For Hamlet, the Rest is Never Silent
Queried in an interview about his various portrayals, Richard Burton said, “You cannot play Hamlet … only attempt it.”
And attempt we have.
Sir John Gielgud played Hamlet twice in his life and directed one of the more historic productions of the 20th century — the one featuring Richard Burton, done in rehearsal clothes.
Probably the most researched and analyzed of all of Shakespeare’s plays, if not of all plays in general, the role of the Melancholy Dane has been played by basically every great actor of the last five centuries.
The 20th century saw productions on stage and film with Ralph Fiennes, Derek Jacobi, Ethan Hawke, Laurence Oliver, Peter O’Toole, David Tennant, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jude Law, Kenneth Barnaugh, Sarah Bernhardt (remember this one for later in the article) Henry Irving, Nicol Williamson (with singer Mairiann Faithful as his Ophelia), Mel Gibson, Michael Sheen, Daniel Day Lewis, Alan Cumming, Martin Sheen at the Public Theater, John Simm (well, that makes two Doctor Who alumni), Christopher Eccleston (okay, three), Richard Chamberlain, and…
