re: #185 Love-Child of Cassandra and Sisyphus

One of the better versions of Hamlet I saw, live, was adapting it to a modern city, even with black actors.

Note that Tolkien’s “period” is completely fantasy. While the underlying religiosity and monarchical societies he presents are drawn from medieval European ideas and history, the Second Age of Middle Earth is itself completely fantasy.

It’s all made up.

All of it.

I’ve always preferred modern adaptations of Shakespeare as long as the dialogue is strictly Shakespeare, but the setting, the attire, and the verbal intonations and actions are more contemporary. One of my favorite Hamlets (which I’ve seen at least 25 times — both live and on the screen) was performed at a small local theater, where Polonius was taping all his conversations with every character, and seemed more malevolent rather than a fool.