Research Commons
      • Browse 
        • Communities & Collections
        • Titles
        • Authors
        • By Issue Date
        • Subjects
        • Types
        • Series
      • Help 
        • About
        • Collection Policy
        • OA Mandate Guidelines
        • Guidelines FAQ
        • Contact Us
      • My Account 
        • Sign In
        • Register
      View Item 
      •   Research Commons
      • University of Waikato Theses
      • Masters Degree Theses
      • View Item
      •   Research Commons
      • University of Waikato Theses
      • Masters Degree Theses
      • View Item
      JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

      A cliff in Denmark: An adapturgical exploration of Hamlet

      Smith, James
      Thumbnail
      Files
      thesis.pdf
      712.2Kb
      Citation
      Export citation
      Smith, J. (2020). A cliff in Denmark: An adapturgical exploration of Hamlet (Thesis, Master of Arts (MA)). The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10289/14071
      Permanent Research Commons link: https://hdl.handle.net/10289/14071
      Abstract
      The story of Hamlet is commonly attributed to William Shakespeare and has been adapted consistently by playwrights, poets, novelists, musicians, artists, and filmmakers since the Elizabethan playwright’s day. However, Shakespeare himself was an adaptor, with his Hamlet taking inspiration from Scandinavian and Icelandic histories. This research follows my own personal adaptation of the Hamlet narrative, using the characters, themes, and scenes as sources to draw from for the creation of a new play that uses Hamlet as the base of a palimpsestuous engagement.

      Through a series of workshops and rehearsals with two groups of actor/participants, I draw upon the images and ideas that are associated with Hamlet as ‘memes’ of the core Shakespearean text to write a 45-minute play. This play re-contextualises the Hamlet narrative to a 21st Century, New Zealand context, depicting a contemporary look at the depression and anxiety that can be read into the original character, and the way that the people in the character’s life affect the outcomes of the story.

      This process recognises the adapturgical (a portmanteau of adaptation and dramaturgy) tools which are useful while adapting and transforming a script like Hamlet into a contemporary context.
      Date
      2020
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Name
      Master of Arts (MA)
      Supervisors
      Manning, Declan
      Publisher
      The University of Waikato
      Rights
      All items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
      Collections
      • Masters Degree Theses [2427]
      Show full item record  

      Usage

      Downloads, last 12 months
      146
       
       

      Usage Statistics

      For this itemFor all of Research Commons

      The University of Waikato - Te Whare Wānanga o WaikatoFeedback and RequestsCopyright and Legal Statement