This is a Class Project

Chris, you told us to get creative for our final essays, so here's a Tumblr blog as my Shakespeare paper. Barbican's Hamlet is one of many reimagined productions of the Bard's original text. Is it faithful to the play's 400 year legacy? Also, does the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch help or hinder the show's impact?

[cherryfrq]

i just saw a picture saying “dø or die” and it literally translates to die or die

[useless-swedenfacts]

#do u want to die in danish or english

[catsnuggler]

*Hamlet sweats nervously*

[yourewelcomechris]

Update

I got an A+!!! My professor got a kick out of this project :)

[durian-kampung-deactivated20250]

a good and righteous hamlet

[yourewelcomechris]

“All the world’s a stage”

Perhaps it is cliché to quote this famous line, but nothing embodies its sentiments like modern productions of Shakespeare do. Shakespeare acted as an architect, his plays structures that left a lasting impression long after his death. However, the beauty of his works is that they are far more malleable than any solid structure. Today, his work is so versatile that it can be recreated in multiple ways in almost any setting.  The Barbican’s Hamlet, for instance, not only played to London audiences, but also broadcast the production live across the world.

The following blog explores this production of Hamlet and the “fandom’s” involvement in the advancement of Shakespeare in contemporary theatre. Benedict Cumberbatch has one of the most exuberant fan bases: does this enhance or trivialize the classic production?

[yourewelcomechris]

Contents

Within this blog, you will find posts and reblogs which illustrate:

· Historical background of William Shakespeare and his play Hamlet

· Fan creations including gifs, captioned photos, fan art, commentary, etc.

· The emotional connection fans feel towards Hamlet, Benedict Cumberbatch, and fandoms in general

· Tensions and divisions that have arisen between Benedict Cumberbatch and his fans during the Hamlet run

All the while, the pros and cons of the actor’s casting will be explored.

[yourewelcomechris]

What is a fandom?

This blog will provide a unique look into the world of the Benedict Cumberbatch “fandom”.  By giving you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the language and traditions of fans, you will gain an inside perspective of the star’s passionate fan base, and thus understand the hype and controversy surrounding the production. This will also allow you to understand the responses of the “fandom” and why they are drawn to 

Fandom: A play on “kingdom” for a community of fans sharing a common interest which can be a movie, book, television show, celebrity, etc. Members feel an empathetic connection towards one another and share ideas and art.

[yourewelcomechris]

Hamletbatch: A Brief Synopsis

Fatherdead Sadnessbatch

Uncledicked Mothersnatch

Murderghost Daddyroam

Playsthething Cumbertrap

Ditherflip Monologue

Benespy Curtainstab

Guildenstern Rosencrantz

Sneakydict Doublecross

Ladymad Slippywhoops

Beneduel Poisonsword

Butterfingers Cumberslash

Cheersmedears Bottomsup

Freeforall Clusterfuck

Beneraagh Hamletsmash

Takethewheel Fortinbras

Tellourstory Christianbatch

[mental-leaps]

Pirates!

[shriya-b-art]

INKtober #15    We saw Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet today! 

[tapum]

02012015

My 1st Hamlet!!! The play was amazing as everybody know it. And our seats was superb so clear and so close. :D

[yourewelcomechris]

“My first Hamlet” --Benedict Cumberbatch introduced individuals to Shakespeare who may not have been otherwise exposed to his work

[just-jack-oconnell]

This is my favorite scene from Hamlet part 2 of 2

part 1

The South Bank Show

X    X

a huge thank you to @benedictervention

[yourewelcomechris]

“Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.”

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Historical Background

Hamlet is believed to have been written in the early 17th century at the end of Elizabeth I’s rule. It was adapted by Shakespeare from the already existing story of Amleth who avenges his father’s death by his uncle and claims the throne. However, the Bard expanded on this one-dimensional story by exploring the depths of Hamlet’s (Amleth with the “H” moved to the front) character and philosophical dilemmas. Of course, Shakespeare also gave the play a tragic ending, as revenge tragedies were incredibly popular in Elizabethan England. It is undoubtedly true, however, that it is Shakespeare’s grasp of the human condition, rather than simply its tragic nature, that makes Hamlet notable.

[freewomenxgrape]

Cumberbatch loosens his lip Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Benedict Cumberbatch is a serious actor. The selfie generation’s hysteria about his long, ascetic face, milky voice and air of slightly foxed aristocracy tends to swamp what it is he actually does – which is perhaps why, in May, he missed out on a Bafta for the fifth time. If his industry peers don’t find all the adulation endearing, they should look again. The first clue came in Cumberbatch’s performance as Edmund Fitz Henry Talbot in “To the Ends of the Earth” (2005), a BBC adaptation of the triology of sea-going novels by William Golding. Talbot is one of literature’s trickiest characters. Warm-hearted, cold-hearted, ambitious but under-confident, an appalling snob who turns into a social agitator, he is also an endearing, forgivable young man who learns a whole curriculum of humiliating lessons during his ship-borne rite of passage. It’s an unwieldy package for one actor to wrap up, but Cumberbatch managed it, with no apparent effort. A few years of themes on a variation of the stiff upper lip (Sherlock, Ford Madox Ford’s Christopher Tietjens, Alan Turing), he is about to play Hamlet – another, even greater, chance to weave a tangle of contradictions into a believable whole. Although most of the tickets sold out a year ahead, batches of 100 for each performance are still to be released, at a fan-friendly £10. No doubt, then, that there will be surges of over-excitement from the cheap seats when Cumberbatch first steps on stage, but you can also be pretty sure he’ll ride the wave somewhere interesting. And the set design, by Es Devlin (our cover star, July/Aug 14), promises to turn the whole theatre into the inside of Hamlet’s head. – ISABEL LLOYD Hamlet Barbican, London, Aug 5th to Oct 31st

The Economist’s Intelligent Life Magazine 07/08, 2015. Hamlet illustration by Stanley Chow

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Many fans have combined concepts from Hamlet with those of Benedict Cumberbatch’s immensely popular show, Sherlock

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Themes

Going past the obvious theme of revenge in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the Barbican’s production focuses on disorder. The set begins as a beautifully stylized home for Denmark’s royalty. The table scene is picturesque, reminiscent of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Tensions build throughout the first half of the show, and eventually it explodes, literally. Rubble bursts from offstage, and when the second half begins, all traces of nobility have been replaced with dirt and rock. This disorder is influenced, not only by the scheming of Hamlet and Claudius, but also by the additional themes of misunderstanding and madness. Misunderstanding severs Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship and leads Hamlet to stab Polonius. Yet ironically, Hamlet is hesitant to act too quickly, making sure that he has definitive proof of his uncle’s wrongdoings. Additionally, Hamlet feigns madness in order to further his plot, but the audience is often left wondering how much of it is actually a ruse. Ophelia experiences genuine madness following the death of her father. This is a deviation from her previous sanity, further evidence of the disorder that grows throughout the play.

Not only does this chaos affect the nobility, but one can imagine the consequences their distraction must have on the country. As Horatio exclaims, “What a king is this!”

[yourewelcomechris]

The Design of Barbican’s Hamlet

The design of the play is, in a word, haunting, and triggers an emotional response within each audience member. Shadows evoke fear, slow motion foreboding, and explosions catharsis. When watching the production I often found myself reeling after a particularly moving speech and especially at the interval. The actors interacted seamlessly with the lighting, set, and sound to accomplish this.

[yourewelcomechris]