The Rest is Silence
The beloved Hamlet, arguably one of Shakespeare’s most recognizable plays (aside from maybe Romeo and Juliet), tells a vengeful story of the Prince of Denmark, who seeks to avenge the murder of his father after his uncle marries his mother and becomes king. Throughout the three -hour long play, Hamlet descends into madness and basically nobody survives to see the end of the play except poor Horatio, Hamlet’s good friend. Since Hamlet is done rather frequently, it’s one of the more common Shakespeare’s to see done non-traditionally. While this is true, in my experience it’s still pretty safe to expect a straight white male actor who is slightly too old to play Hamlet, be playing Hamlet. While scrolling through my list of 17 productions I was able to stream, the thumbnail caught my eye as a young black man holding a skull and my ears perked. A black Hamlet! Scene after scene went by and it didn’t take me long to realize that not only was it a black Hamlet, but pretty much everyone in the cast was black and Denmark was now a traditional African county (1). I was immediately fascinated and having just done Hamlet at my university, I was eager to watch this show that I’ve come to know very well.
Seemingly the opposite of Love Labour’s Lost (which I discuss in the next blog), this cast is entirely black aside from three characters: Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Fortenbras who were all played by Caucasian actors. I pondered this for a while because while the cast was mostly black it was not all black and I definitely think that was intentional. Rosencranz and Guildenstern, the pair of outsiders that are summoned by the King and Queen to essentially spy on Hamlet, come in to the show as the first white characters we see on stage. This is stark and it posed them as the true outsiders of the play. I thought about how it’s so common to see black characters as the outsider to whatever white culture they are plopped into. In this production, the tables are intentionally turned and I found that to be obviously symbolic.
Adding another layer to this all-black production, the play references several odes to African Culture utilizing African drums, traditional dress, masks and patterns within the set. This added a new layer to a very old play and I found it to be tasteful, appreciative, and appropriate to the concept of the show. Of course there is purpose to this choice as well and a very smart one at that. What’s particularly smart about this integration of culture is that it marries a very refined, civilized, and highly heightened text with a culture that is historically ridiculed for being uncivilized, barbaric, and foreign. By putting these elements together, this production ultimately encourages their audience to associate African Civilizations as being full of complexities, culture, and value. This interpretation of Hamlet utilized color-conscious casting in a super specific and deliberate way that not only provided opportunities for some powerhouse actors, but also used their race to educate and inspire their audience members.
(1) "Hamlet." , directed by Robin Lough. , produced by Zoe Donegan, and Royal Shakespeare Company. , Royal Shakespeare Company, 2016. Alexander Street, https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/hamlet-8.
