Hamlet

“It is often overlooked that Shakespeare transformed four of the most boring words in the English language into the most famous line in world theater, “To be or not to be.” How can something so abstract resonate across so many cultures and eras? Some say the answer is simple: “to be!” Rather than wondering about existence, questions that are unanswerable, we should simply embrace life and move on.

The question continues to haunt many people, including me. Its importance lies in the unknown ‘why’. This question has haunted philosophers long before Socrates. Some ask the question, while others argue that since there is no answer, there is no point in asking it.

Sometimes we do senseless things, truly terrible things, for no apparent reason or benefit. And we run around in despair, asking “Why?! Why?!” Humans are the only animals that can be irrationally cruel, that can commit spectacular acts of violence both to themselves and to other people.

Perhaps this is related to the fact that humans are the only beings who can question their own existence. Sometimes, people do wonderful or terrible things just to prove that we exist.

Hamlet’s dilemma embodies this struggle. But not directly, but enigmatically, like a ghost around the dark corridors of Elsinore.”

— Declan Donnellan, Artistic Director, on Hamlet