“A virtuous princess can do nothing, but a wicked princess can do anything.”

One of the most requested productions for the NTCK stage—along with The Orphan of Zhao: Seeds of Revenge—Hamlet is set to conclude the year 2020. Lee Bong-ryeon, a truly versatile actress, steps into the role of the titular protagonist—a character every actor dreams of playing—and points a sword of revenge. The subtle yet bold depiction of madness overwhelms the stage and stirs the audience. The fateful paths of the one who seeks the truth and the one who wishes to bury it plummet into an abyss. Once the tempest throwing the question of “To be, or not to be” passes and wretched reality reveals itself, we will finally wake up from a long dream.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

William Shakespeare is undoubtedly one of the greatest playwrights of all time. Hamlet, the most frequently performed Shakespearean play around the world, is staged by the National Theater Company of Korea in celebration of its 70th anniversary. Director Pu Sae-rom delves into the 600-year-old play and asks some profound questions about the unchanging human nature. Scenographer Yeo Shin-dong strews the bare stage with soil, wind and rain to remind us of men’s helplessness against the forces of nature. Fighting against fate, Hamlet climbs to the top of a cliff and shouts, “My play is not yet over. I will take to the stage again!”

Synopsis

Following the sudden death of the late king, an investigation committee is set up, but the case is settled quickly and ‘reasonably.’ Instead of Princess Hamlet, who is the first in line to the throne, her uncle Claudius takes the crown after marrying Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. Watching the funeral of the previous king and the wedding of the new one take place consecutively, Hamlet is thrown into confusion. She grows suspicious about her father’s death and pretends to be insane in order to uncover the truth of the matter.