Ham

Script by: Pietro Nunes and Giovana Lima

[Scene begins in an old attic, the curtain opens and brothers appear.
Juliet and Helena are playing catch while Anne and Miranda are looking
for something. “THE MAGIC MUSIC BOX”.]

Anne: Girls, since you’ve asked so much for us to come to the attic, help
us to find something interesting about our grandfather.

Helena: Okay, we’re going!

[The children start looking around the room, until they stop in front of a
chest. First Miranda picks up a skull. She holds up the skull and is
startled, then throws it back into the trunk.]

Miranda: What is that? [scared] Why would our grandfather keep that?

[Then Juliet picks up a small bottle with a green liquid inside. Anne picks
up an old notebook and shuffles around.]

Juliet: Look! Lemon juice! [She threatens to drink.]

Miranda: Don’t drink this! We don’t know what it is!

Helena: What is that, Anne?

Anne [reading aloud in confusion]: Hamlet’s diary.

Helena: But, who’s this man?

Juliet: Why don’t you read it to us?

Anne: Since you insist! “Dear diary…”

[The lights go out. “MEDIEVAL TIMES”. Claudius and Gertrude 1 go in

front of the audience, the other actors stand to the side.]

Claudius: The memory of our king, my brother, is still fresh in our hearts.
My brother’s wife, the Queen, now is my wife. But now we must think of
other things. Faustine, the princess of Norway, is planning to attack our
country and her dad doesn’t know about that, [to Messenger] so take
this letter to him and he will understand what is happening. [Messenger
takes the letter and leaves.]

Laertes: My lord, I came back to Denmark to see you become king. Now I
would like to return to France.
Claudius [to Laertes]: You have my permission. [turning to Hamlet] But
now, my nephew Hamlet, and my son…

Hamlet [angrily to himself]: I am more than a nephew, but less than a

son!

Claudius: Why are you still so unhappy?

Hamlet [with a cold smile]: How can I be unhappy, my Lord, when you
are so kind to me?

Gertrude 1: Dear Hamlet, stop wearing those black clothes and be

friendly to our new king. You need to accept your father’s death.

Hamlet [coldly]: Yes madam. But my grief is more than just black
clothes. It’s real. It’s inside me.

[Everybody leaves except Hamlet. Horatio comes in.]

Hamlet [smiling]: Horatio! What are you doing in Elsinore?

Horatio: My lord, I came when I heard about your father’s death.

Hamlet [quietly]: Yes, that was the worst day of my life.

Horatio [nervously]: But my Lord, I think I saw your father’s ghost last
night while I was on guard on the castle wall with Marcellus.

Hamlet [excitedly]: It can’t be true! Let’s go there tonight! But please,

don’t tell anyone about this.

[Hamlet and Horatio leave. Polonia and Ophelia come in.]

Polonia [angrily]: I’ve heard that you are spending a lot of time with
Hamlet. What’s happening between you and him?

Ophelia [softly]: He’s shown many signs of love for me.

Polonia [pulling Ophelia to her feet and shaking her roughly by the
arms]: Signs of love? You’re too young to understand the real meaning of
these things. Do you believe these ‘signs’?

Ophelia [shaking her head and crying]: I don’t know mother. When he
speaks of love, he seems to mean it.
Polonia: Believe me Ophelia, these words have no meaning. I order you
to stay away from him [turning away and pulling her by the arm] Now,
come with me.

Miranda: “There was a full moon and the ground was covered with
snow.”

[Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus arrive. The ghost comes out of the
audience, calling Hamlet. “GHOSTLY VOICES”]

Marcellus [holding Hamlet]: Look my Lord, it’s calling you, but don’t go!

Hamlet: I’m sorry, but I need to go.

[Horatio and Marcellus leave and Hamlet follows the Ghost. The ghost
tells how he died while the scene behind takes place.]

Ghost [stopping and turning round]: I am the ghost of your father and if
you love him, you must punish his murderer. One afternoon, I was
sleeping in my garden as usual. While I was asleep, your uncle poured
poison into my ears. He stole my life, my country and my queen. If you
love me, you must punish your wicked uncle for his crime! Now I must
hurry away. Goodbye, my son, goodbye. [Ghost leaves and Horatio and
Marcellus arrive.]

Marcellus [worried]: What news, my Lord?

Hamlet [smiling strangely]: I can’t say nothing, you’ll tell others about it.

Marcellus: We won’t my Lord, we promise.

Hamlet: So, let’s go back and remember: not a word to anyone. [They
leave.]

Anne: What an unreal story! Ghosts don’t exist.

Juliet: Don’t say that! He can hear us.

[“HIGH GUSTS HOWLING”]

Juliet [scared]: Did you hear that?

Anne: Forget it Juliet.

Helena: Why is no one talking about Claudius? Poor Hamlet, his uncle
killed his father and married his mother!

Miranda: Did you notice that Hamlet’s best friend Horatio has the same
name as our grandpa?

Anne: Could it really be him?

[Polonia is sitting. Ophelia comes in, looking frightened. “VIDEO GAMES

INSTRUMENTAL” ]

Polonia [standing up, worried]: Ophelia, what’s the matter?

Ophelia: While I was sitting in my room, Lord Hamlet came in with a

crazy look in his eyes. Then, without a word, he walked out of the room.

Polonia: This seems to be the madness of love. Have you been unkind to
him since I last saw you?

Ophelia: I only did what you told me.

Polonia: I’m sorry, Ophelia. Perhaps I was wrong about him. I was afraid
that he was just playing with you. [They leave. Claudius, Gertrude 1,
Rosemary and Guildenstern come in from different sides.]

Claudius: Welcome, Rosemary and Guildenstern. I called you here

because Prince Hamlet is acting very strangely. Please, discover the
reasons for his strangeness.

Guildenstern: We are proud to help.

[Rosemary and Guildenstern leave. A Messenger comes in with Polonia.]

Messenger: My Lord, the old King told his niece to stop her plans for war
against us immediately. [give the letter to Claudius and leaves.]

Polonia: My Lord, I have discovered why Prince Hamlet is acting

strangely. He is mad with love for my daughter. [holding up a letter]
Listen. [reading] “To beautiful Ophelia, I have little skill with words.
But I love you. I am yours forever, my dear Lady. Signed by Hamlet”

Claudius: We need to be sure of that. Try to find out more.

[Claudius, Gertrude 1 and Polonia leave. Guildenstern, Rosemary and
Hamlet come in from different sides.]

Guildenstern and Rosemary: My dearest Lord!

Hamlet [smiling]: My dear friends! Why did you come to Elsinore?

Guildenstern [laughing nervously]: What do you mean, my Lord?

Rosemary: We came to visit you.

Hamlet [suddenly serious]: The King wrote to you, didn’t he?

Guildenstern [looking around]: Yes, my Lord, but don’t tell him.

Hamlet: Recently, I’ve felt very strange. No one can please me.

Rosemary: My Lord, a group of actors are coming here to act for you.

[There is the sound of music outside. “FOLLOW ME”]

Guildenstern: They’re arriving now. [Rosemary and Guildenstern leave.]

Helena: “I can’t stop thinking! How can I be sure that it was an

honest ghost? I’ve heard that a good play can sometimes show the
secrets in a bad man’s heart.”

Juliet: Poor Hamlet! He’s so confused!

Miranda: Oh, he’s very clever to think of changing the play!

[Claudius and Polonia are hiding in the corner.]

Hamlet [to himself]: To be, or not to be? That is the question. Is it better
to suffer bad luck in silence? Or is it better to fight it? Neither of them
matter. When we die, we sleep - nothing more. Sleep will end the
heartache and the pain of life. It’s the best way to end our suffering. To
die, to sleep, perhaps to dream - ah, that’s the problem. Who knows
what terrible dreams wait for us after death? Some of us are unhappy
with the pain of life. But we are afraid that the pain of death will be
even worse. Death is an undiscovered country. It frightens us. No
traveller ever returns. But it’s bad to think too much about this. We
become weak, and all our thoughts of action disappear.
Ophelia: My good lord, it’s everything good? I have more letters from
you. I’ve wanted to return them to you for a long time. Please take them.

Hamlet [shaking his head]: I never sent you any letters.

Ophelia [unable to understand]: Hamlet, you know very well that they’re
yours. Please take them.

Hamlet: Ophelia, I was in love with you.

Ophelia: I believe you.

Hamlet: No, you were wrong to believe me. I didn’t love you.

Ophelia [sadly]: Then I was wrong.

Hamlet [angrily]: Ophelia, don’t talk to me anymore and go to a church!

Ophelia: Oh, how can a great man fall so low?

[They leave. Claudius and Polonia come in.]

Claudius: Love? I don’t think so. I shall send him immediately to England
so he will forget about his problems.

Polonia: The Queen could talk to her son in private after the play and
perhaps she can discover the true reason for his grief. I will hide and
listen to their conversation. [They leave.]

Anne: “Finally, it was time for the play. It would show the dark
secrets of Claudius, who deceived everyone with his lies while the
memory of the former king was forgotten...”

[Ophelia and Hamlet enter and bump into each other.]

Ophelia: You again?

Hamlet: You came early, come and sit here with me. [They sit facing the
audience.] Can I lie across your knees? I had missed you a lot.

Ophelia: You’re joking, my lord.

Hamlet: What can a man do in this company if he can’t joke? [he takes
the ribbon out of her hair] Ophelia, please forgive me, I love you, I stop
sending letters and…

Ophelia: Hamlet stop, there is no problem, just forget about this…

[Third actor comes in.]

Third actor: Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! The play will start now!

Ophelia: Now come on, let’s watch the play together.

[“PORTSMOUTH”. Two actors come onto the stage dressed as a king and
queen.]

First actor [as the King]:

My love, I have to say goodbye
And sail to foreign lands.
Don’t be sad if I die.
Marry another man.

Second actor [as the Queen]:

A second marriage? Oh, my dear,
Don’t speak to me like this.
I will never want to feel
A second husband’s kiss!

First actor [as the King]:

But stranger things have happened.
When a much-loved husband dies,
A second love soon fills
A woman’s heart and eyes.
Now I’ll sleep here by the flowers.

Second actor [as the Queen]:

Death will never kill a love like ours.

[The ’King’ sleeps. The ’Queen’ leaves the stage.]

Third Actor [as Lucianus]:

The garden is empty, the bottle is full,
No one can see, no one can hear.
[He goes down on his knees next to the ’King’.]
The palace, the country and Queen will be mine
 With one drop of poison in his sleeping ear.
[He pours the poison into the ear of the ‘King’.]

[Claudius stands up angrily. His body is shaking and his face is pale.]

Gertrude 1 [nervously to Claudius]: What’s the matter, my Lord?

Polonia [to the actors]: Stop the play! Stop the play!

[Everyone leaves except Hamlet and Horatio.]

Hamlet [excitedly]: Did you see that? The King doesn’t enjoy plays.

Horatio [laughing]: I saw everything, my Lord.

[Horatio leaves. Gertrude 2 comes in. “BAD DREAM”]

Gertrude 2: Hamlet, your father’s very angry with you.

Hamlet [to Gertrude 2]: My father’s very angry with you. Wait… who are
you?

[Gertrude 1 comes in scared and confused.]

Gertrude 2: What’s the matter, Hamlet? Have you forgotten who I am?

Hamlet [confused]: Where is my mother?

Gertrude 2: Hamlet, are you ok? I am your mother! But, just a moment,
let me close the door, someone can hear us talking. [She leaves and
Gertrude 1 comes in.]

Gertrude 1: Hamlet? Are you imagining things? Stop playing with my

feelings! [going to Hamlet] Why are you so rude?

Hamlet: Why are you so wicked? [confused] Mom? What is happening?

Gertrude 1: Hamlet, stop joking with me! [someone calls her from the
aisle] Wait here! Someone is calling me. [She leaves and Gertrude 2
comes in.]

Gertrude 2: I can’t speak to you when you’re like this.

Hamlet: You’re not leaving until I’ve shown you the wickedness of your
heart.

Gertrude 2 [frightened]: What are you going to do? Are you going to
murder me? [shouting] Help! [She runs]

Polonia [from the aisle]: Murder? Help!

Hamlet: Wait! Who’s hiding there? Claudius? [He stabs and Polonia falls.]

[The lights flash. Gertrude 1 comes in.]

Gertrude 1 [gets in the room, crying]: Oh, no! What have you done? [sees
Polonia] You killed her!

Gertrude 2 [from the aisle]: Polonia is dead! She will never come back
again.

Hamlet [looking at Polonia’s body]: Oh, I’m sorry God! I don’t know what
is happening with me! I’ll find a way to hide it. [Hamlet pulls Polonia’s
body by the foot and they leave. The narrators come in.]

Anne: Hamlet is really out of his mind. He is imagining things!

Miranda: I’m curious to know how Ophelia will react to her mother’s
death.

Juliet: Maybe Hamlet can comfort her.

Helena [laughing]: Or she could go crazy like him.

Anne: Listen to what he wrote about Polonia’s death. “I didn’t like

Polonia very much, but I felt bad about what I had done. Would
your daughter forgive me? And God? Would he accept me in heaven
when I took my last breath?”

[They leave. Claudius and Gertrude 1 come in.]

Claudius: You look unhappy. How is your son?

Gertrude 1: As mad as a storm at sea. While he was shouting at me, he

heard a noise in the corner. Without thinking, he took out his sword. Then
he killed Polonia. And he was crazy, imagining things, I don’t know…
Claudius [angrily]: Of course, he thought that he was killing me. [to
himself] I want him in England today! Soon I want to hear news of his
death. Until then I cannot be happy.

[Ophelia comes in.]

Gertrude 1: What’s the matter, Ophelia?

Ophelia [singing]:
She is dead and gone, Lady.
She is dead and gone.
At her head a piece of grass,
At her feet, a stone.
Her face as white as mountain snow…
Her body cold as ice.
There are no flowers on her grave
Or tears in people’s eyes.
We know what we are. Not what we can become.

Claudius [to Gertrude 1]: She’s talking about her mother.

Ophelia [singing]:
Tomorrow is the day of love.
The sky is shining blue.
I’m standing at my window,
Dreaming, Love, of you.
’Why will you not marry me?’
the pretty young girl said.
’There’s no need’, the boy replied.
’You’re already in my bed!’
I can’t stop crying when I think of her in the cold ground. My brother will
hear of this. So thank you for your kind words. Bring me my horse!
Goodnight, Ladies, goodnight. [She leaves. “MEDIEVAL BATTLE WITH
SWORDSMEN]

Claudius [nervously]: What is this? Where are my guards?

[A messenger arrives running.]

Messenger: Save yourself, my Lord! An angry crowd has broken through

the castle gates and is coming this way. Laertes is with them, and they
want him to be king! [She leaves. Laertes runs in.]
Laertes [angrily, sword in hand]: Where’s the King? [Laertes walks
towards the King and points his sword at his neck.] Where’s my mother?

Claudius: Dead.

Laertes: How did it happen? You’re the King, but I’m not afraid of you.

[Ophelia comes in.]

Ophelia [singing]: There were no flowers on her grave,

But tears fell down like rain.
[smiling like a child, holding out her hand to Laertes.] Here’s a flower for
memory, and here’s a flower for thought. A flower of sadness for you,
and another one for me. I wanted to give you a flower of love. But it
died when my mother died.
Will she not come back again?
No, no, she will never come again. [She leaves with Gertrude.]

Claudius: Laertes, I understand your grief, but I’m not your mother’s
murderer. I want to kill him too, but he is very popular and the Queen
loves him very much. And I don’t want to hurt her.

Laertes: I’m sorry for the Queen, but my revenge will come.

Claudius: Don’t worry about that. I have made plans.

[A messenger arrives with letters.]

Messenger: My Lord, Hamlet said that will return from England soon.

Claudius: I have an idea. We can punish him in a way that will look like
an accident, like a swordfight!

Laertes: And I can put some poison on the end of my sword.

Claudius: If our plan fails, I have another idea. He’ll get thirsty during
the fight. So I’ll put some poison in a drink and offer it to him. [“DOOR
03”.] Quiet! [Gertrude 1 comes in, looking pale.] What is it, my Queen?

Gertrude 1: I need to talk to you, Laertes.

[Ophelia enters the stage with blue lights and she does a choreography.
She falls to the ground and the lights go out.]
“OPHELIA” → “TROVÕES E CHUVA, PT. 01”
Gertrude 1: You sister is dead, Laertes.

Laertes: Dead? Where?

Gertrude 1: She was sitting in a tree by a stream. Suddenly, she fell and
lay on her back in the icy water. Then, slowly, the weight of the water in
her clothes pulled her down and she died.

[Hamlet and Horatio come in. “SPACE SONG” starts playing.]

Gertrude 1 [putting flowers in her hands]: Goodbye sweet lady, goodbye.

Hamlet [quietly to Horatio]: What! The fair Ophelia is dead?

Laertes [wild with grief]: Hold back the earth until I have kissed her one
last time. [he kisses Ophelia]

Hamlet: Poor lady, she didn’t deserve that [looking at Ophelia’s body]

Laertes [running at Hamlet]: I’ll send you to hell! [he puts his hand
around Hamlet’s neck]

Claudius [to Horatio]: Please, Horatio, take him away.

Hamlet: Forty thousand brothers could not love her as much as I did!
[Hamlet kisses Ophelia. The light goes out and they leave.]

Juliet [sadly]: What a shame, beautiful Ophelia is dead.

Anne: And listen: “I loved Ophelia too! I will miss her forever, like the
stars miss the sun in the morning sky.”

Helena: So, he really loved her.

[Hamlet and Osric come in.]

Osric: My Lord, the King invites you to a friendly swordfight with Laertes.
Will you accept? Think about it, what will others think of you?

Hamlet [smiling]: Tell the King that I’m ready! [They leave.]

Anne: It seems that the story ends here. The pages are blank.

Juliet: What? I need to know what happens at the end of the story!
[Anne flips through the pages until a letter falls out of the old diary.]

Miranda: But what is this? It’s a letter from…

[They walk towards Miranda.]

Everybody: Our grandfather?

[“HIPS DON’T LIE”. Claudius, Gertrude 1, Laertes, Osric, Hamlet and

Horatio come in.]

Hamlet [walking towards Laertes]: I’m sorry, sir. But believe me, I didn’t
plan to kill your mother.

Laertes [seriously]: As a man, I forgive you. But as a son and a brother, I

can’t.

Osric: Get ready! Fight! [They start fighting.]

Claudius: One minute! Give me a cup of wine. [Osric gives him a cup.
Claudius secretly puts poison in the cup, then holds it up.] Hamlet, here’s
to your health. [He gives the cup to Hamlet.]

Hamlet: I’ll drink it later. [They fight again.]

Gertrude 1 [taking the cup from Claudius and smiling at Hamlet]: I will
drink to your good luck, Hamlet. [She lifts the cup to her mouth.]

Claudius [nervously]: Gertrude, don’t drink it!

[They fight for a long time → “BATTLE FOR CAMELOT”. Finally, Laertes
cuts Hamlet. They continue fighting. Laertes drops his sword. Hamlet
throws his sword to Laertes and picks up Laertes’s sword. Suddenly,
Gertrude falls to the floor. “HOW DID IT END?”.]

Hamlet [running to Gertrude 1]: How’s the Queen?

Gertrude 1 [to Hamlet]: The drink! Oh my dear Hamlet, I am poisoned!

[She dies. Gertrude 2 comes in.]

Gertrude 2: I’m not dead Hamlet, please remember me!

Hamlet [shaking his head]: No please! Not again!

Gertrude 2 [laughing]: You will see me again my dear son! The drink was
not the only thing poisoned… [She leaves.]

Laertes: Hamlet you are dead. [He falls to the floor.] There’s poison on
the sword, and with it you’ve also killed me.

Hamlet [looking at the sword]: The sword is poisoned? Then, poison, do

your work. [He runs at Claudius and kills him. Claudius dies.]

Laertes: Forgive me, Hamlet. You’re not my… [Laertes dies.]

Hamlet [to Laertes]: I’ll follow you to Heaven soon. [He falls to the floor
and turns to Horatio.] I’m dead, Horatio, but you still live.

Horatio: I’m not afraid of death. There’s still some poisoned wine.

Hamlet: If you love me, Horatio, stay in this heartless world long enough
to tell my story. [“HOGWARTS’ MARCH”] What is that?

Osric: Princess Faustine won her war in Poland and has returned.

Hamlet [weakly]: I won’t be able to survive, Horatio. But I believe that

Faustine will make an excellent queen of Denmark. [He dies.]

Horatio: A brave heart has broken. Goodnight, sweet Prince, goodnight.

[Horatio leaves. Faustine, her soldiers and the messenger come in.]

Faustine [looking at the four dead bodies]: What has happened? Oh,
proud Death, why have you taken so many princes at the same time?

Messenger [to the audience]: I have come too late with our news. The
King’s request was answered - Rosemary and Guildenstern are dead.

Faustine [looking at Hamlet’s body]: This country has lost a great man
and a wonderful future king. [to his officers] Take away the bodies. This
room looks like a field of war.

[Everybody leaves. Officers carry the bodies away. The lights go out.]

Miranda: “Hamlet is the best person anyone can have. He will

certainly be sorely missed, especially by me and Denmark, which
has just lost the best king a kingdom could have.” Why didn’t he
never tell us about his best friend Hamlet? [Horatio comes in dressed as
a grandfather.]

Juliet: Grandpa, you don’t know what we’ve found!

Anne: Look at this! You need to tell us more!

[“SOLDIER, POET, KING” → starts playing.]

Horatio: Oh children! How did you find this?

Helena: It’s a long story!

Horatio: I’m glad you enjoyed the long story of Hamlet’s life. He was a
very brave best friend and I’ll never forget him. Now come on, dinner’s
on the table. [They leave.]

T E EN