#roberticke

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”

To complete my Shakespeare tragedy trio starter pack, I finally watched Hamlet as performed at the Almeida Theatre and later adapted into a BBC TV Movie which aired in 2018. Directed by Robert Icke, it stars Andrew Scott, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Luke Thompson, among others.

Hamlet returns home grieving the death of his father, only to discover that his mother, Gertrude, has quickly remarried Claudius, his uncle, and now the new King. Then, through the security monitors, the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears, revealing to Hamlet that Claudius murdered him. From there, Hamlet spirals into paranoia, grief, and obsessive overthinking as he wrestles with revenge.

Surveillance and Political Tragedy The modern staging somehow makes this tragedy feel even more immediate and digestible, reflecting the anxieties of our own time. This adaptation frames Denmark through a distinctly contemporary lens: a world, like today, shaped by surveillance, media scrutiny, and political tension. We have CCTV footage, news broadcasts, and live feeds constantly close in on both the audience and Hamlet’s psyche. As part of the royal family, Hamlet exists under relentless observation, where every action must be measured and composed. 

Grief and TimeWithin such a short span of time, Hamlet returns home to a dead father, a remarried mother, and the horrifying reality that she married his own uncle. There is no room for him to process any of it. And throughout the play, Hamlet constantly fiddles with his watch, almost clinging to it. The production repeatedly draws attention to this habit, tying it beautifully to Hamlet’s line: “The time is out of joint.” Everything around him feels disordered and disorienting. We get to see Hamlet being forced to continue moving while emotionally collapsing in real time. Where grief never settles and only builds pressure, like a kettle with no release for its steam.

Polonius Out of this nearly three-hour play, I surprisingly ended up liking Polonius the most. He comes across as a caring father and loyal employee, even if age causes him to lose track of things at times. In such a grim and emotionally heavy story, he often becomes an unexpected source of comfort and comic relief, and that warmth makes his eventual fate all the more tragic for me. 

A side note on Luke Thompson 

I swear, I genuinely never expected to see him in this play because I hadn’t checked the rest of the cast beforehand. So, in a way, having him appear as Laertes became such a delightful surprise. He still carries some of the voice and mannerisms of Benedict, but at the same time, it’s completely different. As Laertes, he feels like an entirely different person, a new canvas of a persona altogether. He plays him as a brother fiercely protective of his sister and family, someone who, much like Hamlet, is pulled back into chaos caused by human error. 

I really liked him in this role. And now that I’ve seen him as Edgar/Poor Tom in King Lear and here as Laertes in Hamlet, I now have to think harder and of a way about which performance of his I love more.

Ultimately, Hamlet is a deeply human play about grief, vulnerability, morality, and the paralysis that can come from overthinking action. And this production understands that completely. And with Robert Icke’s interpretation, paired with Andrew Scott’s fragile and grief-stricken performance, creates an intense and emotionally layered portrait of a man torn between mourning, responsibility, and revenge.

So if you’re in the mood for a reframed take on this infamous tragedy, one with intimate intensity, accessible dialogue, and a phenomenal ensemble cast… this version might be for you.