In true Shakespearean style, we watched Hamlet at The Globe. The theater, rebuilt to look just how it would have looked in Shakespeare's time, was mesmerizing. The stage had a decorated ceiling, "The Heavens," and stone columns that really took us back to the 16th/17th century and placed us in Shakespeare's time. One thing, I have to say, I didn't love about Shakespeare's time was the way they spoke. Why did it have to be so complicated? I know this is a huge reason why people love Shakespeare, the dialect and the romantic way thing were said, but I would have to say this is a huge reason why I don't love Shakespeare.
The play was good, the actors really showed us their skills and put on a wonderful show. However, I didn't love it. I had no idea what they were saying most of the time. There were some moments were I could keep up with them and kin of understand them, but mostly I couldn't and I was lost about 90% of the time. It wasn't a problem of projection, although I don't think microphones would have hurt, but understanding the dialect was extremely difficult for me.
Every time I've read Shakespeare I've had to go over lines about three times to get what he was trying to say. Trying to understand what was being said at the play, through dialect and the English accents which sometimes aren't the easiest to understand, really took away from this experience. And I know that in order to stick to the Shakespearean tradition microphones weren't used, and technology was kept to a minimum, I think maybe incorporating some microphones wouldn't hurt. I also think maybe a teleprompter showing us their lines would be great, but that's a bit too much and I recognize that.
One thing I did enjoy was seeing Hamlet played by a woman, and other male roles played by women and female roles played by men. This gender switch was extremely interesting.
Overall, the play was great. I wish I could have understood what they were saying more, maybe then it would have been a better experience for me.
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