1994

PERFORMANCE GUIDE

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Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has returned to Denmark from the University at Wittenberg, called home because of the death of his father. He finds that his father's brother, Claudius, has already usurped the throne, and married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hamlet is greatly shaken when a college friend, Horatio, informs him that he and the guards on the castle ram- parts have seen the ghost of his father. Hamlet insists upon seeing the apparition, and just before midnight he does see and talk with the ghost. His father tells him that he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius, and extracts a promise from Hamlet to avenge his death.

Hamlet has written love letters to Ophelia, the daughter of the Lord Chamberlain, Polonius. When Hamlet makes a sudden and distracted appearance before her, Ophelia is frightened and tells her father. Polonius thinks Hamlet's behavior is the "very ecstasy of love" and tells the king. Claudius and Polonius arrange a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia and hide so that they can overhear their conversation. In the meantime, Hamlet's strange behavior has prompted Claudius to send for two former schoolmates of Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. His plan is to have them spy on Hamlet to determine if he is mad. Shortly after Rosencrantz and Guildenstem arrive, a company of traveling players visits the castle. Hamlet asks them to perform a play for the court. He requests the chief actor to add to the play a speech that he himself will write that will show how Hamlet's father was killed.

Urged on by her father, Ophelia tries to return Hamlet's letters and gifts. Hamlet, suspecting they are being overheard, tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery so that she will not be a "breeder of sinners." Claudius, who has overheard the conversations, thinks Hamlet is mad and wants to send him to England. Polonius insists that Hamlet is mad for Ophelia's love and suggests that Gertrude question Hamlet.

The players perform their play. When he sees the players act out his own murder of Hamlet's father, Claudius stops the play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern bring word to Hamlet that his mother wishes to see him. Polonius hides behind the arras in Gertrude's room to overhear Hamlet's conversation with her. Hamlet, hear- ing a slight noise behind the arras and thinking it is the king, kills Polonius. He then begs his mother to have no more to do with Claudius. Suddenly he sees the ghost of his father again, but Gertrude sees nothing and thinks Hamlet is mad. The king is now determined to send Hamlet to England. He plans for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany him and sends a message to the king of England asking to have Hamlet killed.

Laertes, Polonius' son and Ophelia's brother, has been called back from France because of the death of his father. He finds that Ophelia has gone mad and he vows revenge. At this time Horatio receives letters from Hamlet telling him that he has escaped from the ship bearing him to England and is returning to Denmark. The king, learning of Hamlet's return, plots with Laertes to challenge Hamlet to a fencing match. Laertes will have poison on the tip of his foil so that he need but scratch Hamlet and he will die. If this fails, Claudius will have a poisoned drink to give Hamlet. Gertrude interrupts their plotting to report that Ophelia has fallen into a stream and been drowned.

Hamlet returns just in time to witness Ophelia's burial. He is then challenged to the fencing match with Laertes and he accepts. In the match Hamlet is touched by the poisoned foil, but the foils are exchanged and Laertes also is killed. The queen, not knowing that the drink is poisoned. takes the cup and drinks. Hamlet, warned by Laertes that he is dying, uses his remaining strength to kill the king.

Letter from the Director

Dear Audience,
Hamlet means many things to many people. For example, in Europe and America during the nineteenth century, the central character of Hamlet appealed to the romantic, melancholy mood and he was played as: a doomed hero. In the radical 1960s the Royal Shakespeare Company portrayed him as a rebellious college student. A German production in the 1970s presented Ophelia as a Bader-Meinhof terrorist, while in a Rumanian production in the late 1980s, Denmark was seen as a totalitarian state dominated by a Ceaucescu-like ruler. It is interesting, too, to compare the dislocated and introspective Hamlet of Laurence Olivier. produced in England during a period of self- examination and reassessment after the Second World War, with the recent cocky and robust post Gulf-War Hamlet of Mel Gibson.

Hamlet absorbs the anxieties and preoccupa- tions of the time and place in which it is performed, so that no two Productions are ever likely to be the same. I think Shakespeare would be pleased to know that. Doesn't he have Hamlet assert that the purpose of The Mousetrap is to show "the very age and body of the time his form and pressure?"

Hamlet is a violent story of treachery and revenge, of mental instability, sexual exploitation, and broken hearts. For all the formalities of Claudius court, a sense of corruption pervades the action. The madness that Hamlet assumes and into which Ophelia descends is the symptom of a deeper social malaise. Notice how Hamlet's words mirror the social corruption that pervades Denmark:'foul deeds','maggots', offal','the ulcerous place','an unweeded garden'. The murder of old Hamlet is a political assassination, the threat of an invading army is never far from the action. Can we connect any of this with our world today? Political coruption? Tit-for-tat killings? Nervous breakdowns? Unstable relationships? Those of you who are young--indeed some of you are barely out of your teens, how do you feel about the aggressive and violent world you are growing up in? How do you respond to peer pressure? How do you cope with authority and the emotional and psychological gap between generations? How do you deal with the expec- tations of parents and teachers? How do young people protect themselves when their parents are going through a messy divorce? Some of us are older. What do we feel about the 'Give-it-to-me-and-give-it-to- me-now!' generation? How do we deal with their selfishness, their casualness and irresponsibility? How can we get them to talk to us? Are they sexually active? Do they do drugs? How can we protect them? Why must they wear such awful clothes?

What do the characters in the play think and feel about these questions? Gertrude and Polonius are loving parents; Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes are dutiful children. Hamlet is bright and well-off. and goes to a good school. He has many young friends, among them Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Claudius is a loving husband to Gertrude. He is Hamlet's uncle and a caring stepfather. Why then does so much go wrong? What would a therapist make of all this?

I list the other characters intentionally. While Hamlet himself has attracted the most critical commen- tary, a whole group of people are under scrutiny. Each of them is a multi-faceted person with very great needs. All their actions are inextricably bound up with one another. To focus only on Hamlet is to limit the rich emotional and social implications the play holds for us all imagine how differently we would feel about the play if it was named 'Ophelia', or 'Claudius', or 'Horatio'. After all, Tom Stoppard wrote a play about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

From the drift of my comments, it should be obvious that I don't see Hamlet as an old-fashioned his- torical drama, nor is it set solely in Denmark or England. It was written in the early 1600s. but it is a play about here and now. The story may be about fic- tional characters, but it's also about you and me and the actors who share it with us. Hamlet is timeless, and that's what our music, setting and costumes suggest. The set follows the basic layout of the Elizabethan stage, but is made of rusted metal to convey the unsym- pathetic and deteriorating world of the play. The costumes have a period line but with a contemporary feel in shape and texture. The music is percussive, harsh and aggressive, metal on metal. As characters we must belong to this world, fighting it, reflecting it. We may even be overwhelmed by it.

Sincerely,
Sam McCready

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William T. Brown.

Executive Producer & Scene Designer

Sam McCready, Director & Artistic Directer

Elena Zlotescu, Costume Designer & Masks Designer

Edie Catto, Associate Producer

Sheila Lopez, Production Manager

Terry Cobb, Construction Engineer

Alice Robinson. Speech Consultant

Joan McCready, Dramaturg

Richard McCready, Music Composer

Paul Gallagher. Fight Choreographer

Marla Tibbels, Interpreter

Hamlet                          Jacob Zahniser
Claudius                        Philip Restive
Gertrude                   Jessiccl Marulevich
Horatio                           Jason Bohner
Polonius                       Richard Kirstel
Ophelia                           Tamerin Corn
Laertes                              Joe Riley
Rosencrantz                       Chris Yeiser
Guildenstern                       Jason Yaffe
Voice of Ghost                    Sam McCready
Ist Player (Player King)              Dan Cook
2nd Player (Lucianus)                Joe Riley
3rd Player (Player Queen)          Jason Yaffe
Osric                                 Dan Cook
Clown                             Chris Yeiser
Mourners          Richard Kirstel, Jason Yaffe



Gregg Schraven              Technical Director
Mark Fink         Stage Manager & Truck Driver
Elsa Mason                            Costumer
Kathryn Falcone            First Hand Stitcher
Sharol Buck                           Stitcher
Rob Yeager                      Sound Operator
Nancy Ann Arnold                  Prop Artisan
Emily Tibbels             Production Assistant
Mary Bova                Administrative Intern



Mike Ayres, William J. Bandy III, Greg Sears,
Kristin Thompson, Kim Turner,
Rob Yeager

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William T. Brown (Founder, Executive Producer, Set
Designer) is an associate professor of theatre at UMBC.
He served as chairman of the UMBC Theatre
Department from 1970-75 and from 1982 to the pre-
sent. He first conceived Shakespeare on Wheels while
in Africa in the 1960s and resurrected it 20 years later
at UMBC. A well-respected set designer, he designs
for Shakespeare on Wheels and The Maryland Stage
Company, UMBC's resident theatre. Altogether his
technical skills have graced more than 150 productions.

Sam McCready (Artistic Director, Director) is an
internationally known actor, director, and speech adju-
dicator, and associate professor of theatre at UMBC.
He has been named outstanding director by the
American College Theatre Festival on four occasions,
and two of his productions- The Importance of Being
Oscar and Spring's Awakening have been performed at
the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

Elena Zlotescu (Costume Designer), an associate pro-
fessor of theatre at UMBC, has exhibited her costume
and set designs throughout Europe and North America.
A native of Romania, she designed sets and costumes
for over 100 productions at the National Theatre in
Bucharest before coming to the United States. Her
designs for Sam McCready's adaptations of The Picture
of Dorian Gray and The Fall of the House of Usher
were widely praised in Europe, and she has received
critical acclaim for her designs for The Maryland Stage
Company, UMBC's resident professional theatre com-
pany. Elena is also a noted fashion designer.

Edie Catto (Associate Producer) began her involve-
ment with Shakespeare on Wheels, through the role of
Lady Macbeth in the 1989 production of Macbeth. She
then served as company manager and assistant director
prior to her appointment as associate producer in 1991.
This is Edie's last production as associate producer
with Shakespeare on Wheels. The company would like
to take this opportunity to thank her for the contribution
she has made to our continued growth and develop-
ment. Good luck. Edie!

Sheila Lopez (Production Manager) Graduated from
UMBC in 1992 with a BA in Technical Theatre. During
the 1992-1993 Season, she worked as the stage man-
agement intern at Stagewest in Springfield.
Massachusetts. She returned to Shakespeare on Wheels
in the summer of 1993 as stage manager for The Merry
Wives of Windsor. For the 1993- 1994 season she
returned to Stagewest a production assistant for all
main stage productions.

Terry Cobb (Construction Engineer) teaches lighting
and sound design and serves as the UMBC Theatre
Department`s Technical Director. He has made a major
contribution to the technical development of a number
of Shakespeare on Wheels productions, among them
Othello (1992) and The Merry Wives of Windsor(1993).
Terry has designed the lighting for all of the
Department's Main Stage productions, including the
award-winmng The Importance of Being Oscar,
Spring's Awakening, Salome, and The Tutor. He also
designs for The Maryland Stage Company.

Alice M. Robinson (Speech Consultant), associate pro-
fessor of theatre at UMBC has taught at the University
since its founding in 1966. She teaches theatre history,
American theatre, oral interpretation, and speech for the
actor. She has coached Shakespeare on Wheels actors in
the speaking of Shakespeare's language for the past
eight years. Dr. Robinson received her PhD from
Stanford University.

Richard McCready (Composer and Sound Designer)
is an Irish composer and performer currently complet-
ing a master's degree in musical performance at
Towson State University. He composed the music for
the 1993 Shakespeare on Wheels production of The
Merry Wives of Windsor and wrote and performed the
musical scores for the UMBC productions of The Tutor
(for which he received a meritorious award from the
American College Theatre Festival) and The Picture of
Dorian Gray.

Joan McCready (Dramaturg) is an actress, director,
teacher, and speech adjudicator. Since coming to
Baltimore from Ireland, she has been head of the per-
forming arts program at the Park School, where she has
directed productions ranging from an innovative
Macbeth to the modern classic The Firebugs by Max
Frisch. Joan has also adjudicated the Hong Kong
Speech and Drama Festival four times.

Marla Tibbels (Interpreter), a seven-year veteran of
Shakespeare on Wheels productions. has seen the com-
pany evolve into a dynamic, well-known theatre troupe.
A native of Baltimore, she has been working as a sign
language interpreter at area universities and as a free-
lancer for twelve years. She is currently a student at
UMBC, majoring in interdisciplinary studies.

Jacob Zahniser ( Hamlet) is a senior at UMBC and a
veteran of Shakespeare on Wheels. He played the role
of Trinculo in The Tempest, Roderigo in Othello, and
Sir Hugh Evans in The Merry Wives of Windsor. He
also played the leading role in the UMBC Main Stage
Production of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and
Fritz in the prize-winning presentation of The Tutor.

Philip Restive (Claudius) recently appeared as Orlando
in the Charles Street Player's production of
Shakespeare's As You Like It. After a tour of duty as a
marine at Camp David, Phil returned to the stage at Lily
College as Butterworth in the Evergreen Players pro
duction of Dracula. Shortly after. Phil played the chal-
lenging role of Lopakhin in Checkov's The Cherry
Orchard.

Jessica Matulevich (Gertrude) is in her third year as a
theatre major at UMBC . She previously appeared with
Shakespeare on Wheels as the Host of the Garter Inn in
The Merry Wives of Windsor. At UMBC she has
appeared in Don Juan Returns From The War and Balm
In Gilead.

Jason Bohner (Horatio) appeared in last year's
Shakespeare on Wheels production of The Merry Wives
of Windsor as Doctor Caius. Most recently he played
Clitandre in The Maryland Stage Company production
of The Misanthrope, and Basil Hallward in The Picture
of Dorian Gray on the UMBC Main Stage.

Richard Kirstel (Polonius). a former
college teacher and actor. is a work-
ing artist with an extensive list of
exhibitions and publications. He has
acted in a range of roles from
Shakespeare to Simon in theatres
throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
In 1992. he won the Best Actor
Award in Annapolis for his perfor-
mance as Willie Clark in The
Sunshine Boys.

Tamerin Corn (Ophelia) is a 1993
Alumna of UMBC. Last slummer she
appeared as Anne Page in
Shakespeare on Wheels' The Merry
Wives of Windsor. Other credits
include Gussie in The Tutor, ensem-
ble in The Serpent, Mother Superior
in Agnes of God. Ellen Terry in The
Actor 's Nightmare and the three episodes of Maryland
Public Television's Literary Visions.

Joe Riley (Laertes) is performing in his second
Shakespeare on Wheels production. Two years ago, he
appeared in Othello. Joe is a graduate of UMBC where
he appeared in several department productions and with
The Maryland Stage Company.

Christopher Yeiser (Rosencrantz and Clown) has
worked as sound board operator for The Maryland
Stage Company production of The Misanthrope. and as
stage manager for UMBC's production of The Picture
of Dorian Gray. This is his first appearance with
Shakespeare on Wheels.

Jason Yaffe (Guildenstern and Player) is a senior at
UMBC. Last year he played the role of Nym in The
Merry Wives of Windsor. Other recent performances
have included UMBC's Shakespeare in the Schools
production of Hamlet in which he played the role of
Polonius. and Joe in the Theatre Lab presentation of
Balm in Gilead.

Daniel Cook (Osric and Player) is entering his third
year of college at UMBC, after transfering from Loyola
College. In high school, his acting experiences included
roles in The Man Who Came to Dinner, You're a Good
Man Charlie Brown, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Gregg Schraven (Technical Director) is currently
working on his BA in Technical Theatre at the
University of Maryland Baltimore County. This is his
fourth year with Shakespeare on Wheels. In previous
seasons, Gregg has worked as technical director for
Othello, sound engineer for The Merry Wives of
Windsor and crew member for The Tempest. He has
returned as technical director for this year's production
of Hamlet.


           Shakespeare on Wheels' Cast and Crew

(Left to right) 1st Row: Kristin Thompson, Nancy Ann
Arnold, Mark Fink, Jason Bohner, Jacob Zhaniser;
Marla Tibbels, Sheila Lopez, Kim Turner, Elsa Mason. 2nd
Row: Emily Tibbels, Tamerin Corn, Jason Yaffee,
Jessica Matulevich, Edie Cato & Molly, Richard Kirstel.
William T. Brown, Richard McCready, Sam
McCready. 3rd Row: Mary Bova, Terry Cobb, Alice Robinson, Dan
Cook, Chris Yeiser, Joe Riley, Mike Ayres,
Greg Sears, Philip Restivo, Rob Yeager. 4th Row: Gregg Schraven,
Kathryn Fallcone, William Bandy III.

Mark Fink (Stage Manager/Truck Driver) is in his final
year at the University of Maryland College Park, where
he is pursuing his BA in theatre. His work at UMCP
includes stage managing for Jacques Brel is Alive and
Well and Living in Paris, and Hamlet.

Elsa Mason (Costumer) received a BS in fashion
design from Radford University in 1993. She subse-
quently became costumer for the Shakespeare on
Wheels production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.
She is now completing her BS degree in Theatre
Costuming at Radford.

Kathryn Falcone (First Hand Stitcher) has just com-
pleted her BA in theatre from UMBC. She has worked
for Shakespeare on Wheels for three years, and looks
forward to continuing with the program in future years.

Sharol Buck( First Hand Stitcher) graduated from
UMBC with a BA in theatre. Last summer she played
Mistress Ford in the Shakespeare on Wheels production
of The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Rob Yeager (Sound Engineer) is a senior theatre major
at the University of Maryland College Park. He was
most recently sound designer for The Colored Museum.
and lighting designer for the student production of God
of Vengeance.

Nancy Ann Arnold (Props Artisan/Build Crew) is an
instructor and scene shop supervisor at UMBC. She has
done lighting design at the Source Theatre in
Washington, DC, and the University of Maryland
College Park. She also has assisted lighting designers
at the Shakespeare Theatre at the Landsburgh.

Emily Tibbels (Production Assistant/Assistant Stage
Manager) returns to Shakespeare on Wheels for her
fifth season. She is a student at
McDonogh School.

Mary Bova (Administrative Intern) is
currently attending UMBC. This is her
first year with Shakespeare on
Wheels.

Michael Ayres (Technical Crew) is a
freshman at Prince George's
Community College. Where he is
working toward a degree in technical
theatre and graphic arts.

William Bandy III(Technical Crew)
is a candidate for an AA degree in dra-
matic arts at Catonsville Community
College. He designed the scenery for
the Catonsville Community College
production of Godspell last spring,
and was assistant director for Our
Town.

Gregory Sears (Technical Crew) is a junior at the
University of Maryland College Park. Greg has worked
on numerous productions on Tawes Main Stage, as
lighting board operator and crew member. He has also
worked for the Pugliese Theatre and the Experimental
Theatres at UMCP.

Kristin Thompson (Technical Crew) received her BA
in theatre from the University of Maryland College
Park. She has designed lights for the UMCP produc-
tions of Beaux Stratagem and  To Be Young, Gifted And
Black. She also designed the set for Etta Jenks.

Kim Turner (Set Construction) is a graduate student in
the University of Maryland College Park theatre pro-
gram. This is her fourth year with Shakespeare on
Wheels. Also employed as business manager for
UMBC's Phoenix Repertory Dance Company, Kim
stagemanaged their recent performance. "A Mosaic of
Dance."



Who Is Hamlet?
by Hassell B. Sledd

Everybody knows Hamlet. "To be or not to
be." Right? Not exactly. There's much more to the
young Prince of Denmark. First there's the college-age
kid whose mother Queen Gertrude married his uncle
King Claudius only a few months after the death of his
father. the old King. He is so upset that he feels dirtied
and wishes his own "too, too sullied flesh would melt.
thaw, and resolve itself into a dew." Then he learns from
a ghost that may be his father's spirit (perhaps a devil
sent to trap him to hell) that Claudius murdered his
father. The ghost commands him to avenge his "most
foul and unnatural murder." But premeditated revenge
is a sin. just as murder is, and Hamlet can expect to be
damned if he avenges his father's murder as surely as he
will be an undutiful son if he does not. Thus Hamlet is
not only an upset teenager unable to do anything about
adults' lives but also a young prince commanded to do
what seems to be impossible and is certainly unlawful.
No wonder Hamlet seems unable to make up his mind.
     At this point in the play Hamlet says the "To
be or not to be" soliloquy. He is contemplating suicide,
wondering what dreams may come after death. the
"country from whose bourn [border] no traveler
returns." But he does not have enough energy to act.
     Just then Hamlet's girlfriend Ophelia tries to
return his love letters and, in a sudden release of emo-
tion, he lashes out at her in a tirade that many playgoers
feel is unjustifiable. Ophelia has been placed by her



father Polonius and King Claudius where they can
eavesdrop to find out whether Hamlet's behavior is
caused by "lover's melancholy," the malady that was
thought to come from unrequited love. When Ophelia
lies to him and says that her father is at home, he dou-
bles the intensity of his attack on her until she thinks he
is crazy. Maybe at this point he is crazy; he has enough
troubles to make him so.
     King Claudius does not think Hamlet is love
sick. He thinks Hamlet is sick with thwarted ambition,
the "politician's melancholy." To help Claudius find
out, he sends for two of Hamlet's friends at the
University: the easily-bought Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern. who in less than life-or death circum-
stances might be likeable enough. They spy on Hamlet.
and he knows it.
     So Hamlet, "the observed of all observers,' is
not only a college-age kid and a young man with an
intolerable task laid on him but also a prince who could
not make up his mind, a prince who may be crazy with
love or thwarted ambition. Can one character in a play
be all of these things? and still be believable enough to
be accepted all over the world and sometimes thought
of as a real person, as Hamlet surely is?
     The answer is yes, he is all these, and more.
Hamlet's character was enriched by Shakespeare when
he was making over an old play, also known as Hamlet
and popular on the London stage at least since 1589.
The old play was first referred to in 1589 by Thomas
Nashe in his introduction to Menaphon, a prose tale by
Robert Greene. Nashe wrote, "English Seneca read by
candlelight yields many good sentences- as 'Blood is a
beggar' and so forth; and if you entreat him fair on a
frosty morning he will offer you whole Hamlets, I
should say handfuls, of tragical speeches!" Then in
1594 when the London playhouses were closed on
account of the plague, the play was enacted at
Newington Butts, a few miles outside London. In 1596
Thomas Lodge wrote of "the ghost which cried so mis-
erably at the theatre, like an oyster wife, "Hamlet
revenge!" The old play was apparently well enough
received to take on tour to Germany, for something of it
appears in Der Bestrafte Brudermord (Fratricide
Punished, known in a printing from the eighteenth cen-
tury. Evidently the old play was quite successful.
     Then in 1603 a play with some features known
from Der Bestrafte Brudermord but with more of those
found in Shakespeare's version was published in an
unauthorized edition or bad quarto. It was followed in
1604 by a quarto edition of what is surely
Shakespeare's version. Other editions based on this
quarto appeared in 1611 and later years. Considerable
additions to and some subtractions from the 1604 guar-
to were made for the First Folio of 1623. Shakespeare's
version of both the character and the play have been
remarkably popular since 1603.
     One of the most important reasons for the con-
tinued fame of Hamlet, the young Prince, is that like a
real person he grows over time. He matures from a self-
centered adolescent upset by his mother's sex life to an
aware, accepting, focussed adult capable of swift and
drastic action when that action presents itself as right
and just. Even Shakespeare suggests that he grows, for
at the beginning of the play he is the age of a college
student-which in Shakepeare's day was likely to be
fourteen to seventeen years-but toward the end he is
said by the gravedigger to have been born thirty years
earlier.
     One aspect of Hamlet's growth is revealed
when he tells his friend Horatio how he caused the
deaths of Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Sent by King
Claudius to guard Hamlet on the way to exile in
England, they held a sealed order for his execution.
Hamlet sneaked the order away from them and substi-
tuted another- calling for the English to kill Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern. To justify his action Hamlet says:

 Why, man, they did make love to this employment.
 They are not near my conscience. Their defeat
 Does by their own insinuation grow.
 'Tis dangerous when the baser narture comes
 Between the pass and fell incensed points
 Of mighty opposites.

     Hamlet and Claudius are the "mighty oppo-
sites," of course. Hamlet's justification is that
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern wanted so much to
become a part of the power structure in Claudius'
Denmark that they were willing to spy on him, and that
in coming between him and the King they brought
about their own deaths. They are not on his conscience
and whether Hamlet is justified is a matter for argu-
ment. The speech shows that Hamlet has become the
worthy opponent of Claudius, an adult living in the per-
haps inevitable sullied adult world of Claudius, and
succeeding in it.
     Another aspect of Hamlet's growth is revealed
when he agrees to a display of fencing before Claudius
and Gertrude. Although he feels that he may die, he
goes ahead with the fencing match, telling Horatio,

We defy augury. There is special providence in the
fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come;
if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not
now, yet it will come. The readiness is all.

This willing acceptance of what life will bring is the
other side of his ability to act swiftly and drastically.
     Both sides are joined at the end of the play
when, told by Gertrude that she is dying of poisoned
wine meant by Claudius for Hamlet, and dying himself
of a scratch from a poisoned foil, Hamlet immediately,
impulsively, thrusts his foil through Claudius.
     These are only a few of the sides of Hamlet.
Recognized by more playgoers all over the world, he
has more in him than almost any other figure in drama.
Enacted by students and others from UMBC this pro-
duction of Hamlet gives us an opportunity to see and
get to know this college-age kid as he grows to maturity.

Note :
Quotations are taken from The Conplete Works of
Shakespeare, fourth edition, ed. David Bevington (New
York: Harper Collins, 1992).

About the author...
Hassell B. Sledd, is professor of English, at Slippery
Rock University in Pennsylvania.




Shakespeare's Plants, Flowers
and Herbs

by Pamela Reese

      In Shakespeare's time. the fruits of toiling in
the soil were more directly related to everyday living
than they are today. Take the myriad uses of flowers and
herbs. While aesthetics were a pleasant by-product,
these plants were harvested mainly for their value as
medicines, dyes, flavorings. and fragrant oils used as
disinfectants, air fresheners and insect repellents. And
for Shakespeare and others of his time, there was a
powerful symbolism attached to flowers and herbs that
is all but lost on modern audiences.
     Shakespeare introduces specific foliage
poignantly in Hamlet as the melancholy Ophelia roams
about picking herbs, flowers and weeds to braid into a
garland. In many ways, Ophelia's character and identity
are revealed and defined in terms of her relationship to
that fateful, woven organic necklace. Her bouquet con-
sisted of spring and early summer flora, early fruits of
the soil:

Ophelia: There's rosmary, that's for remembrance.
Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that's
for thoughts.
Laertes: A document in madness, thoughts and remem-
brance fitted.
Ophelia: There's fennel for you, and columbines. There's
rue for you, and here's some for me. We may call it herb
of grace o'Sundays. O, you must wear your rue with a
difference. There's a daisy. I would give you some vio-
lets, but they withered all when my father died. They say
'a made a good end. [Sings] For bonny sweet Robin is
all my joy.
Laertes: Thought and affliction, passion, hell itself; She
turns to favor and to prettiness.

Among the plants mentioned by Ophelia are:

Rosemary (Rosmarius officinalis fastigiatus), for
remembrance. An evergreen shrub, its oils are used in
fragrance and perfumes. In Shakespeare's day, rosemary
was used for coloring and was classified as a "tinctoria"
herb. Women used it as a rinse for their dark hair.
Rosemary also attracts butterflys.

Fennel (Foeniculum offcinalis), for unfaithfulness, and
victory. Maidens wore a sprig in their hair during
parades, dating back to Greece in 500 RC. A fern-like
herb with bronze tips, it grows to four feet and blooms
in July. Fennel was also used in making teas.

Rue (Ruta graveleons), the "Herb of Grace on
Sundays," symbolized repentance or sorrow. Semi-wild
yellow and pink flowers grow on a lacy blue-green stem
to four feet and flowers in summer. A bitter herb to taste
and smell, rue was used as a disinfectant.

Daisies (Belles perennis), the flower of unrequitted
love. They usually have a bright yellow center with ten-
der petals of white or yellow. They grow in shade and
sun to three feet and bloom in the late spring.

Pansies (Tricolor hortensis) and Violets (Viola odorata)
both belong to the Viola family. They stand for faithful-
ness, friendship and kind thoughts. They bloom in a
variety of colors in early spring and summer.

Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), a perennial sometimes
called "Granny's bonnet," is found in rock gardens and

---

"Gardening and the
human relationship
to the soil was, as
the gravedigger in
Hamlet aptly noted,
"God's first job
given to man. "

mountaineous areas. Delicate two-foot foliage stems
produce flowers in pink, blue, mauve, and cream.

     Surrounded by this blooming beauty, Ophelia
was nevertheless too fragile and lovely to endure the
full heat of the sun and grow into those late blooms of
summer, to endure autumn weeds of trials and tragedies
of the "golden years" of maturity. A willow branch
snaps under Ophelia's weight. causing her to drown in
the river below, flowers floating all about her. The beau-
tiful colors of white, yellow, pink, mauve. burgundy,
purple and blue are interlaced with different textures,
aromas and hues of preen. The sight was lovely to be
sure, the fragrance even more so.

     Ophelia must have wandered from low
swampy woodlands, through well-maintained gardens,
to rocky cliffs by the sea to pick her garland garden.
This is how Queen Gertrude describes the sight of
Ophelia's lifeless body floating on the water:

Queen: There is a willow grows askant the brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassstream. There
with fantastic garlands did size make Of cornflowers,
nettles, daisies, and long puples, But our cold maids do
dead men's fingers call them. There on the pendent
boughs her crownet weeds Clamb'ring to hang, an
envious sliver broke. When down her weedy trophies
and herself Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes
spread wide. And mermaid-like a while they bore her
up, Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds, As
one incapable of her own distress, Or like a creature
native and indued Unto that element. But long it could
not be Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay To
muddy death.

     Here are some of the plants that surrounded
Ophelia at her moment of doom:

Buttercups (Ranunculus bulbosa), a perennial with
small, bright yellow flowers shaped like cups that
bloom in spring and early summer. They thrive among
the grass in moist swampy areas.

Nettle (Urtica dioica), a weed which saps precious
nutrients from the soil, choking out the life from nearby
plants. Sharp leaf hairs sting and irritate. While aggra-
vating to humans, this weed provides food for wildlife.

Willow Tree (Salix cinereaj. Willow branches are deli-
cate, graceful and perfectly display motion. The branch-
es sway to and fro with the breeze, as did Ophelia
between her father's authority and Hamlet's affection.
The wood of the willow is brittle, not resistant to pest
and diseases, and therefore cracks easily, as did Ophelia
after her father's death by the hand of her lover.

     Gardening and the human relationship to the
soil was, as the gravedigger in Hamlet aptly noted,
"God's first job given to man." Shakespeare did his own
job marvelously as he skillfully wove the botanical
beliefs of his time into his own organic, universal
poetry.

For more information...
Creating a Country Garden by Sue Phillips
1000 Beautiful Garden Plants by Jack Kramer
Shakespeare's Hamlet by Lenora Brodwin

About the author...
Pamela Reese is a married homemaker and mother of
two daughters. She works as a horticultural consultant
and designer for companies in the Baltimore-
Washington area, and is the winner of the 1993
Associated Landscape Contractors of America Award.








Director Sam McCready interviews the costume designer
Elena Zlotescu.

Sam: When you know you are going to design the
costumes for a play, do you visualize the costumes
at the first reading?

Elena: No! I like to think only of the meaning of the play. and
to get a feeling
for the characters. I get very involved with them and their
lives. When I read the
play for the second or third time, I am not so involved. I start
to think why the author
wrote the play and what he or she wants to say with this play. I
have many questions,
and as I look for the answers to these questions, I develop my
concept. I also look
closely at the end of the play, the conclusion. That, I find,
contains the core of the
problem and tells me what is going on in the whole play. When I
study the end, I
know what is going on from the beginning. I also like to go
beyond what the author
tells me in the stage directions and to find new meanings. I try
to comprehend the play
with my understanding of my own time. Shakespeare didn't know
that his plays
would be done in the 20th century. I try to find a mixture
between my understanding
of my time and his.

Sam: After you have read the play many times and come up with
your concept, do
you tell the director what the costumes will be like?

Elena: Of course not, because I don't know what the costumes will
be like myself.
I only make that decision after talking with the director and
doing my research. Of
course, as a designer I can't help having ideas, but I try only
to visualize the costumes
in a general way. I don't visualize everything, no detail. That
would tie me down so
that I wouldn't be able to respond to the director's ideas.
Perhaps the audience doesn't
understand that designing the costumes is a collaboration with
the director, but we
don't do each other's job. In our discussions we talk about the
characters and what the
director wants to say through these characters. When the director
talks, I get an image
of what he wants to say. And I give my thoughts to him, too. I
say what I find interest-
ing about the play, what meanings it has for me, what feelings I
have when I read the
play. We never talk about how the characters will dress or what
color they will be
wearing. That's my job. If the director wants to tell you these
things then he doesn't
need a designer. He needs a seamstress.

Sam: What special problems do you find in designing period plays,
like the plays of
Chekhov or Shakespeare?

Elena: You know. I hate to copy the period. That doesn't interest
me. When I read a
play from the 17th century or the 18th century, or whatever, I
don't go to a history of
costume and copy the pictures. I take from the period the line,
the shape, or the
color--whatever will help the interpretation and the meaning of
the play. I use the
period as a tool, as a source of information. I don't copy it.
And I draw from different
periods. A problem I find is that many people in the audience
like historical accuracy. As artists, however, we cannot be slaves
of real things, we cannot copy nature. That is for museums. We
must have our interpretations.



Sam: What ideas did vou have when you were designing this
production of Hamlet?

Elena: I was interested in the conflict between the generations
the conflict between
the parents and the teenagers. I was also interested in the fight
for power between gen-
erations. As adults, we don't want to give that up. The young
don't want to give up
their power to the old and the old don't want to give up power to
the young. If we
don't understand each other, it is not because we are not capable
of it. No! We don't
want to understand because we don't want to give up the power.
Hamlet is fighting for
his place in court, but the King doesn't want to give him that
place. I was pleased
when you said you were not interested in historical detail in
this production. We read
the play in the same way, I think. I like something modern,
although not everything
modern excites me. But I find that today's fashion is very much
influenced by the
past. I wanted to design the costumes so that they gave
information about our time,
but also of Shakespeare's time, and the future. I wanted the
audience to be distanced
so that they could see that the problems in the play happened in
the past, too.

Sam: What about the colors of the costumes? They're unusual for
this play.

Elena: The earth tones interest me because they are not too
powerful and yet will
stand out. With Shakespeare on Wheels we have special problems.
The audiences are
in tee-shirts and bright colors. We cannot compete. But if the
costumes are in dull
colors, they will stand out. Of course, the earth colors also
match the set. It is rusty
metal. I had to think of that when I was choosing the colors. The
metal was already
decided when we spoke about the costumes.

Sam: What is the best compliment a member of the audience can
pay your costumes

Elena: That they were right, that they worked well with the set
and the acting and the
interpretation. No, wait! When someone says, "I cannot imagine
this play being done
in any other costumes." that is the best compliment.



THE ADMINISTRATION - William T. Brown [Executive Director], 
Sam McCready [Artistic Director]. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS  -
Donna Singleton (Chair), Peggy Southerland, John Meyerhoff.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE - Wanda Blair, Cathy Burroughs, Edie Catto,
Eleanor Cunningham, Clara Gray, JoAnn Gaynor, Elizabeth Hutton, Gina
Kazimir, Lillie Ransom, Alice Robinson, Frances Smith, Robert Thomas.
PRODUCTION DIRECTORS - Sam McCready, Alan KreizenBeck. THE ACTING
COMPANY - Alan Aymie, Robb Bauer, Sabrina Beechler, Maureen Beitler,
Peter Benson, Tony Bishop, Jason Bohner, Scott Bolesta, Ron Bopst, James
Brown-Orleans, Sharol Buck, Edie Catto, Linda Chambers, Crystal Chappell,
Thomas Cloherty, Paula Coletta, Christina Colussi, Elizabeth Conway, 
Daniel Cook, Tamerin Corn, Sarah Cotter, Johanna Cox, Darrell J. Cummings,
Kenny Curtis, Judy DeDeyn, Serge Delpierre, Maira DeMay, Lucinda 
Detwiler-Racine, Michael Joseph Donlan, Kerry Ellis, James A. Everett,
Marjorie Fisher, Carl Freundel, Zack Fuller, Tony Gallahan, Daniel
Garrett, Jason Godfrey, Bill Grauer, Charles Grazioli, John C. Grazioli,
John Hansen, Cheryl Hedges, Kenneth Hicks, Matt Hicks, Michael Hoffmaster,
Kevin Hollenbeck, Joyce Hubbard, David Howell, Mike Hughes, Victoria
Johnson, Peter Keek, Richard Kirstel, Mike Landevere, Jarvis Leigh, Keith
Levy, Rosanne Lucarelli, Laurie Martin, Jessica Matulevich, Dolores
McBride, Joan McCready, Sam McCready, T. C. McGowan, Peggy McKinleu, Mark
McPherson, Joy Michener, Rick Millman, Steve Moore, John Martenson,
Kimberly Neal, Greg Norris, Tom Peek, Jennfier Rade, Matthew Ramsey,
Elizabeth Rankin, Debra Randall, Phil Restivo, Joseph Riley, Kimberly
Risenweber, Chris Rondholz, Diana Ruy, Rod Sauter, Lita Schabra, Laura
Schlitz, Erick Schmidt, Donna Sherman, Diana Signiski, Carolyn Spedden,
Michael Stebbins, David Steinberg, Jamie Stevens, Jill Ann Stoerkel, Jean
Strong, Moira Sweeney, Christine Talbot, Robert Thomas Jr., Jeremy
Tibbels, Emily Tibbels, Marla Tibbels, Nguyen Tucker, Todd Tyler, Robert
Tyree, Dominic Valentine, Donna Webster, John Wellman, Jeremy White, Les
Williams, Edwin Williams, Vernon Winces, Jason Yaffee, Marian Yasenchak,
Chris Yeiser, Jacob Zahniser, Rachel Zirkin. SPEECH COACH -- Alice
Robinson. THE TECHNICIANS - Rosemary Adams, Charles Argent, Nancy
Arnold, Mike Ayres, Jennifer Balze, Mary Bova, Gail Beech, Kyle Biddinger,
Nancy Billingslea, Nadia Blagotevic, Karl Brown, Rachel Buchard, Ann
Ciccolella, Dorothy Dempsey, Chris Dickerson, Liz Engemas, Cheryl Farr,
Katheryn Folcone, Greg Fiackos, Mark Fink, Mike Foster, Julianne Franz,
Zack Fuller, Miriam Goldberg, Joel Gough, Inge Heymann, Sarah Holden,
Nancy Horeff, Kathy Jackson, Marni Johnson, Michael Keating, Greg Knauf,
Maureen Konkel, Peter Laird, Mark Lehman, Shelia Lopez, Jason LoPresti,
Elspeth Mason, Eileen D. Pietro, Cynthia Potter, Alicia Saunders, Karla
Schneider, Gregg Schraven, Greg Sears, Cara Shafer, William Simms, Stella
Skane, Jennifer Solkolove, Eun Sol Rosemary Strausler, Jeremy Tibbles,
Adam Tobin, John Trout, John Tulock, Kim Turner, Neil Warren, Ray Wilke,
Rob Yeager,

Andrew Zeisberg, Mary Ann Zenter. THE DESIGNERS - William T. Brown, Terry
Cobb, Michael Griggs, Richard McCready, Lewis Shaw, Elena Zlotescu.
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE - UMBC Offices of the President, Institutional
Advancement, The Provost, The Dean, and Special Sessions. THE SITES -
ALLEGANY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Cumberland, MD; ALLEN POND. Bowie, MD;
ANNAPOLIS CITY DOCK, Annapolis, MD; ASPEN INSTITUTE< Queenstown, MD;
BALTIMORE CITY HALL, Baltimore MD; BLUEMONT PARK, Arlington, VA;CHARLES
COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, La Plata, MD; CHARLESTOWN RETIREMENT COMMUNITY,
Baltimore County; COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY, Baltimore, MD; COSCA REGIONAL
PARK, Clinton, MD; COURTHOUSE SQUARE PARK, Rockville, MD; DECOY MUSEUM,
Harve de Grace, MD; DICKINSON COLLEGE, Carisle, PA; DUNKIRK DISTRICT PARK,
Dunkirk, MD; FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS VILLAGE, Chevy Chase, MD; FROSTBURGH STATE
UNIVERSITY, Frostburg, MD; GAITHERSBURG TOWNSHIP, Gaithersburg, MD;
GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY, Washington, DC; GARRETT COMMUNITY COLLEGE, McHenry,
MD; GILBERT LIGHTHOUSE PARK, North East, MD; GLEN ECHO PARK, Glen Echo,
MD; GLENVIEW MANSION, Rockville, MD; GREENWOOD PARK, Towson, MD;
HAGERSTOWN JUNIOR COLLEGE, Hagerstown, MD; HARBOR PLACE, Baltimore, MD;
HARRISBURG COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Harrisburg, PA; HISTORIC ST. MARY'S CITY,
St. Mary's City, MD; HORN POINT CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LABORATORIES,
Cambridge, MD; HOWARD COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Columbia, MD; IDLEWILD
PARK, Easton, MD; INDIANA PLAZA, Washington, DC; JESSUP CORRECTIONAL
INSTITUTION, Jessup, MD; JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER BALTIMORE,
Owings Mills, MD; JOHN MARSHALL PARK, Washington, DC; LAKEFRONT FESTIVAL
TOWN CENTER; Columbia, MD; LEAKIN PARK, Baltimore, MD; MARYLAND NATIONAL
GUARD ARMORY, Pikesville, MD; MCDONOGH SCHOOL, Owings Mills, MD;
MONTPELIER MANSION CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, Laurel, MD; NATIONAL PLACE,
Washington, DC; NORTHSIDE PARK, Ocean City, MD; OREGON RIDGE,
COCKEYSVILLE, MD; OXON HILL MANOR, Oxon Hill, MD; POTOMAC LANDING
COMMUNITY CENTER, Fort Washington, MD; POTOMAC STATE COLLEGE, Keyser, WV;
PRINCE GEORGE'S COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Largo, MD; RASH FIELD INNER HARBOR,
Baltimore, MD; RENFREW MUSEUM & PARK, Waynesboro, PA; SALISBURY SCHOOL,
Salisbury, MD; SHAMROCK PARK, Bel Air, MD:SHEPHERD COLLEGE, Shepherdstown,
WV; SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY, Shippensburg, PA; SLIPPERY ROCK UNIVERSITY,
Slippery Rock, PA; SPRINGFIELD STATE HOSPITAL, Sykesville, MD; STRATHMORE
HALL, Rockgille, MD; TYDINGS PARK, Havre de Grace, MD; UNIVERSITY OF THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Washington, DC; UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
COUNTY, Baltimore, MD; VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION MEDICAL CENTER, Perry
Point MD; VILLAGE OF CROSS KEYS, Baltimore, MD; WASHINGTON COLLEGE,
Chstertown, MD; WHITE HORSE PARK, Ocean Pines, MD; WISP LODGE, McHenry,
MD; WYMAN PARK DELL, Baltimore, MD. PHOTOGRAPHERS - Peggy Broyles, Tim
Ford, Kyu Lee.

 "I would like to
prove that you can get something
for nothing and that it can be of 
good quality."-William Brown

Q HOW WAS THE CONCEPT OF "SHAKESPEARE ON WHEELS" FORMULATED ?

The idea of a portable Elizabethan stage originated in 1967 while I was
serving as visiting lecturer and technical consultant at the University of
Ibandan in Nigeria: West Africa. In celebration of Shakespeare's 400th
birthday, a special Shakespearean festival was developed to tour the
country. In the spirit of the Medieval Pageant Wagon, I designed a replica
of an Elizabethan stage which was mounted on to a flatbed trailer. The
stage was designed to fold up so that it traveled along the roadway as a
tractor-trailer. Twenty-two years later I revived the portable stage idea
at UMBC as part of a summer entertainment program. The physical aspects of
the stage were modified and expanded. Since the director, Sam McCready,
and I decided that Shakespearean production would be presented this stage,
we thought a catchy phrase like "Shakespeare on Wheels" might attract the
attention of potential audiences. It obviously has caught on!

Q BASED ON YOUR INITIAL "SHAKESPEARE ON WHEELS" EXPERIMENT, WHAT MOTIVATED
YOU TO SEEK A WAY AND MEANS T0 CONTINUE THIS PROGRAM?

There was nothing which had the capability of "bringing theatre to the
people". In fact, to my knowledge there is no other such program in the
country that literally brings a physical stage such as ours to a location
and then presents free performances to the public. I am committed to
bringing theatre, particularly Shakespearean drama. to those who
previously had bad experiences with the material (i.e., not understanding
the language or its timeliness to contemporary issues) or to those who
have had no exposure at all to Shakespeare. The audience is invited to
attend our performances free of charge in a casual, informal setting.
There is no obligation to remain if they still do not like it or do not
understand it. Over the past seasons, it has been gratifying to observe
that more than 90% do stay and often return again.

Q HOW IS THE PLAY SELECTED FOR A PARTICULAR SEASON?

The plays are selected by the director. He will then consult with me and
the design process will begin. I have designed eight out of the ten 
productions.

Q THERE AKE SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS CLOSELY INVOLVED WITH SOW. WHO ARE THEY?
HOW DID THEIR RELATIONSHIP T0 SOW BEGIN?

Aside from my immediate associates, Sam McCready the director, Terry Cobb
the construction engineer, and Elena Zlotescu the costume designer who
have been

---

"What a wonderful
way to introduce my
children to
Shakespeare. "
-a mother of two children, at
Twelfth Night, F St., DC.

---

with the project from the beginning, special recognition must be given to
Wanda Bair, the director of the Special Sessions Program in 1985. She was
the individual who encouraged me to revive the idea as a summer project
for UMBC. Once the project had started, two individuals who were
originally UMBC students have been most involved; they are Robert Thomas,
our first management assistant and Edie Catto, our associate producer.
There have certainly been many who have been involved, but these two
individuals have made significant contributions.

Q OVER THE LAST NINE YEARS, I AM SURE THERE HAVE BEEN MANY MEMORABLE
PEOPLE, PLACES, AND EVENTS/STORIES ASSOCIATED WITH SOW COULD YOU SHARE
SOME OF THOSE MEMORIES WITH CTS?

There have been many stories and events over the last nine years. A few
that really stand out are as follows:
  The very first performance for "Shakespeare on Wheels" was A Midsummer
Night's Dream which was presented on the UMRC Quad to a special invited
audience. Dinner was served as the audiences sat around tables on the
quad awaiting this new outdoor theatre experience. It was a beautiful
bright day, just perfect for the beginning of this venture. The food
servers were apprehensive at first for fear of rain, but they commented at
the end that it was one of their most impressive experiences. The audience
expressed the same sentiments. Little did I know that would be the 
beginning of an annual project which has now reached its tenth year.
     There have been stories of heat prostration (sometimes the 
temperature is in the 100's when the stage is being set up, stories of
the truck being stuck in the mud, and stories of embarrassing situations.
but my fondest memories involve stories of audience reactions. When we
performed A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Jessup Correctional 
Institution. our audience was composed of approximately 500 male prison
inmates and 30 female inmates. Although the men seemed to be
interested in play, there seemed to be more interest in the 30 females.
The females, however, showed more interest in the play. It was a
difficult audience to play to, but the company did a wonderful job. What
happened afterwards is the main point of this story. Four days later I
received a letter signed by a number of the inmates in which they
apologized for the disruptions to the performance. What was most
impressive to me was their statement regarding "Shakespeare on Wheels" and
the play. They sincerely thanked me for bringing "culture" to them. They
said that even though they were incarcerated, they were pleased that my
company recognized their needs for culture. They were inspired by the
production to read more of Shakespeare's works. I was moved by such a
response.
     Another story involved a mother who was shopping with her two 
children, 8 and 10, on a Saturday afternoon when our production of Twelfth
Night was being presented on downtown F street in Washington, D.C. She sat
down briefly to watch, but soon found that her children did not want to
leave. They sat there for the remaining hour and a half until it ended.
Her written comment to me was "What a wonderful way to introduce my
children to Shakespeare." So many similar comments have been made to me
over the years.

Q  WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR SOW?

The project has had tremendous growth, but it takes money to keep up with
that growth. I hope that the future will bring continued support from
the corporate community and other philanthropic sources.

Q IF YOU WERE GRANTED ONE WISH FOR SOW WHAT WOULD THAT WISH BE? WHY?

My one wish would be the assurance of a large endowment that would enable
the project to continue for at least the next twenty years. I would like
to prove that you can get something for nothing and that it can
be of good quality.



ELIZABETHAN SPIRITUALITY
by Rev. Robert L. Mordhorst, D.Min.

         Elizabethan Era was unquestionably a
time of revolutionary change in worldview, thought,
and belief which brought together and superimposed a
complex mixture of the old and new. Nowhere is that
more evident than in the realm of spirituality. The reign
of Henry VIII (1509-1547) produced, among other
things, a religious reformation which had a profound
effect on the beliefs of many in England. Motivated 
primarily by a desire to divorce his first wife. Catherine 
of Aragon, to marry Anne Boleyn. Henry severed ties with
the Papacy and had himself declared "Supreme Head"
of both Church and state in England. Under the leader-
ship of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the doctrines of
the Protestant Reformation in Europe were introduced
into what became the Church of England.
     Specifically, Martin Luther's doctrine of salva-
tion by God's grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ,
John Calvin's doctrine of God's predestination of all
people to either salvation or damnation (embraced espe-
cially by the English Puritans) were combined with
more traditional Roman Catholic teaching and liturgical
practice to produce a polarized religious climate that
persisted well into the Elizabeth's reign. When she
began her rule, seventy-five percent of the population
embraced Catholicism with the Protestant minority
being represented by the politically and economically
powerful. Elizabeth eventually succeeded in reducing
the religious tension by having Parliament pass an "Act
of Uniformity" in 1559 which made Cranmer's Book of
Common Prayer the authorized worship book of the
realm and forbade all other religious ritual.
Nevertheless, the period of her reign was marked by a
continuation of a blend of Roman Catholic beliefs and
practices combined with the new teachings of the
Reformation.
     In addition to the revolution that took place in
the teachings and practice of organized religion, an
equally important revolution was taking place in the
way people thought about their world and the pursuit of
truth. During the Elizabethan Era two very distinct and
conflicting ways of pursuing truth and understanding
the universe coexisted. There persisted from the
Medieval period the belief that truth could be discov-
ered by invoking the help of the occult. Central to this
approach was the practice of astrology, which was
based on the belief that the heavenly bodies had a direct
influence on the lives of humans.
     Another method of pursuing truth and making
sense out of the universe, known to us today as the sci-
entific method, grew out of the Renaissance and culmi-
nated in Francis Bacon's treatise. Novum Organum.
This school of thought held that truth could only be
acquired inductively by means of a series of controlled.
verifiable experiments. As one might expect. the
answers and explanations of one school of thought gen-
erally had little influence on the other. Yet many
thinkers of the period continued to believe in the validi-
ty of both. Even those who adhered to the tenets of
inductive reasoning and the scientific method often
defied logic and held contradictory and even conflicting
ideas at the same time. So. the astronomer Johannes
Kepler also practiced astrology and cast horoscopes.
and the famous physicist, Isaac Newton, spent thirty
years of his life pursuing alchemical studies.
     Spirituality in the Elizabethan Era is a com-
plex mixture of Catholicism, Protestantism,
Neoplatonic mysticism, and rationalism. It was during

"in general,
however;
Shakespeare wisely
avoids taking sides
in the religious
controversies of his
time. "

this era that William Shakespeare was born, educated
and wrote. Where then, in the midst of this complex of
systems of thought and belief, do we find this literary
giant? The answer we get from his writings seems to
suggest that, like so many others of his time, he mir-
rored the complex mixture of belief and thought that
characterized his era. As Bernard Shaw observed, there
appears to be no particular philosophy in Shakespeare,
no view as to the ultimate nature of reality, and no one
theory of God.
     With regard to the tension between Catholic
and Protestant teaching Shakespeare says little. In
Othello, it is true, the drunken Cassio affirms his belief
that "God's above all, and there be souls that must be
saved, and there be souls must not be saved." But we
must not make too much of this allusion to Calvin's
doctrine of predestination since Cassio speaks these
words while completely inebriated. In Hamlet, howev-
er, he expresses views that would appear to be consis-
tent with Calvin's doctrines yet still not unequivocally
acknowledging his doctrine of double predestination.
Such observations as "There's special providence in the
fall of a sparrow." and "if it be not now. yet it will
come. The readiness is all" may attest not only to a
belief that everything that happens is foreordained but
also to the conviction that resignation, humility, and a
form of Christian stoicism are the best responses to the
trials and tribulations of human existence. In general,
howeverl Shakespeare wisely avoids taking sides in the
religious controversies of his time.
     If anything. there is in his greatest plays the
suggestion that he struggled to believe in anything that
gave meaning to life. So Macbeth insists: "Life's but a
walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his
hour upon the stage/And then is heard no more. It is a
tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/Signifying
nothing." Hamlet speaks of an immortal soul, but his
soliloquy affirm?; no faith; and his dying words in the
older version of the play, "Heaven receive my soul,"
were changed by Shakespeare to read, "The rest is
silence."
     Shakespeare's writings suggest that, like nearly
everyone in his time, he embraced both the world of the
occult and mysticism and the world of rational skepti-
cism. This attitude was the common way of thinking of
the day, vacillating between the two. In Love's Labour's
Lost we read "These earthly godfathers of heaven's
lights/that give a name to every fixed star./Have no
more profit of their shining nights/Than those that walk
and wot not what they are..." But in King Lear we hear
Kent say: "It is the stars/The stars above us, govern our
conditions." And then perhaps we see evidence of the
compromise between the two views in Julius Caesar in
these well-known words:'"The fault, dear Brutus is not
in our stars/But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
     In the midst of a revolutionary era in which
matters pertaining to spirituality both in the narrower
and broader understanding of that term, Shakespeare
mirrored his age. His beliefs and way of perceiving the
universe reflected the complex blend of both the old
and the new that marked this extraordinary age we call
the Elizabethan Era.

Bibliography
Durant, Will and Ariel, The Age of Reason Begins (The
     Story of Civilization, Part VII), Simon and
     Schuster, New York, 1961.
vPinciss, Gerald M. & Roger Lockyer (editors),
     Shakespeare's World:Background Readings in
     the English Renaissance, The Continuum
     Publishing Company, New York, 1989.
Rowse. A.L., The Elizabethan Renaissance:The Life of
     the Society. Charles Scribner's Sons, New
     York, 1971.

About the author...
Reverend Robert L. Mordhorst a graduate of
Concordia Theological Seminary, has spent most of his
career ministering to Lutheran congregations in
Maryland and Virginia.


Medicine in Shakespearean Times

by Deborah D. Izzi

One amp. of epi. stat, and follow it with
bicarb!! The IV lines are in place, the EKG machine
has just been hooked up and begins spewing out a car-
pet of graph paper. At the head of this pulseless person,
the anesthesiologist is bagging oxygen in rhythm with
the nurse towering over the body giving chest compres-
sions. The defibrillator paddles are charged and ready
for the command, "ALL CLEAR!!" This amassing of
highly trained professionals and complicated machinery
is in response to one failed organ: the heart. This is a
glimpse of medicine as practiced today.
     Roll back the time by 400 years to the
Elizabethan Period, the time of Shakespeare, and we
view a different tapestry of medicine. Alchemy, though
it's chief mission was to unveil the secrets of transform-
ing base metals into gold, played a role in medicine. It's
goal in the medical arena was to find a universal cure
for diseases and methods for preserving life indefinitely.
     As with the rest of the society during the
Renaissance, medicine was on the pinnacle of change.
Paracelsus, a famous German physician (c. 1493-1541),
revolutionized medicine by using disciplined research
and pragmatic experimentation methods particularly in
the area of pharmacology. His methodology, in turn,
paved the way for the investigations of blood circulation
by William Harvey(c.l616). Paracelsus also defined
and promoted the "doctrine of signatures". This theory
sprouted from the knowledge of medicinal herbs
already in use for centuries. This doctrine proposed that
each herb had it's own "sign" to indicate which disease
it would cure. Any of the following qualities: appear-
ance, color, scent, or habitat of the plant could be the
herb's sign. For example, marigolds or dandelions
would be used to treat jaundice due to their yellow
color. Willow bark treated rheumatic pain, and the red
flowers of burdock and red clover were used as blood
purifiers.



     Although these theories were being developed
into when Shakespeare wrote his plays, the practice of
medicine was governed by the well established and the
unquestioned authority: Claudius Galenus, known as
Galen. He was a physician for the Emperor Marcus
Aurelius in Imperial Rome during the 2nd century A.D.
Because of this priveleged position, he was able to do
numerous writings on anatomy, diet, and herbs, and per-
form extensive research with animal dissection. He
made significant discoveries particularly the fact that
arteries contain blood and not "pneuma". an air-like
substance as previously thought. Galen also was the
first person to diagnose by using arterial pulses. He
compiled all the medical knowledge of his time and was
considered an expert in medicinal herbs. His work,
"Anatomical Procedures" became the standard anatomy
textbook for the next 1500 years.
     Galen's theories were based on the traditional
view that all physical matter was divided into four ele-
ments: earth, air, fire, and water. These elements had
varying amounts of the four "qualities of the universe"
which were hot, cold moist and dry. Water was a combi-
nation of moist and cold. Earth was a combination of
dry and cold. Air was a mixture of moist and hot, and
fire a blend of dry and hot. Earth and water were limit-
ed to the physical world, whereas air and fire were more
ethereal on a higher plain. The human body, being a
part of the universe, was created out of the same four
elements, but they were referred to as "humours". The
predominant humour in an individual would color his or
her temperament. A person with a predominance of
black bile, which was cold and dry like Earth, would be
plagued by great melancholy. On the other hand, one
with an abundance of blood, the humour which was hot
and moist like air, was blessed with a cheerful personal-
ity. Yellow bile corresponding to fire, hot and dry, pro-
duced a cross or choleric person. Finally phlegm, being
moist and cold like water, materialized a dull and pas
sionless temperament.
     Diet was considered a crucial part of one's
being and also an essential component of medical treat-
ment. It was believed that the two organs: the stomach
and the liver, metabolized food into the four hurnours.
Food of course being made up of various combinations
of the four elements could alter the balance of one's
body by overstimulating the production of any humour.
It followed, when diagnosing an illness you needed to
identify which humour was causing the imbalance. The
letting of blood was a common treatment as this would
purge the body of the unwanted humour. The usage of
medicinal herbs was another frequent treatment since
the ingestion of an herbal concoction could offset the
unbalanced humour by stimulating the stomach and
liver to produce more of the other three humours. Four
methods to prepare and administer an herb for use were
and are still used by some today: an infusion or the
pouring of water over an herb to retrieve it's active
qualities; a decoction or an extract of an herb obtained
by boiling; a compress or a folded cloth moistened with
an herbal infusion and topically applied; a poultice or
soft composition, similar to an ointment, applied to an
open sore or wound. It was also believed that if an herb
was collected by moonlight it would enhance the medi-
cinal value. The study of herbs for medical treatment
was the foundation for pharmacology.
The medical traditions of the Greeks and
Romans were lost in Europe for a period after the
decline of the Roman Empire, but later revived by the
monastaries. Monks and friars became the herbal
experts, in effect the physicians and maintained their
own herbal gardens. They diligently guarded the secrets
of their herbal formulas. Hence you have a distraught
Juliet receiving from the friar an herbal concoction to
solve her dilemma. In Hamlet, however, while weaving
the treacherous plot against him, Laertes buys his unc-
tion from a quack doctor. "And, for that purpose, I'll
annoint my sword. I bought an unction of a mounte-
bank [quack doctor]. So mortal that, but dip a knife in
it, Where it draws blood no cataplasm Ipoultice] so
rare, Collected from all simples [herbs) that have virtue
Under the moon, can save the thing from death That is
but scratch'd withal: I'll touch my point With this con-
tagion, that, if I gall him slightly, It may be death".
Hamlet Act IV: sc. VII



     Two of the definitions of the word gall given
by the Oxford English Dictionary are: 1)The secretion
of the liver, bile and 7) a sore or wound produced by
rubbing or chafing. In the passage just quoted, the bla-
tant meaning of the word gall was to wound Hamlet.
There is though, a double-edged meaning of gall - that
of causing Hamlet to secrete bile. Yellow bile was the
humour that corresponds to the element of fire and had
the universal qualities of hot and dry. In the passage
that follows, the king, who is conjuring up a backup
plan, realizes that if Laertes' poison fails to kill, it will
at least raise the bile level causing Hamlet to be hot and
dry. Thus, the king could have a second poison in a
drink ready to quench Hamlet's thirst. The king
responds to Laertes "When in your motion you are hot
and dry - "
     This is only one small passage from one of
many Shakespearean plays. Often, these writings use as
part of their plot herbs either as medicine or poison.
Hence an understanding of the prevailing medical theo-
ries of the time is necessary since they penetrated the
Shakespearan texts.

About the author...
Deborah D. Izzy is a registered nurse.


Women in Hamlet
by Robin Farabaugh

When I teach Hamlet, my students invari-
ably want to know two things: why did Gertrude marry
Claudius, and did Hamlet really love Ophelia? These
questions point toward some central concerns which
tell us much about the play and the times it was written
in. Both of these questions revolve around the lives of
women. For a long time little was done to uncover the
lives of Renaissance women, but in recent years schol-
ars have focused on uncovering those lives. We have
enough information now to answer some questions
about women in ways that enhance the text of the play
itself. Gertrude and Ophelia are two aristocratic women
whose lives we may measure against what we know of
aristocratic women's lives in general.
     We learn about Gertrude from her son. When
we first see her, before Hamlet speaks, she seems hap-
pily remarried to Claudius and gently chides her son for
remaining in mourning so long after his father's death.
On the surface this seems reasonable. But in his solilo-
quy we learn that Hamlet is disgusted by his mother's
remarriage on three levels: it was too hastily done after
his father's death (a mere two months); it was done
with her brother-in-law, Hamlet`s uncle, a union
Elizabethans would have regarded as incestuous; and it
appears to be done on the basis of sexual desire. The
language of the play reveals that the intensity of
Hamlet's revulsion derives most deeply from his dis-
covery of this last element. Some of his revulsion
seems tinged as well with sexual jealousy.
     We can bring some useful background infer-
mation to this relationship. Marriage was the occupa-
tion thought best suited for women in Shakespeare's
day. From the onset of puberty they were regarded as in
need of a good husband and of maternity to keep them
not only content but in order. An unmarried woman was
an example of disorder and potentially dangerous. For
aristocratic women this belief was coupled with their
economic worth as bringers of dowries and as the
potential mothers of male heirs to their husbands' prop-
erty. Indeed, the primary job of a noblewoman during
this time was to produce as many children as she could
in order to assure that the estates and property of her
husband would remain in the family. As such women
had little choice over their lives. Certainly there are
some examples of women who helped their fathers
make the choice of their husbands, and there are some
examples of loving aristocratic couples. Mostly, howev-
er, aristocratic women entered marriage early, often by
their mid-teens, and often with men whom they had
barely met. When they married, their identity was sub-
sumed in that of their husband; they surrendered all
legal rights, becoming an extension of him and his fam-
ily. When, for example, Anna of Denmark married King
James VI of Scotland (later James I of England, Queen
Elizabeth's successor), she was 15 and she had not met
him. Their relationship was uneven. but she dutifully
bore him seven children. three of whom lived to adult-
hood.
     Gertrude is not only a queen. but also a widow.
Their position with respect to marriage was slightly dif-
ferent. Widows, during this period, often remarried.
Aristocratic women did so for reasons of alliance for
their family's benefit, and for political as well as social
standing. Sometimes they did it for love, a luxury not
often available to them in their first unions. Remarriage,
however, except for young widows whose desire was
seen as less controllable, was not viewed as an especial-
ly virtuous course of action. It was practiced in spite of
conflicting thoughts about it, especially in order to
secure economic stability. Women of lower classes did
so, for example, to keep themselves and their children
from deprivation. Yet recent studies of remarriage dur-
ing the seventeenth century show that women of rea-
sonable means increasingly chose not to remarry.
Without the pressure of want, women preferred to stay
widows, where they could retain legal authority over
their possessions and their children's futures, an author-
ity most regained upon the death of their husbands.
     So what do we make of Gertrude's marriage to
Claudius? The text of the play wants us to note that she
is an "imperial jointress," that is, she holds the throne in
joint possession with Claudius. She did not need to
many him to retain her status. (In the original source of
Hamlet, it is in fact the Gertrude character who is the
heir to the throne, and the two brothers to whom she is
successively married gain their status through her.) We
know also that her marriage to Hamlet's father was
happy and loving. Given the fact that she did not need
to remarry, and that by doing so she may have delayed
Hamlet's accession to the throne, and that her previous
marriage was a food one, the audience of Shakespeare's
day may well have thought Gertrude's behavior worthy
of censure: Shakespeare has left little doubt that sexual
desire could be her only motivation, and that, to
Elizabethan men, would have been repugnant.
     Some of this repulsion comes from the rela-
tionship aristocratic men like Hamlet had with their
mothers. Recent studies of maternal behavior among
aristocratic women reveal that many of these mothers
sent their infants away to be nursed by other women.
The practice of employing wet nurses began in Italy in
the 14th century, and remained controversial throughout
its use. This practice is of interest to us in our under-
standing of the cultural context out of which
Shakespeare might have envisioned Gertrude because it
meant that aristocratic mothers and children had less to
do with one another than modern mothers and children
do. There was a lack of physical intimacy which, given
what we now know about child development, could dis-
tort a young child's ability to relate to others. perhaps
especially women. In the case of Hamlet, and of other
men in Shakespeare's tragedies, there is a persistent fear
of the feminine, and of feminine sexuality, which limits
their course of action and their choices. and sometimes
precipitates their death. Hamlet's confrontation of his
mother in her private quarters is frequently played with
a barely concealed sexual rage. In Mel Gibson's
Hamlet, the nearness in age of the actress playing
Gertrude (Glenn Close) and the actor playing Hamlet
(Mel Gibson) accentuated this. In more than one ver-
sion of Hamlet the prince accosts his mother on her
bed. While this derives in part from the source (where
the Polonius figure is caught after the Hamlet character
jumps on the bed under which he is hiding,) the sexual
overtones of the scene are unmistakeable. Such sexual
confusion is not simply the product of our post-
Freudian times, but has real origins in the distant rela-
tionship between mothers and sons who were some-
times close enough in age and distant enough in con-
nection to blur maternal and sexual feelings. Gertrude is
meant to be seen as a woman who has committed grave
mistakes through her sexual appetite, but whose moral
regeneration is possible through her decision to become
Hamlet's ally in his revenge against Claudius. Her
death would have been seen as a just and likely end for
someone who had transgressed the moral code as she
has, but also as a sad and moving end for someone who
had sought redemption.
     The second question, of whether Hamlet really
loved Ophelia, is easier to answer, and her tragedy is
more central to the loss of innocence the play chroni-
cles. Her tragedy is in some ways the more poignant,
for she is an innocent whose reason and life are taken
from her through the choices others have made for her.
We have seen that as an aristocratic woman she would
have been an important economic resource for her
father, not given away according to her wishes but
according his. Both Laertes, her brother, and Polonius,
her father, remind her to keep her virginity intact and to
keep away from Hamlet. For all women, chastity
(whether virginity or fidelity in marriage and widow-
hood) was the index of their moral worth and social
credibility. Ophelia's virginity is the most significant
measure of her value in the marriage fame. Without it
her dowry and whatever economic or political power
may accrue to her husband by marrying her, or to her
father in offering her, are nothing. That Hamlet may
actually love her neither Polonius nor Laertes is willing
to trust because she is inferior in rank to Hamlet, and
because there was a double standard (then as now)
about aristocratic men's sexual behavior. They fear she
will be used not only to her loss, but most particularly
to theirs.
      It seems likely, though, that Hamlet did love
her. In the "nunnery" speech his denunciation of her, or
really of womankind through her, is prefaced by a gen-
tle phrase "Nymph, in thy orisons [prayers] be all my
sins remembered." This scene, to my mind, shows a
man letting loose his violent confusion, betrayal and
anger over his mother's and uncle's behavior onto the
ears of the one person in Elsinore he cares for, but can

no longer endure to love. Ophelia, used by her father in
his manipulation of Hamlet, has through her obedience
to her father been forced to betray her affections and
asked to nullify them. Reminded by Polonius that
Hamlet's "tenders" of affection can only be viewed as
legal tender--that love is secondary to economic reality,
that her feelings are secondary to her usefulness as an
economic commodity--Ophelia is left with little when
Hamlet too rejects her. Her retreat into childish sing
song, her mourning for her father, and her death by
accidental drowning are the tragedy of a little child lost.
That she is buried not as a suicide but with all "her vir-
gin crants" may be a gesture of good will from Claudius
and Gertrude, acknowledging that her worth is still
intact, but it is also a sad reminder of the cultural values
that destroyed her.
     Shakespeare wrote better roles for women than
any other dramatist of his age. It is wonderful that we
can read and perform his plays today and recognize
charactcrs of both sexes who cast shadows, whose moti-
vations and constraints are plain to us. who are both
timeless in their humanity as well as living. breathing
examples of their own virtue.

Books for further reading...
Chartier, Roger, ed. A History of Private Life. VOL III.
          The Passions of the Renaissance. Cambridge:
          Belknap Press. 1989.
Fildes. Valerie, ed. Women as Mothers in Pre-Industrial
	  England. London: Methuen. 1990.
Prior, Mary, ed. Women in English Society 1500-1800.
	  London: Methuen. 1985.
Rose, Mary Beth, ed. Women in the Middle Ages and
          the Renaissance: Literary and Historical
          Perspectives. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse
          University Press. 1986.
Stone, Lawrence. The Family, Sex and Marriage in
          England 1500-1800. New York: Harper and
          Row. 1977.

About the author...
Robin Farabaugh is Adjunct Assistant Professor of
English at UMBC, where she teaches courses on
Shakespeare, women writers of the Renaissance, and
writing. She and her husband have three young chil-
dren.


Hamlet's Charisma
by Raphael Falco

     The term 'charisma' means in Greek 'gift of
grace' and was used by Saint Paul to describe the dif-
ferent attributes of the early Christian congregation:
certain members had a gift of love, or of judgment, or
of speaking in tongues. Together, all these separate
members made up the body of the congregation.
     Max Weber adopted the term 'charisma' to
apply not only to sacred groups but also to secular ones.
Charisma, in Weber's terms, is a revolutionary force. A
charismatic leader represents to his followers the break-
ing of everyday constraints, such as economic routine.
established authority, and bureaucracy. Weber theo-
rized that charismatic groups were formed whenever a
leader demonstrated--and continued to demonstrate to
followers--that he or she had a mission and that the
mission somehow broke the bonds of routine organiza-
tion in society. According to Weber, charismatics could
be martial heroes (like Old Hamlet), religious leaders,
or even pirates. He said that they would remain charis-
matic leaders as long as their missions remained intact.
     The greatest danger to a charismatic group is
the leader's loss of mission--or, of course, that leader's
death. Because charisma is a personal attribute, it is
difficult to maintain the hegemony of a charismatic
group after the leader dies, unless the leader's charisma
can be said to be a part of his lineage and thereafter
manifest itself in his progeny. In Hamlet, the familiar
struggle to preserve a lapsing charismatic claim into the
next generation is complicated by the younger genera-
tion's rejection of the old charismatic mission.



     So the best way to think about Hamlet's
charisma is probably to think first about his father's
charisma. Old Hamlet, whom we know only as the
Ghost, was a charismatic king--a martial leader whose
reputation for defiance of convention and violent indi-
viduality was legendary. But charisma is defined differ-
ently from generation to generation, from circumstance
to circumstance. What was revolutionary and charis-
matic in Old Hamlet's generation might seem conven-
tional, a matter of necessity or routine, in young
Hamlet's. In fact, the killing of Claudius, unlike Old
Hamlet's killing of Old Fortinbras. has become a calcu-
lated responsibility for Prince Hamlet, rather than a
spontaneous act. Revenge, in addition to being morally
distasteful to Hamlet, is also a false mission: there is
nothing in revenge that is revolutionary to the young
prince. nothing in it which is his alone.
     In my view, therefore, Hamlet's charisma in
the play derives from his resistance to the cold-blooded
act of revenge. The conflict in his mind, as has so often
been noted, is also a conflict between the mores of his
father's generation and his own. The resistance to war-
rior honor and martial violence, which are both identi-
fied with Old Hamlet, provides Hamlet with his own
charismatic claim, his own revolutionary disregard for
the constraints of established authority. The vengeance
that his father so urgently demands is anathema at the
moral level to the son who studied in Wittenberg,
Martin Luther's city. We should remember that Hamlet
more or less exiled himself from Denmark; his relations
with his father were in all likelihood strained, insofar as
Old Hamlet's reputation as a warrior would have grated
against his son's intellectual ambitions. More to the
point, Old Hamlet's moral temperament probably
would have seemed to the young Hamlet antiquated,
hidebound, and violent.
     Hamlet returns from his self-imposed exile
only to find his mother remarried to his uncle. This
marriage is distasteful to him both because of its haste
after his father's death and, moreover, because he con-
siders it incestuous for Gertrude to have sexual rela-
tions with her husband's brother. The Ghost's allega-
tion that Claudius is his murderer compounds Hamlet's
anguish regarding the marriage. Yet for as long as he
resists a violent response to Claudius (or for that matter
to Gertrude) Hamlet retains his charisma. In fact, the
longer he delays his vengeance, the more threatened
Claudius becomes--not only by Hamlet but also by
Hamlet's popularity with the Danes.
     Hamlet's murder of Polonius signals the
breakdown of his charismatic mission. The tragic
unraveling of Hamlet's life and mind begins at this
moment: he abandons his resistance to his father's way
of responding and his headlong slide toward a violent
death commences. Our knowledge of the slide is com-
pounded by Ophelia's suicide and confirmed by the
superfluous vengeance wrought on Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern. Hamlet's charismatic mission is lost.
And, for the audience of Hamlet, that sudden loss of
charisma amplifies the tragic force of the play's cata-
strophe. We know that in killing Polonius--in fact, in
killing at all--Hamlet has sacrificed the part of himself
which distinguished him from his father, the part of
himself which makes him the irresistible magnet of our
sympathy and curiosity. His loss of charismatic status
reduces him to smaller proportions in the audience's
eyes, and that reduction, that toppling from esteem,
conveys in advance the desperate loss of the last scene.
The play may not be about Hamlet's charisma alone,
but when Hamlet begins to lose his charismatic claim
and we become aware of the loss, our foreboding--and
inexpressible--sense of the tragedy are somehow deep-
ened.

About the author...
Raphael Falco is an Assistant Professor of English at
UMBC. His book, Conceivedd Presences. Literary
Genealogy in Renaissance England, will be published
in the fall by the University of Massachusetts Press., .



Hamlet's Family Values
by Robin Bernstein

Instructions: Respond to each clue,writing one letter above each dash.
Then fill in the corresponding blanks in the grid. When you are finished,
the grid will contain a famous quote reading left to right The first
letter of each answer will form an acrostic telling you which character
speaks the line.

A. Henry VI, to his American friends ____ ____ ____ ____
				      13   28   32   16

B. Odds and end: "This ________ _______  " (two words)

 ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
  19   15   33    4   27    1   12

C. Cloaked ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
             8   14   18    5   22   11   21

D. Connection ____ ____ ____ ____
                2   17   20   30

E. Hamlet's setting ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
                     23    6   25   31   29    9   10    7

F. "Whether ____ ____ ____ nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and
             26    3   24
   arrows of outrageous fortunes...
       

What is the relationship between Claudius and Hamlet?

"____      ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____     ____ ____ ____ ____ 
   1         2    3    4    5    6    7        8    9   10   11

 ____ ____ ____ ____      ____ ____ ____      ____ ____ ____
  12   13   14   15        16   17   18        19   20   21

 ____ ____ ____ ____      ____ ____ ____ ____     ____ ____ ____ ____!"     
  22   23   24   25        26   27   28   29       30   31   32   33

Language Then and Now
by Donna Burke

Some of the words that Shakespeare used are still with us, hut
through the years have developed different meanings. Look
for the italicized word that we are familiar with in each phrase
below and assign it the letter of the meaning that would have
been used for that word in Shakespeare's time.

____  If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus, the rivels of
      my watch, bid them haste.

____  But soft methinks I scent the morning air.

____  Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven...

____  But breathe his faults so quaintly that they may
      seem the taints of liberty.

____  Let the King have the letters I have sent and repai
      thou to me with as much speed as thou wouldst
      fly death.

____  That if you be honest and fair, your honesty
      should admit no discourse to your beauty.

___   To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub.


a. cunningly
b. companions
C. come
d. hold or wait a minute
c. chaste
t. most grievous
e. obstacle

Who said what?
by JoAnn Gaynor

Match the quote following with the appropriate charcter:

____  This is a way to kill a wife with kindness:
      And thus I'll curb her mad and headstrong
      humour.

____  Parting is such sweet sorrow.

____  The course of true love never did run smooth.

____  All the world's a stage.
      And all the men and women merely players.

____  The fault, dear Brutus. is not in our stars.
      But in ourselves, that we are underlings.

____  Why, the world's my oyster,
      Which I with sword will open.

____  Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet
      prince, And flights of angels sing thee to
      thy rest!

a. Petruchio; in The Taming of the Shrew
b. Horatio; in Hamlet
c. Cassius; in Julius Caesar
d. Juliet; in Romeo & Juliet
e. Pistol; in The Merry Wives of Windsor
f. Lysander: in A Midsummer Night's Dream
g. Jaques: in As You Like It


Forgotten Words
by Donna Burke
Some of the words or phrases that were familiar to Shakespeare's
audience when they watched his plays are no longer in our
everyday language. Draw a line and match the word or phrase
printed in bold to the meaning that was intended by Shakespeare:


You cannot speak of reason to the Dane and                  honest fellow
LOSE YOUR VOICE. What wouldst thou
beg, Laertes?

Ha, ha boy, sayst thou so'! Art thou there.                 mixed together
TRUEPENNY?

Observe my uncle. If his OCCULTED guilt         deliberately hidden reveal
do not itself UNKENNEL in one speech.

Come. forr the third, Laertes. You do but dally.   receives such a violent
I pray you pass with your best violence. I am                 introduction
afeard you MAKE A WANTON OF ME.

Ay me, what act that ROARS SO LOUD                          by these hands
AND THUNDERS IN THE INDEX?

And still do, BY THESE PICKERS AND                      play with me as if
STEALERS...                                                I where a child

And blessed art those whose blood and Judge-              waste your words
ment so well COMMEDDLED that they are
not a pipe for fortune`s finger.


University of Maryland Baltimore County presents
SHAKESPEARE ON WHEELS

10th Anniversary Season

1994 Performance Schedule

July 2* & 3*
UMBC
 Catonsville, MD
 (410)455-2917

July 5 & 6*
COPPIN STATE COLLEGE+
 Baltimore, MD
 (410)383-5540

July 7 & 8*
OXON HILL MANOR
 Oxon Hill, MD
 (301)839-7782

July 9* & 10*
RENFREW INSTITUTE+
 Waynesboro, PA
 (717)762-0373

July 12*
WYMAN PARK DELL
 Baltimore, MD
 (410)889-7927

July 14 & 15*
HISTORIC ST. MARY'S CITY
 St Mary's City, MD
 (301)862-0990

July 17 & 18*
IDLEWILD PARK
 Easton, MD
 (410)822-0455

July 19 & 20*
GLENVIEW MANSION
at ROCKVILLE CIVIC
CENTER PARK
 Rockville, MD
 (301)309-3340

July 12 & 23*
GARRETT COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
 McHenry, MD
 (301)387-3082

July 27* & 28
HARRISBURG AREA
COMMUNITY COLLEGE+
 Harrisburg, PA
 (717)231-ROSE

July 29* & 30*
HAVRE DE GRACE
DECOY MUSEUM+
 Havre de Grace, MD
 (410)939-4252

August 2 & 3*
ALLEN POND
 Bowie, MD
 (301)262-7510

August 4* & 5
MONTPELIER MANSION
GROUNDS
 Laurel, MD
 (301)953-1993

August 6* (Raindate August 7)
FT. WASHINGTON
NATIONAL PARK
 Ft. Washington, MD
 (301)763-4600

August 8* (Raindate August 9)
LEAKIN PARK
 Baltimore, MD
 (410)566-3560

August 10* & 11*
NORTHSIDE PARK+
 Ocean City, MD
 (410)250-0125

August 13 & 14*
HAGERSTOWN JUNIOR
COLLEGE+
 Hagerstown, MD
 (301)791-3132

August 15* & 16
FROSTBURG STATE
UNIVERSITY+
 Frostburg, MD
 (301)777-ARTS

August 18* & 19
BLUEMONT PARK
 Arlington, VA
 (703)358-6960

August 20* & 21*
GAITHERSBURG
TOWN CENTER
 Gaithersburg, MD
 (301)258-6425

August 22* & 23
INDIANA PLAZA
 Washington, DC
 (202)723-9060

August 24* & 25*
MARYLAND NATIONAL
GUARD ARMORY
 Pikesville, MD
 (410)653-2787

August 27* & 28*
GILBERT LIGHTHOUSE
PARK+
 North East, MD
 (410)392-5740

August 31 & September 1*
SLIPPERY ROCK
UNIVERSITY
 Slippery Rock, PA
 (412)738-2367

September 10* & 11*
SHIPPENSBURG
UNIVERSITY+
 Shippensburg, PA
 (717)532-1747

September 17* & 18*
CHARLES COUNTY
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
 La Plata, MD
 (301)870-3008

September 24* & 25*
ANNE ARUNDEL
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
 Arnold, MD
 (410)541-2283

October 1* & 2*
FAIRMOUNT PARK
 Philadelphia, PA
 (215)242-9159

October 8* & 9*
UMBC
 Catonsville, MD
 (410)455-2917

+ Indoor facilities available in
  case of inclement weather.
o All performances of Hamlet are
  FREE and most begin at 7:30
  p.m. except for Sunday perfor-
  mances in September and
  October, which begin at 2:30
  p.m
o All performances marked with
  an * are shadow interpreted for
  the hearing impaired. Please
  use Maryland Relay at
  1-800-735-2258 to contact any
  of the sites listed above or call
  SHAKESPEARE ON WHEELS at
  (410)455-2917.
o While limited seating may be
  provided at some sites, the
  audience is encouraged to bring
  lawn chairs and blankets to
  ensure comfort. For directions
  and other site-specific informa-
  tion, call the number listed for
  the appropriate location you
  wish to attend or SHAKESPEARE
  ON WHEELS at (410) 455-2917.
  This schedule is subject to
  change without notice.

SHAKESPEARE ON WHEELS will
present excerpts from Hamlet at
the Maryland Renaissance
Festival in Crownsville, MD,
Sept. 3 and 4. There is an
admission fee to the Festival.
(800) 243-7304.

For further information, call the site number listed above or
SHAKESPEARE ON WHEELS at (410)455-2917.

Teachers and educators who want extra copies of the Performance
Guide for use as a teaching aid should call
SHAKESPEARE ON WHEELS at (410)455-2917.


ADOPT A CHARACTER

A special "THANK YOU" to the following 1994 benefactors who have
supported Shakespeare on Wheels' Adopt A Character project.

        Robert Burchard, John Chapman, Donald J. Collins,
 Cathryn L. Derr, Elaine Farrant, Carolyn Spedden Field, Susan
M.C. Flaherty, Patty Futrell, Carolyn Harriger, James K. Howard
III, Jack C. Hynen, Elisabeth Kiersarsky, John Larson, Sandy
Laughlin, Judge Dana Levitz, Warren C. Lyon, Frank J. Martin Jr.,
Martie and Jack Meyerhoff, Shelby Jane Meyerhoff, Amelia
Petrica, Emily Pyle, Dr. William F.Railing, Margery M.
Richardson, Tom and Lorri Roth, Ana Maria Schwartz, Lori Smith.
Jill Stauffer, Amy Teter, Brent Warner, Ellen Wilds, Ruth
Williamson, Adam Yarmolinsky, Doris Howe Zitzewitz

To those who were not able to adopt this year or who missed the dead-
line, we encourage you to order your Adopt A Character Kits
for next year by calling the Theatre Department at 410-455-2917.


Puzzling Out the Bard
Answer Key:

Hamlet's Family Values
A. Hank
B. And that
C. Mantled                        Who Said What? 
D. Link
E. Elsinore                       a, d, f, g, c, e, b
F. 'Tis
Hamlet: "A little more than kin.  Language Then and Now:
and less than kind!"              b, d, f, a, c, e, g


Forgotten Words:

LOSE YOUR VOICE				        waste your words

TRUEPENNY			     	           honest fellow

OCCULTED UNKENNEL                     deliberately hidden reveal


MAKE A WANTON OF ME            play with me as if I were a child

ROARS SO LOUD AND THUNDER IN THE INDEX    receives such a violet  
                                                    introduction

BY THESE PICKERS AND STEALERS                     by these hands

COMMEDDLED                                        mixes together


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

   Board of Directors: Donna Singleton-Burke (Chair)
                       John Meyerhoff
                       Peggy Southerland

               Editor: JoAnn Ryan-Gaynor

         Contributers: Raphael Falco
                       Robin Farabaugh
                       Deborah D. Izzi
                       Rev. Robert L. Mordhorst
                       Pamela Reese
                       Hassell H. Sledd

          Photography: Peggy Brogles
                       Tim Ford
                       Kyu Lee

Design and Production: Image Research Center
                       Linda Diane Bunk
                       Jeff Goldfarb

UMBC 
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY

     Founded in 1966 as the youngest campus of the University 
of Maryland system, the University of Maryland Baltimore County 
is the public doctoral research university for the Greater 
Baltimore region. UMBC currently enrolls 10,600 students in 17
undergraduate, 25 masters and 18 doctoral degree programs in 
the arts, sciences, and engineering. Its suburban location on 
500 wooded acres in view of downtown Baltimore and just 35 
miles north of the nation's capital, offers the programs and
facilities of a larger institution and the flexibility and 
personal nature of a much smaller campus.
      UMBC upholds the values of a well-rounded liberal arts 
education, weighty traditions have not impeded its freedom to 
innovate and experiment. The University's strengths in the life 
sciences are embodied in the pioneering research of UMBC bio-
chemist Michael Summers. Summers' work to develop drugs to 
combat AIDS led to his recent appointment as a Howard Hughes 
Medical Institute Investigator, making UMBC the first Public 
institution in Maryland to host an HHMI laboratory.
     Innovation in the arts and humanities is just as important. 
Last fall, UMBC inaugurated the region's first Master of Fine 
Arts program in imaging and Digital Arts, bring artists and 
scientists together in one of the finest high-end animation
facilities in an American university. A growing program in 
continuing education serves the needs of the region`s 
professional for retraining or educational enrichments.
      In line with its public service mission, UMBC contributes 
to the cultural life of the Baltimore-Washington area by 
sponsoring a wide range of arts events, lectures, and symposia 
on topics of current interest. UMBC is also the home to several 
resident professional companies and galleries.
      UMBC is proud to be represented beyond the Baltimore 
region by Shakespeare on Wheels, whose ten seasons of bringing 
live theatre to communities in the region have showcased the 
outstanding talents of UMBC faculty and students..
      For more information about UMBC contact the Office of
 Admission at (410)455-2291.