Sam: A Comedic Examination on Hamlet

Abstract

Sam is my directing senior project. The play, which I wrote for this project, is a 21st-century satirical adaptation of Hamlet. I aimed this project to reach those going through college right now, to show them how relatable Shakespeare's tragedy can be. But as this project was completed, I realized how personally therapeutic it was for me to put this on. I didn't know where I was going with my life for a couple of years, until I came up with the idea for Sam. Hamlet is a tragedy that has endured in popularity for over 400 years because Hamlet is a character who realizes how powerless he is in changing the world around him. Hamlet stands at the opposite of many other protagonists in the wave of revenge tragedies in the early 1600's. They act vengeance upon their antagonists out of their own volition, while Hamlet is compelled to by a ghost of his dead father. Germany is an indicator of the tragedy's success, as the play's popularity spiked during periods such as the early 19th century and immediately after World War II. The German people, subjugated under powers like Adolf Hitler, relate to Hamlet's lack of power against an oppressive government.