Tell My Story

Shakespeare has given us many stories, and one of the greatest—some say it is the greatest—is Hamlet. The Geneva School's Merely Players presented this epic tale to our community over the last two weekends, and the reviews included words such as "amazing," "incredible," "talented," and (one of my personal favorites) "glorious."

Christian has been increasingly involved in the drama program over the last few years. In ninth grade, he played two roles in the spring play, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon: an elf and the devil (lol). In tenth grade, he portrayed Cassius in Julius Caesar. At this point, the drama teacher recognized something special in Christian and began pushing him and encouraging him to reach his full potential. Eleventh grade brought him the honor of playing Macbeth. He took this challenge seriously and put a great deal of time into learning his lines and doing what he could to become this complex character. The spring of that year, he brilliantly portrayed the hare in a retelling of the tortoise and the hare, The Great Cross-Country Race. Through all of these roles, he grew and stretched and matured. This year, his senior year, Hamlet has been the culminating experience of Christian's high school drama experience. The spring play will likely be a more light-hearted and family-friendly play, so Hamlet will remain the cherry on top of his high school resume. 

I wish I could express how excellently these students handled Shakespeare. Everyone did so well. I'm so proud of Christian and his commitment to excellence. It's so fun to watch your kids do something they love and to do it so masterfully. I am sure you would say I'm biased, but I think his performances were exceptional. I would go so far as to say that he gave any other Hamlet a run for his money. I cannot wait to see where this passion takes him. I cannot wait to see how Christian's story unfolds.

 

The queen watching a play that Hamlet has arranged for his mother and his uncle's (now his stepfather) "entertainment" ... and upon his questioning if she likes it, she replies, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Hamlet taunts his uncle, Claudius, with riddles about Polonius' burial. "At supper." "At supper? Where?" "Not where he eats, but where he is eaten."

Hamlet and Laertes begin their duel with Hamlet under the impression that they are competing to see who will reach three hits first. Laertes and Claudius have a plan to kill Hamlet, however, and the fight escalates to a true swordfight which leads to the tragic end of the play.

As he lies dying, Hamlet asks his friend Horatio, "...draw thy breath in pain, To tell my story."

What a story. Beautifully told.