A Level happiness is a play called Hamlet

Our Upper Sixth English students enjoyed a trip to the Globe Theatre this week. 

Polonius famously - and auto-satirically - pronounced on Elizabethan theatre that it could boast “the best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited.”

However one may wish to define Shakespeare’s Hamlet, four sets of Sixth Form English pupils this week certainly considered it “a hit, a very palpable hit” in their trip to London’s historic Wanamaker Theatre. Many of the tragedy’s genre-bending angles were explored with great ingenuity and hilarity in an inventive, cutting-edge production, directed by Sean Holmes.

Dr David Law (pictured with U6) organised the Faculty-wide initiative, and led an expedition to the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Theatre, part of the iconic Globe Theatre complex, and a reconstruction of the original Blackfriars Theatre. The small intimate space ushered in a new aesthetic for Shakespeare’s later plays which quickly became daringly modern and experimental. As the teaching of Hamlet has long been a cause célèbre of ‘Doc’ Law’s teaching, it was fitting that one of the last trips he’ll lead - before hanging up his well-thumbed Folio - was to see this provocative version of Shakespeare’s most searchingly humane masterpieces.

Moserite Charlie H was impressed. “This was a vivid depiction of Hamlet as a contemporary protagonist, using wit and sarcasm to try and combat and outsmart the archaic villain Claudius and his sycophants,” she said.

“It really helped getting to know the text,” Dom (Rb, UVI) added. “It playfully illuminated interesting aspects of the play I hadn’t noticed.”

These activities are part of the English Faculty’s ongoing commitment to supporting literary studies through live drama, which saw Sixth Formers attend Measure for Measure led by Ms Sally Pearson at the same venue earlier this term.