Hamlet/YMMV
< Hamlet
- Alternative Character Interpretation: The debates have been raging unabated for 400 years.
- Hamlet: Insane, or faking it? Too Good for This Sinful Earth prince manipulated into evil?[1] Deeply troubled youth wrestling with moral and honor codes? Spineless whiny git who killed in cold blood many times before hitting his actual mark? Misogynistic, Oedipal, whiny jerk? Suffering from multiple personality disorder[2])? All of the above?
- Ophelia: Is she a:
- Sweet but fragile girl who got caught in the political crossfire between her father and boyfriend?
- Pathetic and stupid doormat who was Too Dumb to Live?
- Cassandra-like oracle who can see the future but only speaks in riddles, rhymes and metaphors due to her insane state of mind?
- Or, as was the trend in the psychoanalytic interpretations of the 1960s and 1970s, a sexually-frustrated young woman torn between her lust for her Hamlet and her lust for—wait for it--Laertes. Hey, we said 'overanalyzed', didn't we?
- "Cut the crap, Hamlet! My biological clock is ticking and I want babies NOW!"
- At least one critic interpreted Ophelia as an Ice Queen who's been treating Hamlet terribly and genuinely deserves what he puts her through.
- Claudius:
- While there's no doubt whatsoever that he's a villain (he admits in prayer to murdering his own brother), some think that he still was a pretty good ruler, and that Hamelt's revenge on him just made things worse for Denmark.
- It's debateable whether he did love Gertrude at all - he tells Laertes he really does love her and wanted to avoid Hamlet's death in a manner that would be more direct then looking like an accident. However, he fails to do more to stop Gertrude from drinking poison than just telling her not to drink from the cup. He could be seen as being letting logic rule over him for that moment, simply being too late to stop her by the time she drinks (where he is standing at the time depends on the adaptation) or it can be seen as clear proof he really doesn't care.
- Or it could just be an Oh Crap moment- as soon as he tells her not to drink it, he realises he's basically admitted that the drink is poisoned and he's just tried to murder her son.
- Horatio: Motivated by friendship and loyalty? Something else entirely? Is he even Danish? Did he even know Hamlet very well beforehand? If not, what the hell is he doing in Denmark?
- Fortinbras: Noble war hero who acted the most logically and justly of the cast? Bloodthirsty barbarian prince who's willing to send hundreds to their deaths for a scrap of land? Deus Ex Machina on legs? Expy for King James?
- Polonius: Magnificent Bastard or stupid, stupid, stupid bastard?
- Gertrude:
- Loving mother forced to marry her brother-in-law to save her son's life or deceitful accomplice in a palace coup? (Some believe that Hamlet's emphasis on revenge over capturing the throne for himself implies that Gertrude was the queen regnant, and both Hamlet's father and Claudius were only kings consort—which at the time would have made them the rulers, not her. If this is the case, the play may also have been in part Shakespeare's approval of Elizabeth I's unmarried status. Roger Ebert and others note that Gertrude may being practical to avoid a power vacuum that would invite usurpation of the throne.)
- The scene in which Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine is also open to interpretation; in some adaptations, she is unaware that there is poison in the wine and her line "I will, My Lord, I pray you pardon me" is said as if she's just having a good time. In others, "I will..." is delivered to imply that she knows exactly what's in there and has been Driven to Suicide.
- And speaking of Driven to Suicide, Gertrude's report of how Ophelia died is realistically rather suspect since it implies someone saw her fall into the water, and watched her slowly sink to her death. Did she actually kill her as a Mercy Kill, or did something else happen entirely?
- King Hamlet:
- Ever read The Scottish Play? There's this great line: "and oftentime, to win us to or harms, the instruments of darkness tell us truths." Consider if the above quote applies to him, if he's actually an evil spirit. Mind you, some scholars would say that any good Elizabethan would consider any spirit as an evil one.
- From the play one could walk away with the impression that the King was a cold, stern, warmongering bastard in life and Denmark is better off with him dead, even if he was killed for selfish motives. One notes how Hamlet seems to care more about him than his mother, partly because she married Claudius and did so shortly after her husbands death: was he a crap husband and is she relieved he's gone? And was he a cold and distant "Well Done, Son" Guy Hamlet has a higher opinion of than he should? Does he want justice for his death or revenge? Or does he see no difference? Maybe he died because he was a crap brother too?
- Non Sequitur Scene: The Zefirelli version completely removes the Hecuba monologue, thereby rendering Hamlet's "Oh what an ass am I" sequence afterwards one of these.
- Black Comedy: Can be played this way, and it's hilarious.
- Crowning Moment of Funny:
- Yes, really. Polonius's Last Words.
- Also, there's a certain dark humor in Fortinbras finally invading only to find Claudius, Getrude, Hamlet, and Laertes all dead. His "WTF?" reaction is priceless.
- Draco in Leather Pants: Hamlet is often idealized by many fans and even scholars because they project themselves onto him. And so his negative qualities are often downplayed or just ignored altogether.
- Ensemble Darkhorse:
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern due to their spin-off.
- In the David Tennant version Polonius is the standout (the character is difficult to play due the need to be simultaneously hilarious and boring, but Oliver Ford Davies nails it. He's also the only character other than Hamlet to blatantly break the fourth wall)
- Ho Yay: Hamlet with Horatio.
- In the 2008 RSC version, with basically everybody to some degree.
- The Masochism Tango: Hamlet's terrible treatment of Ophelia.
- Memetic Mutation:
- "To be or not to be, that is the question..."
- "Alas, poor Yorick!"
- After a really bad film version was shown on Mystery Science Theater 3000 "Cut his throat in a church!" started to gain popularity
- Moral Event Horizon:
- Arguably, Claudius letting the Queen drink from the poisoned cup. He earlier claimed to truly love her, but only tells her to not drink from the cup once rather than risk giving up his scheme to stop her from drinking from it to save her life.
- That depends on the production. He could be on the other side of the stage from her, and unable to do anything without betraying that the cup is poisoned.
- Also, using Laertes' grief at his sister's death to manipulate him into being his pawn.
- Frankly murdering his own brother to steal his kingdom and his wife probably crosses this before the play even starts.
- Narm: At the end of the "Play Within a Play" scene, Claudius has the line, "Bring me some light! Away!" It is very difficult to portray this seriously.
- In Branagh's version, Derek Jacobi nails it. His achievement is then ruined by the overreaction of his sycophants, who begin to scream "LIGHTS, LIGHTS, LIGHTS!" like they are trapped in a darkened room.
- Also from Branagh's version, Polonius' face after his death looks more like a mischievous frog than a murder victim, although this may be intentional.
- Seinfeld Is Unfunny: The sheer number of lines in the play that have become established expressions in English can make it seem like all Shakespeare has done is just string a bunch of clichés together.
- Shipping:
- Hamlet & Ophelia
- Alternatively, Hamlet & Horatio
- Unfortunate Implications: There are so many about women it isn't even funny.
- The Woobie:
- Ophelia. See also Break the Cutie, Kill the Cutie, and Butt Monkey.
- Almost everybody, depending on your point of view.
The Play Within A Play contains examples of the following tropes:
- Anvilicious: Its entire purpose.
- Non Sequitur Scene: Depending on the adaptation, the midgets and/or clowns in the prelude.
Klingon version
- Anvilicious: Something's rotten on the world of Qo'noS.
- MST3K Mantra: Crucial to readers in the real world.