Lantern Theater's "Hamlet' (2nd review)

In his review of Lantern Theater's Hamlet, Robert Zaller raises an interesting point: Why didn't the prince succeed to the throne of Denmark immediately upon his father's death? I have an answer. Not the answer, of course, because there's no single interpretation of this play. But here's one way this scenario might work. It answers Robert's question as well as the puzzle of why it takes young Hamlet two months to return home from Wittenberg to Elsinore— normally one day's travel— after the death of his father.

Imagine that Hamlet's uncle Claudius takes control of the government quickly after he kills his brother. He seizes the power that should have gone to the king's son and doesn't immediately notify Hamlet of the king's death. By the time the play begins, Claudius has consolidated this power; he's surrounded by armed guards, and he has employed numerous informants, such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. A month after Hamlet's father's death, Claudius marries the widow. It is an outrageous act, as if Lyndon Johnson married Jackie Kennedy a month after JFK's assassination. Then Claudius feels sufficiently secure to send word to young Hamlet and invite him back to Denmark.

So when the prince arrives at court he is already on guard against Claudius, angry with his uncle and his mother for this usurpation of power and of his mother's bed, even though Hamlet yet has no proof that a murder was committed. Even after he is convinced by his father's ghost, Hamlet has to weigh whether he can kill his uncle without being himself slaughtered by the king's supporters and whether or not the populace will follow him.

Like Bush and Saddam Hussein

For by now Hamlet knows that something is rotten in a Denmark where the people meekly followed the new king even when there was doubt about the legitimacy of his "election." Fearful of foreign invasion, they have put their trust in a monarch who boldly expands executive power in the name of national security and defies Fortinbras, somewhat the way George W. Bush baited Saddam Hussein.

In this scenario, Polonius cannot be the usual bumbling sycophant. Instead, I picture him as an enabler behind the throne, like Henry Kissinger with Richard Nixon. He even could be the power behind the ruler, like Dick Cheney. Young Hamlet realizes that Polonius is a threat— knowledge that adds dimension to the scene where Hamlet stabs Polonius to death.

Lantern's recipe: Action without danger

Hamlet doesn't get to approach an unguarded Claudius until Claudius is alone in the chapel, apparently praying. There we must accept Shakespeare's words that Hamlet doesn't want Claudius's soul to go to heaven. And maybe Hamlet fears that Claudius's supporters will spread the word that he, Hamlet, murdered an innocent man at prayer.

The current production by the Lantern Theater attempts none of this interpretation. Geoff Sobelle is a strong-willed, active and appealing Hamlet, but his character's thought processes are unclear. His fits of madness and of anger aren't sufficiently motivated. Claudius isn't nearly dangerous enough, nor does Joe Guzman even hint at the power that has carried this man to his present position. Mary Martello is too sweet as the unfaithful queen. Although Tim Moyer (like the others) is a fine actor, as Polonius he's neither a threat nor the usual comical boot-licker but is, instead, a commonplace character.

In sum, this version is a fast-paced but flat re-telling of the story. It offers action, yes, but insufficient danger.

***

Another rationale

There's one other possible reason why Hamlet didn't immediately succeed his father: Maybe he was too young, although we have no idea whether a Danish king had to be any certain age. In a quarto edition of the play from the early 17th Century, the gravedigger says Yorick has been dead for only 12 years ("Here's a scull hath bin here this dozen yeare"), which would make Hamlet about 19. In the generally accepted 1623 folio edition of Hamlet, Yorick has been dead for twenty-three years. To me, the earlier explanation is more compelling.



To read Robert Zaller's review, click here.
To read a commentary on Hamlet by Jim Rutter and view his video interview with the Lantern Theater principals, click here.