If youre trying to understand how Shakespeares writing could have been interpreted in so many different ways over the centuries, watching this in comparison to a more traditional production isnt a bad way to start. He spends a while early on in the video talking about how Hamlet has permeated pop culture. Hamlet See a detailed list of benefits provided for each of our giving levels. WebView hamlet popular culture.docx from ENGLISH 1001410 at West Orange High, West Orange. The Taming of the Shrew is among the most difficult of Shakespeares plays to stage for a modern audience (along with the gore-fest of Titus Andronicus, which was staged in all its grotesquely violent glory at the Globe a couple of years ago, leading to audience members fainting in horror). Shakespeares Hamlet cautions us against espousing this attitude: it is not that we shouldnt call out inane or wrong ideasHamlet is not mistaken to view Polonius as tedious, pompous, and overbearing. There are jokes there for people who dont know Shakespeares work that well (such as a running gag about the quality of the coach service between London and Stratford riffing on typical British complaints about trains), but a lot of the comedy is only there if youve been paying attention when studying English Literature. But with Shakespeare, you get to share that in-jokewith pretty much everyone whos read anything over the past 300 years. Characters like Romeo, Lady Macbeth, Juliet and Hamlet have provided character templates to endless popular culture film and show characters, across the globe. As Sutter explains in one interview, One of the recurring themes of Shakespeare is the idea that power doesnt just corrupt, but that the corruption continuously repeats itself I loosely based all my characters on ones from Hamlet. This provides several generations starting from the 60s, to present-day to see Shakespeare in a completely different light all together, as someone who is cool enough to be referenced in one of the most popular science fiction franchises of all time. The mush comes to life and begins to recite the beginning of Hamlets famous To be or not to be soliloquy. Melisa Pereyra (top) as Juliet and Chris Klopatek as Romeo in the Festivals educational touring production of Romeo and Juliet, 2013. Our identity should not be defined in relation to punishment, revenge, or shame. It is only when this guidance is attached to Polonius that its wisdom becomes suspect. Theres Shakespeare in Love, as we discussed above, which uses the writing of Romeo and Juliet as its springboard. Like the many with whom we share our digitized world, we are not at the center of a drama of vengeance or retribution. Request tickets to be donated to your organization. View Map The play finishes with Katherinas speech that Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper; hardlyenlightened attitudes to women. Popular culture examples of this kind are virtually ubiquitous. Perhaps, if one is to truly understand the magnitude of Shakespeares influence in modern culture, then its best to look at the forbidden love trope. The Endless Coloured Ways, a collection of 23 of his songs by artists such as Romeo and Juliet Discovering Humanities Research at Stanford. Its well-known, its got a great storyline, but at the same time, its easier to tell that story in an updated version; unlike, say, Much Ado About Nothing, its easy to add meaning for a modern audience by setting it in a new context. The shows primary character, Jax Teller, is often viewed as Hamlet himself. By now, even its musical adaptation has been seen by approximately 140 million people around the world. When she describes him as her lord, life and keeper, it is decidedly tongue in cheek. The play might present those others as relatively insignificant. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] actually contains 4 distilled performances of Hamlet in it: the abridged version (roughly 20 minutes), the faster version (about a minute), even faster (maybe 3 seconds) and then Hamlet backwards. Agreat example of this shared understanding is in the 1980s British sitcom Yes, Minister: one of its lead actors, Nigel Hawthorne, didnt know much about politics so struggled to understand the context of some of the storylines. The harder task, rather, is to figure out how to go on being open to the lives of others, even in a world that does not reward or even justify such behavior. On-going Equity & Anti-Racism Commitments, Practices & Actions. We respect your privacy, you can unsubscribe at any time, your email address is secure, and we will never send you spam. The Merchant of Venice But there are also rewards for people more familiar with Shakespeares work, and with 16th-century theatre in general. Your gift to Hartford Stage supports our art, our education programs, and our presence in downtown Hartford. The film follows Prince Hamlet as he seeks to avenge his fathers murder, while his servant, SamIamlet, encourages him to sample a new food dish. Its a popular piece of trivia to list all of the words and idioms first recorded in Shakespeares works, such as bated breath, heart of gold, break the ice and wild-goose chase, but these lists dont quite do justice to the depths of his influence. The animated film, Coraline, released in 2009, features two secondary characters delivering the well-known What a piece of work is man soliloquy from Hamlet while performing a trapeze act. PlayDate was developed jointly by Hartford Stage and Christ Church Cathedral to offer reliable, convenient childcare for parents eager to relax and enjoy a live theatre performance. By creating new words and tropes, as well as building relationships between writers and patrons, Shakespeare greatly influenced contemporary literature. Its witty and pulls no punches with its feminism. Chelsea Steverson (left), Lillian Castillo, and Monica Lopez as Weyward Sisters in Macbeth, 2010. Arcade: A Digital Salon by https://shc.stanford.edu/arcade is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. 8. At worst, we find ourselves responsible for the destruction of those lesser lives. , the young lovers are kept apart by the feud between their two families. What once seemed like a weird turn of phrase becomes a hilarious reference. The storyline is that Bianca, the younger sister of Katherina, is not permitted to marry until Katherina does but Katherina is famously bad-tempered and shrewish, so no man will marry her. Until very recently, I have avoided writing about Hamlet. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Oxford Royale Academy is a part of Oxford Programs Limited, a company registered in England as company number 6045196, registered office at 264 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7DY. Starring Gary Oldman and Tim Roth in the respective title roles, the two characters witlessly watch the tale of Hamlet as it unravels, unaware of their own tragic fate. We are sure you can find plenty of examples of your own, but here are our choices for the top ten plays in pop culture today. Image credits: bookshelf;