A King of Infinite Space

"I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams."

That right there was said by good old William Shakespeare. I'm thinking Great English wordsmith, my enemies and crew are thinking Shake! Spear! Quick, name that flick! Oh, sorry, I was saying something, wasn't I? Right. So the above quote was said by the prince of Denmark himself in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Hamlet is one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare and that is one of my favorite lines from Shakespeare. Hamlet is a classic. There have been over 60 film adaptations of Hamlet and over 21 television adaptations have been created since 1907. Intense, right? See the things google can teach you...?

With that many adaptations abound there have been a ton of actors that have attempted to put their own spin on the tormented prince. Whether they play him young and immature, dirty and crazy, or older and overly thoughtful, there is always something interesting to look for that the actors bring to the character. 

I think I have always enjoyed Hamlet in the same way I have enjoyed Catcher in the Rye. Hamlet was always my Holden Caulfield. The tormented youth. Both aware and vastly afraid of the future and what must become of him. I think Hamlet was the first teenage trouble maker.  A little depressed, a little rebellious, and a lot more fear than they were both willing to admit. 

Next in line to take the heavy crown is Emile Hirsch. 

I love that guy. He comes off as a very smart man for the job. Cute, but not too much. A great actor. Smart. Mini-crush, I get it. Maybe you should consider the parts he's played in. Milk, the Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys, Speed Racer, Into the Wild, Taking Woodstock. He's a diverse actor with a lot of talent under his belt. Catherine Hardwick is set to direct this version and its set to release in 2011. Can I admit that I am definitely going to keep my eyes on this one? 

Other Hamlets:

Ethan Hawke, Hamlet (2000)

Jude Law, stage adaptation, Hamlet (2009)

Mel Gibson, Hamlet (1990)

Obviously, these aren't the only people that have played Hamlet. Kenneth Branagh more than quite successfully portrayed Hamlet in 1996 with a very entertaining rendition. Overall, I don't think there is any right way or wrong way to play the legendary character, but in no way will I give up on my own interpretation. It's why I love him.

Get out of here. Go read yourself some Shakespeare.

~Ferdinando