Falling for Hamlet

Ray, M. (2011). Falling for Hamlet. New York: Poppy/Little, Brown and Company. Oh, this title is such great fun! Written by an English teacher aware of the need for Shakespeare to be performed instead of being dissected ad nauseam and the universality of the themes in his plays, this version of Hamlet examines the emotions and actions of Ophelia with Hamlet becoming a secondary character. There are literacy licenses taken, and although much of the story stays the same in this contemporary version, Ophelia survives and lives to tell her tale. The author cleverly weaves in the exact words spoken by the Shakespearean characters in this version that will certainly appeal to modern readers. Through text messages, a guest visit on a talk show, transcripts of interviews with the Denmark Department of Investigations as well as newspaper clippings, the life and times of the glamorous Ophelia are described as she relates how her romantic involvement with Hamlet began and how it ended. There is a breathless quality to all this that will attract teens in the throes of their first romance. Ophelia is the daughter of the king of Denmark's trusted advisor and the on-again, off-again girlfriend of the country's prince. Her identity seems to have been lost as her relationship with Hamlet becomes more intense, and the two are followed by photographers and reporters everywhere they go. It's hard to relax and be yourself when even your classmates may try to snap shots of you that can be sold to the press, and Ophelia describes the relentless attention quite well as well as owning up to mistakes made when she relaxed and lost her inhibitions a bit too publicly. It's hard to know what version of the truth to trust when every moment spend with your significant other is reported in great detail, sometimes with slants and twists that distort the truth. Although Ophelia seems at some points to be little more than arm candy to Hamlet, there are moments when she is playful, irrepressible, and independent and signs that she will be able to reclaim her identity and forge her way through life using her talents and strengths. These are real adults and adolescents coping with loss and the hot lights of notoriety and a palace where there are no secrets.

Favorite Lines:      

"All I was doing was disappointing peope. But I couldn't fix the situation, since I didn't know what was going on. I couldn't share my problems with anyone because, even if I did have any information, which I didn't, I didn't really trust anyone" (p. 144).

"My old self heard Horatio's words and agreed: Hamlet had once been wonderful. My new self wanted to reach into the air and tear the kind words apart. Hamlet would be remembered as a charming prince who lost his way under the pressures of grief and conspiracy. I would remember him as the murderer of my very soul. Hamlet. Hamlet. The sharp end of his name curled my lips" (p. 340-341).