A Play

Title: Hamlet
Author: William Shakespeare
Published: Bantam Books, Reissue Edition, 1988
Started: 2/9/15
Finished: 2/11/15

As an English teacher I haven't actually read a lot of Shakespeare.  My list of Shakespeare experience before reading Hamlet was Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello.  I taught Romeo and Juliet and the other two were ones I read in school.  I missed out on taking the Shakespeare class at UNI, so I took Chaucer instead, but never really took reading Shakespeare into my own hands.  Shakespeare is intimidating and difficult to read for many reasons, but I think it really goes back to the fact that Shakespeare was not meant to be read, it is meant to be performed and/or viewed.  Reading Hamlet was great, but anytime I read any play I always want more.  

My mind, whilst reading Hamlet, kept jumping to The Lion King (which happens to be the Disney version on the play).  I knew The Lion King was loosely based on Hamlet, and when I say loosely I mean it.  Hamlet is rather depressing, The Lion King has it's moments of sadness, but I would never label it as depressing.  I didn't find myself liking Hamlet (the character) and maybe that's ok.  In fact I didn't much really care for any of the characters in the play, but maybe I read it wrong (although I don't believe in such a thing).  I don't know if you are supposed to like any of the characters in the play though.  It's a tragedy, a lot of people die in the final scene, and in the play in general.  These people die for a reason, and within that reason lies a lesson.  

I compare it Romeo and Juliet as I am most familiar with it having read and taught it multiple times.  None of the characters are very likable, though I argue for Mercutio.  Many of the characters have big flaws which ultimately lead to their deaths.  I think that is human nature, though.  The characters within these great plays are meant to reflect humanity and people are not perfect.  Though death is a bit extreme when it comes to the characters' downfall, it speaks to human nature in a beautiful way.  We root for Hamlet, then hate him, then root for him, we feel bad for him, then we shake our heads in disgust, and then as we write a blog post about him we realize he was only human, and humans have their flaws.  Hamlet has some great insight though, throughout the play, but it is overshadowed by his revenge.  I don't think this is new information, by any means, but it is just so profound.  When many people read something, they expect to like at least one of characters (the hero), who may have flaws, but is able to overcome them.  Shakespeare reminds us that this idea has it's own flaws when it comes to real people.  It's not to say that we cannot overcome our flaws, but many people don't, or before they do it happens to be too late.  

I like Shakespeare, he makes me think, and I think Hamlet is a great play worthy of revisiting in the future.  Shakespeare is not for everybody, as far as reading goes, but his tales have lived through centuries and hold major themes that make their way into stories today.  It's impossible to deny the influence Shakespeare has had on modern story telling, and that is why, I think I like Shakespeare so much.  He can be considered a source of much of what we see and read today and I think that is amazing.