program note for hamlet's apocalypse
DESCRIPTION
This PROGRAM NOTE provides an overview of the Book of Revelation and explains how the play Hamlet parodies its structure of sevens, its characters, and its depiction of Doomsday at the end of the Age. The Dark Lady Players' production of Hamlet's Apocalypse opens in NYC at Manhattan Theatre Source on 7 November 2010.TRANSCRIPT
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PROGRAMNOTEFORHAMLET’SAPOCALYPSETHEBOOKOFREVELATION(ORAPOCALYPSE)isnotaforecastoffutureeventsinourmoderntimes,butratherapoeticalandsymbolicaccountofthepasthistoryoftheRomanJewishwar,andthevictoriesoftheFlavianEmperors,especiallytheemperorDomitianCaesarduringwhosereignitwascomposed.Theliterarystructureofthebookisacatalogueofsevens,whichinclude7vials,7letters,7trumpetsand7angels.
Thebookfeaturesvariouseclipsesandastronomicalsigns,firefromtheheavens,andagreatstarWormwoodthatfallstoearth.ThecityofJerusalemisdescribedasacorruptWhore,decoratedinpurpleclothandinpearls.Shehasbeensupportedby—andliterallyhasbeenridingon‐‐‐theRomanCaesars.TheCaesarsaresymbolizedasaseven‐headedbeast,eachheadrepresentingoneoftheCaesars.Inpunishment,theWhoreisgivena
doubledraughtofapoisonedcupofwineanddies.Thebeastisconfinedtohell.ThewartakesplaceatthehillofMegiddo,knownasArmageddon,whichwasactuallytheplacewhereTitusandVespasianralliedtheirtroopsbeforemarchingonJerusalem,andliterallybringingdownfirefromheaventodestroythecityintheformofflamingcatapults.OthercharactersincludetheDevil,thekingofthePit,whoisreleasedintotheworld,andanotherbeastwhosenumberis666andrepresentsoneoftheFlavianCaesars.BothoftheseareconqueredbytheChristfigure,withthehelpofangelsandtheresurrectedsoulsofthedead.Thereisalsoamysteriouswomancrownedwiththesun,traditionallyidentifiedwiththeVirginMary.AttheendofDoomsdaytheforcesofChristhavewon,andanewheavenlyJerusalemdescendsfromthesky.Bothintheyear1600whenthefirstversionofHamletwasprobablywritten,andalsotoday,theBookofRevelationwasusedbytheChurchtocreateexpectationsofDoomsdayandtheEndoftheWorld.Asaresult,aTime/CNNsurvey(in2002)showedthat59%ofAmericansthinkthattheBookofRevelationisaprophecyofanApocalypsethatwilltakeplace—inmoderntimes.ThiswaswhytheReligiousRightlobbiedforanuclearattackonIran,andfortheIraqwarasthe“gatewayoftheApocalypse”inthehopeofcatalyzingDoomsdayandbringingaboutthereturnofJesus.AsPresidentBushtoldPresidentChiracofFrancein2003,"ThisconfrontationiswilledbyGod,whowantstousethisconflicttoerasehispeople'senemiesbeforeaNewAgebegins".FormanyyearsthisApocalypticworldviewhasalsobeen"fuelingcongressionalanti‐environmentalism"asGlennScherernotedinhisarticle'TheRoadtoEnvironmental
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Apocalypse'inGristMagazine(2004)."Afterthelasttreeisfelled,Christwillcomeback"asReagan'sSecretaryoftheInteriortoldCongress.HAMLETMATTERSbecauseitparodiessuchfantasticandludicrousbeliefs,mockingtheirabsurdity.Hamletisself‐evidentlyaliterarytext,andbyofferingananti‐Revelation,itinvitesustotreatRevelationalsomerelyasaliterarynarrative.TheplayHamletisthereforeanappliedexerciseinpost‐modernBiblicalcriticism,usingironyandcomichumortode‐constructtheChurch’sabsurdinterpretationsofRevelation. Alsofeaturing7angels,7letters,and7trumpets,theplayissetexplicitlyonDoomsday,thedeadarebeingtakenoutoftheirtombs‐‐‐butbygravediggerswhoaredigginguptheircorpses.Thosewhohavehadtheirheadscutoffarenotresurrected,butinsteadlikeYorickhavetheirheadsheldupasobjectsofridicule.SetinDenmarkorDan‐mark,whichwasbelievedtohavebeensettledbymembersofthetribeofDanfromwhomtheAnti‐Christwasprophesiedtocome,bothOldHamlet,Claudius,GertrudeandPrinceHamletarepartoftheforcesoftheAnti‐Christ.ClaudiusistheBeast,GertrudetheWhoreofBabylon,oldHamletistheKingofthePitfromwhichheescapes,andPrinceHamletisLucifertheArchangelofLight,whotakesontheguiseofthreesuccessiveanti‐Christs,thebeastfromthesea,NeroandMartinLuther.ThisinitselfisamockeryoftheveryconceptoftheAntiChrist,ifover1500yearsthreedifferentfigureshadbeenidentifiedasAnti‐ChristyettheEndoftheWorldhadstillnottakenplace.TheplayrecountsthevictoryoftheAnti‐Christ.Intheplay,unlikeinRevelation,bothGodtheFather(Polonius),Christ(Laertes),andtheWomanCrownedwiththeSun/VirginMary(Ophelia)alldie.AttheendoftheplaythereisnoheavenlyJerusalembutonlyaparodyofit—afortinbrass,whichalludestotheIslamicCityofBrassintheArabianNights.YetthisplayisasplausiblescenariooftheEndTimesasanyother.ItraisesthequestionofwhythenarrativeintheBookofRevelationisprivilegedandhowtheChurchshapestheirtextualinterpretationstoreflecttheirownselfinterest.HAMLET’sASTRONOMYrelatesdirectlytothecomingoftheNewAgethatsoconcernedPresidentBush.ThecharacterAmleth,onwhichHamletisbased,isoneofanumberofmythologicalcharacterswhowerebelievedtomovethepolaraxisoftheEarthfromonesignofthezodiactoanotherevery2,200years,tocreateeachnewzodiacal‘Age’.ThatiswhythedefinitivebookonthissubjectbytwoMITscientistswastitledHamlet’sMill.TheastronomyinHamletdepictsageocentricPtolemaicuniversecenteredonClaudiustheEarthwhichisbeingreplacedbyasolarcentricmodelfocusedonHamletasHelios(thesonofHyperion).Theplayalsoalludestotwozodiacalcycles.Inthefirst,OldHamletslewa‘s’leadedpollaxontheice’referringtohisoverturningtheicypolaraxis,weigheddownwiththeplanet.Inthesecond,PrinceHamletkillsthePolePolonius,whoisacontemporaryallegoryforLordBurghleywhowasknownasthemetaphorical‘polaraxis’oftheElizabethancourt.Hamlet’sApocalypserunsatManhattanTheaterSourcefrom7to9November2010