Hamlet's Madness

Theatre has been historically used as a form of entertainment, however, it can also be thought-provoking. Studying theatre, specifically Shakespeare, has opened my eyes to the many choices people have in creating a production. Take Shakespeare as an example, by just looking at the playwright without any sort of context from a performance, the play can fall short if one were to just read it. That's because plays, especially Shakespeare's, were meant to be performed to get the full picture, so to speak.

Watching Hamlet in Shakespeare's Globe was definitely a spectacle in its own way. The concept of a circular theatre seems to have its perks, since I was reminded that San Diego's Old Globe has a similar structure. As I've read and studied Shakespeare, I noticed that a lot of his plays are open to interpretation since not much information (production-wise) is given in the play itself. This can be really interesting because one can see the different ideas one comes up with and how they view the play itself. This is usually deeply expressed through different production concepts and Hamlet at the Shakespeare's Globe was no exception.

The representation of Hamlet caught my eye while watching this performance live. Especially when the actor depicts Hamlet as "mad," I wondered how they would express that creatively through costumes. Surprise lit my features when I saw Hamlet dressed in white, as a jester or joker, wearing face paint with a big red smile. In contrast, the Hamlet from San Diego's production took a different approach to Hamlet's madness besides the gender. This goes on to prove that plays come to life by the people during performances. Almost anything goes in theatre, especially in plays like Shakespeare. It is a creative way to see people's interpretation of Shakespeare's plays through the spectacle of performance.

As you see the picture above, Hamlet is wearing a crown while conversing with someone. There seems to be a different take when it has to do with costumes in San Diego's Old Globe interpretation of Hamlet. When comparing this interpretation and the one from Shakespeare's Globe in London one can't help but notice the difference. In London, Hamlet was wearing lighter clothing, and seen as a jester with face-paint. They seemed to have taken a whimsical approach to Hamlet's madness. Whereas in the Old Globe, Hamlet's madness was linked to insanity and darkness. I personally liked the Old Globe's interpretation, but it was very intriguing to see the different take that was produced at the Shakespeare's Globe in London.