"Who’s there?" Whispered in the dark, this question begins a tale of conspiracy, deception and moral ambiguity. And in a play where everyone has something to hide, its answer is far from simple.
"Tko ide?" Prošaptano u mraku, ovo pitanje započinje priču o uroti, prevari i moralnoj dvosmislenosti. A u drami u kojoj svi imaju nešto za skriti, njegov je odgovor daleko od jednostavnog.
Written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601, "Hamlet" depicts its titular character haunted by the past, but immobilized by the future. Mere months after the sudden death of his father, Hamlet returns from school a stranger to his own home, and deeply unsure of what might be lurking in the shadows. But his brooding takes a turn when he’s visited by a ghost that bears his father’s face. The phantom claims to be the victim of a “murder most foul,” and convinces Hamlet that his uncle Claudius usurped the throne and stole queen Gertrude’s heart. The prince’s mourning turns to rage, and he begins to plots his revenge on the new king and his court of conspirators.
Napisan od strane Williama Shakespearea između 1599. i 1601. godine, "Hamlet" prikazuje svog naslovnog lika progonjenog prošlošću, no onesposobljenog budućnošću. Tek nekoliko mjeseci nakon iznenadne smrt njegova oca, Hamlet se iz škole vraća kao stranac u svom domu te duboko nesiguran u ono što bi moglo vrebati u sjenama. Ali njegova premišljanja se mijenjaju posjetom duha koji nosi lice njegova oca. Fantom tvrdi da je žrtva "bezdušnog umorstva", pa uvjeri Hamleta da je njegov ujak Klaudije uzurpirao tron i ukrao srce kraljice Gertrude. Prinčevo tugovanje se pretvara u bijes i on počinje planirati svoju osvetu novom kralju i njegovom dvoru urotnika.
The play is an odd sort of tragedy, lacking either the abrupt brutality or all-consuming romance that characterize Shakespeare’s other work in the genre. Instead it plumbs the depths of its protagonist’s indecisiveness, and the tragic consequences thereof. The ghost’s revelation draws Hamlet into multiple dilemmas– what should he do, who can he trust, and what role might he play in the course of justice? These questions are complicated by a tangled web of characters, forcing Hamlet to negotiate friends, family, court counselors, and love interests– many of whom possess ulterior motives.
Drama je čudna vrsta tragedije kojoj nedostaje ili nagla brutalnost ili sveobuhvatna romansa koje karakteriziraju Shakespeareova ostala djela u tom žanru. Umjesto toga prodire u dubine neodlučnosti svoga glavnog lika i tragičnih posljedica koje iz nje proizlaze. Duhovo otkrivljenje uvlači Hamleta u brojne dileme - što bi trebao učiniti, kome može vjerovati i koju ulogu bi trebao odigrati u borbi za pravdu? Ova su pitanja otežana zapetljanom mrežom likova, prisiljavajući Hamleta da žonglira prijatelje, obitelj, dvorske savjetnike i ljubavne interese - od kojih mnogi imaju skrivene motive.
The prince constantly delays and dithers over how to relate to others, and how he should carry out revenge. This can make Hamlet more than a little exasperating, but it also makes him one of the most human characters Shakespeare ever created. Rather than rushing into things, Hamlet becomes consumed with the awful machinations of thinking itself. And over the course of the play, his endless questions come to echo throughout our own racing minds.
Princ neprestano odgađa i uznemiruje se oko toga kako se poistovjetiti s drugima te kako provesti osvetu. Ovo može činiti Hamleta više nego malo iritantnim, ali stvara ga i jednim od najljudskijih likova koje je Shakespeare ikad napisao. Umjesto da srlja u stvari, Hamlet postaje zaokupljen groznim spletkarenjem samog promišljanja. Pa kroz tijek drame njegova beskrajna pitanja odzvanjaju našim vlastitim umovima.
To accomplish this, Shakespeare employs his most introspective language. From the usurping king’s blazing contemplation of heaven and hell, to the prince’s own cackling meditation on mortality, Shakespeare uses melancholic monologues to breathtaking effect. This is perhaps best exemplified in Hamlet’s most famous declaration of angst:
Da ovo postigne, Shakespeare koristi svoj najintrospektivniji jezik. Od plamtećeg razmišljanja uzurpirajućeg kralja o raju i paklu, do prinčeve meditacije o smrtnosti, Shakespeare koristi melankolične monologe koji oduzimaju dah. Vjerojatno najbolji primjer ovoga jest Hamletov najpoznatiji izraz tjeskobe:
"To be or not to be—that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And, by opposing, end them."
"Biti ili ne biti - to je pitanje: Je l' dičnije sve strelice i metke Silovite sudbine u srcu Podnositi il zgrabit oružje, Oduprijet se i moru jada kraj"
This monologue personifies Hamlet’s existential dilemma: being torn between thought and action, unable to choose between life and death. But his endless questioning raises yet another anxiety: is Hamlet’s madness part of a performance to confuse his enemies, or are we watching a character on the brink of insanity?
Ovaj monolog personificira Hamletovu egzistencijalnu dilemu: biti rastrgan između misli i djela, nemoćan izabrati između života i smrti. No njegovo beskrajno propitkivanje dovodi do još jedne nelagode: je li Hamletova mahnitost dio nastupa da zbuni svoje neprijatelje, ili mi gledamo lika na rubu ludila?
These questions weigh heavily on Hamlet’s interactions with every character. And since he spends much of the play facing inward, he often fails to see the destruction left in his wake. He’s particularly cruel to Ophelia, his doomed love interest who is brought to madness by the prince’s erratic behavior. Her fate is one example of how tragedy could have been easily avoided, and shows the ripple effect of Hamlet’s toxic mind games.
Ova pitanja jako opterećuju Hamletove interakcije sa svim likovima. A budući da on provodi većinu drame gledajući unutra, često ne vidi uništenje ostavljeno za njim. Specifično je okrutan prema Ofeliji, njegovom propalom ljubavnom interesu, koja je dovedena do ludila prinčevim ponašanjem. Njegova je sudbina primjer tragedije koja je mogla biti lako izbjegnuta te pokazuje posljedice Hamletovih toksičnih misaonih igri.
Similar warning signs of tragedy are constantly overlooked throughout the play. Sometimes, these oversights occur because of willful blindness– such as when Ophelia’s father dismisses Hamlet’s alarming actions as mere lovesickness. At other points, tragedy stems from deliberate duplicity– as when a case of mistaken identity leads to yet more bloodshed. These moments leave us with the uncomfortable knowledge that tragedy evolves from human error– even if our mistake is to leave things undecided.
Slična upozorenja tragedije konstantno su previdjeta tijekom drame. Ponekad, ovi se previdi dogode zbog svojevoljne sljepoće - kao kad Ofelijin otac odbaci Hamletove uznemiravajuće radnje poput puke ljubavne bolesti. U drugim trenucima, tragedija proizlazi iz namjerne dvoličnosti - kao kad slučaj zamijenjenog identiteta dovodi do još krvoprolića. Ovi trenuci ostavljaju nas s neugodnim znanjem da se tragedija razvija iz ljudskih pogrešaka - čak i ako je naša pogreška da ostavimo stvari neodlučene.
For all these reasons, perhaps the one thing we never doubt is Hamlet’s humanity. But we must constantly grapple with who the “real” Hamlet might be. Is he a noble son avenging his father? Or a mad prince creating courtly chaos? Should he act or observe, doubt or trust? Who is he? Why is he here? And who’s out there– waiting in the dark?
Zbog ovih razloga, možda jedina stvar u koju nikada ne sumnjamo je Hamletova ljudskost. No moramo se stalno hrvati s pitanjem tko bi mogao biti "stvarni" Hamlet. Je li on plemeniti sin koji osvećuje svog oca? Ili ludi kraljević koji stvara dvorski kaos? Bi li trebao raditi ili promatrati, sumnjati ili vjerovati? Tko je on? Zašto je ovdje? I tko je tamo vani - tko čeka u mraku?