The Duel on the Feast Table 盛筵桌上的决斗

Review of the Version: Гамлет, 布图索夫, 2006 (clown)

The feast table is a stage, a royal court. Around and On the table, Hamlet and the King start their show-like duel of throne through several rounds, all of which reinforce the motif of suits and show, tacticsand politics.

1. King and Hamlet standing on the table, with audience sitting around:a play of play; a performance in performance.

2. Hilarious yet aggressive body conflicts between K and Hon table:it is a dramatic representation of theiropen or secret strife for power in the royal court.

3. King in red coat; Hamlet’s suit is red onthe reverse side; Hamlet later wears King’s red coat:red symbolizes king’s identity. H’s suit red inside indicates his ambition for power, which becomes conspicuous after he wears K’s red coat.

4.Hamlet as clown: H acts like a fool, but he merely “acts” like that; as for his real self, he hides it. His every action is an irony show.

5. Hamlet mimics cock’s crow:

In Christianity, cock crows when Jesus was born and died, serving as a messager of light in the world of sin and darkness. It warnspeople that evilis coming. So Hamlet’s mimicry may indicates his stance for light, while the new ruler for evil.

Also, cock crows when it is aggressive, same as H’s provocation.

6.Two political parties on the table, with Queen remaining neutral:

When H and K are parted by other guests, they form two parties: on H’s side, there is Ophelia and two other men(may be guards); on K’s side, there is Polnius, Laertes, and others. The Queenstill sits at the table, in the middle of the two, which is a sign of neutral stance. This distribution of guests indicates the later conflicts.

7. Big three——King, Queen, Polonius: when the banquet is over, King, Queen, Polonius come forward, hand in hand, which may indicate their long companionship——threeconspirators scheme the murder and usurpation together.

8. Queen sends the red coat to King on the table:

First, it may indicate Queen’s long adulterywith King and they conspired the murder together;

Second, it can suggest the motif of show and suits: the actor of K, on onesecond, acts one of the guards; but when dressed on the King’s coat, he becomes the king. He stands on the table allthe while. Hence, the outlooking is one’s identity, and the king turns out a performer; everyone can play the king, and everyone can play any roles——the world is a stage, is ridiculous.

Discussion:

The duel on the table reinforce the huesof Show and battle for power. Table is a metaphor, which divides space into two: on it and around it. On it, K and H, two actors of actor, are performing of power scramble; around it, important guests watch them and later join them. Everyone become actors of this duel show. As for how to perform, the two use suits, rounds of conflicts, and the like to make this political show even more indicative. In one word, the table provides space for the power scramble, and itself serves for the motif of performance.