Hamlet (2016), Simon Godwin

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2016 stage adaptation of Hamlet, directed by Simon Godwin, dresses the play in a paint-splattered set with vivid colours and bold graffiti, featuring Paapa Essiedu’s Hamlet in a multi-coloured dinosaur-like outfit and James Cooney’s Horatio in a yellow overall. After the dumbshow, Hamlet runs across the stage to find Horatio and confirm their mutual witnessing of Claudius’ reaction. Similar to Zeffirelli’s rendition of the scene, the stage is dimly lit, yet due to it being a recording of a theatrical performance, the stage is more bare in the moment after the dumbshow, taking on a character of its own while allowing the actors to move freely around and embody the characters. The colourful cloth over the on-stage stage reminds the audience of the festive nature of the dumbshow, yet the bareness in the dark environment reveals the complex motivations of Hamlet’s tests as he reconvenes with Horatio after the royal members leave.