: Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet

So Benedict Cumberbatch, playing Hamlet in Lyndsey Turner’s production of the play at the Barbican Theatre in London, has bowed to pressure by moving “To be or not to be” from the beginning of the play to its usual place. … Continue reading

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Jumping through the hoop: Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet

By the time this post goes live, the latest production of Hamlet to be staged in London will have received its first two performances. I’m writing of course about Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre. It was to be … Continue reading

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Alas, poor Yorick: the spell of Hamlet

On 26 July 1602 Shakespeare’s play Hamlet was registered with the Stationers’ Company in London. It’s an important date, but has done little to settle the burning question of when Shakespeare’s most famous play was first written and first performed. … Continue reading

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Cakes, ale and hearing the chimes at midnight

Last weekend we remembered, again, the birthday of William Shakespeare. In Stratford tradition is important, so the boys of Shakespeare’s school still head the procession as they have done for over a century. The celebration is also a birthday party, … Continue reading

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Cross-gender casting for Hamlet and Henry IV

Gender issues in the performance of Shakespeare’s plays are being discussed in the press again with Maxine Peake playing Hamlet in a production at the Manchester Royal Exchange. Here is the review from the Observer by Susannah Clapp, and that … Continue reading

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