Hamlet - A Study in Poison

 First, if you want some Memorial Day thoughts, you might enjoy this post about my visit to the American Memorial in Normandy.

 

 I recently did a re-watch of the 4 hour opus that is Branagh's interpretation of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Kenneth Branagh stars as the titular character. I believe there was some discussion about his wanting to be or not to be the lead but he finally elected to suffer the slings and arrows of the outrageous role. Brian Blessed plays Hamlet's dad. Julie Christie plays his mum, and Derek Jacobi is the murdering uncle/stepfather. Kate Winslet plays my least favorite character: Ophelia. Richard Briers takes the role of Polonius. Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Judi Dench, Gerard Depardieu, Jack Lemon, and the magnificent Charlton Heston also appear. 

You would think that a film with such a fantastic cast would be absolutely fabulous. You would be right. It is. I would rather watch even an hour of this masterpiece than any other adaptation I've seen--except maybe Strange Brew. I doubt there will ever be a sillier yet entertaining version than Strange Brew.

I'm no edumacated critic or expert on all things Shakespeare, but I did notice a few things about Hamlet this time as I watched it over four or five sessions of thirty minutes to an hour each--over a period of a few weeks. I was struck by the poison theme in the play.

Hamlet's father is slain by poison poured into his ear--sort of like what the news media has been doing to the country for the last several years. (That was uncalled for. This isn't a political piece, but when I see a connection, sometimes it just slips out). The entire kingdom is poisoned. The king's ghost tells Hamlet of his murder--thus infecting the youth's mind against his mother and stepfather with the toxin of revenge. Hamlet goes on to poison Ophelia's well-being by mistakenly killing her father, sending her mixed messages about his love for her, and finally rejecting her. 

 As you might expect, she takes it all rather badly and eventually drowns her sorrows along with herself. 

As a result of two family members meeting their demise, and Prince Hamlet being the obvious common denominator, her brother Laertes has his heart poisoned against Hamlet. 

Claudius seizes the opportunity to continue poisoning Laertes against Hamlet and encourages him to slay Hamlet with--you guessed it--poison. Claudius arranges a fencing match between Laertes and Claudius. During the course of the match, Laertes has his sword tipped with poison. Not one to leave a good murder to chance, Claudius also prepares a poison pellet in the chalice from the palace (or maybe it's the flagon with the dragon--it wasn't stated, but I know it wasn't the vessel with the pestle) which he proposes as a congratulatory refreshment for Hamlet after scoring a touch against Laertes. Hamlet succeeds in scoring on Laertes, but puts off his quaff from the toxic tankard. Instead, his mother Queen Gertrude guzzles from the brew that is cruel. The fencing match goes full Outback (i.e., no rules) and Hamlet takes a wound from Laertes' poisoned blade. He disarms Laertes and, in returning the blade to Laertes, switches swords with his enemy. Shortly thereafter, Hamlet, being a gifted artist, draws blood on Laertes. Gertrude dies, Laertes dies, confessing his treachery and Claudius' subterfuge before he expires. Hamlet

 hurls the poisoned blade through Claudius' back and pours the last of the poisoned wine into Claudius's mouth, inserting curses and invective into Claudius' ears all the while. The murderous uncle thus receives all he gave, reaping that which he sowed. Hamlet finally stops talking and succumbs to the poison wound.

Unfortunately for the kingdom, one who has not been poisoned, Fortinbras, 

 completes his sneak attack invasion of the nation and the palace as the remnants of the royal family enjoy their final repose on the palace parquet.

I must say, it was a terrific conclusion with the sword fight and folks dropping dead of poison. I highly recommend it; five stars given, but I suggest you refrain from any offered refreshments.

Isn't that a great idea?!

 

 Saturday lifted its savage muzzle to chase peaceful night from the sky. I confronted the day without fear. Fate drove me. On this day I hearkened to the call--the plea for aid against the hundreds of thousands of green beasts engaged in sieges of the family manors. 

The day brought heat--that sharpest of darts--and hurled it in increasingly intense volleys as the it extended the battle from morning into late afternoon. I eventually prevailed because my heart was pure and I had the strength of ten. Also, I wore a hat for most of the day until the last half hour when I switched to a miracle cooling cloth that I soaked in cold water and tied around my head.

_______________

The play is done. After a month or three of rehearsals and seven performances over two weeks, I have a hunk of my life back. As always, it was a ton of fun. The entire cast was able to repeat one of my lines: "Yeah, that's a great idea! Isn't that a great idea? Can I see a show of hands of everyone who thinks that's one great idea?!"

That news means that I should get more time to write. The book I had planned to make available in June will be a month or three late. It carries on with the tale of the revolutionary war with the addition of magic and dragons. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I can assure you that it's very tastefully done, capturing both the patriotic fervor of the founding conflict with military action and lessons in liberty as well as the adventure and drama of the fantastical elements with the carnage and flame that is the price of inviting monsters of the fire-spewing sort to the party. But wait; there's more: The formidable stone cats, gryphons, dragonlings, and other beasties of this magical American wilderness raise the risks for the adventurers in ways that entertain and threaten to traumatize. However, I remain unaware of any reader requiring hospitalization, counseling, or intense therapy--well, not very intense. On the other hand, I am aware of readers who suffer from severe investiture into the trauma, the drama, and the dream that is the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. They can't get enough of Alex, Lucette, Iago, Atu, and the dragon hunters along with Charles Rip and Antonio. The latter has become a special favorite of several readers--and I must admit that he is delight to write.

If you doubt me, read Truth in Flames--you won't be able to resist reading the entire series. If you would like to start at the beginning, check out Threading the Rude Eye, or even begin with the prequel novella, In Death Bedrenched, which you can get for free--That's a great idea! Isn't that a great idea?!

 

 

 

 

J.V. Hilliard

 Interview with J.V. Hilliard

Author of

The Warminster Series

 

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

Vorodin’s Lair is the second book in the Warminster series, an epic fantasy tale that combines sword and sorcery, a new fantasy realm and epic battles to sweep readers from the treacherous cliffs of the Dragon’s Breath Mountains to the shores of scholar city of Abacus.

It is a continuation of the story of Daemus Alaric, a low Keeper from the Cathedral of the Watchful Eye, as he and his allies set out to face the menace that threatens their very existence.

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

Shared experiences from my various Dungeons & Dragons campaigns have always been at the heart of my work. If you are a TTRPGer, I’m sure you get this. Playing D&D with friends and family scattered through several decades really generated a lot of ideas that I could mesh into The Last Keeper, but also allowed me to go off script and away from D&D, creating unique monsters like the Antlered Man.

The D&D modules of the Ravenloft series and The Vault of the Drow were player and DM favorites and inspired many fun nights and memories, including the creation of one of the villains in The Last Keeper, Incanus Dru’Waith.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Not currently, but I am exploring a collaborative piece that may take me into the horror genre. I’ve always been a big vampire and ghost story fan, and this collaboration may include an anthology of stories gathered that come to an end at the same time. It’s a challenging project but one that could introduce me into a new genre.

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

I have always found it interesting that in the fantasy genre, typically no matter how much time passes, the characters end up still using swords and shields and fighting behind castles. There is little to no technological advancement.

In my books, there is a city of scholars known as Abacus, that creates “technology” in very specific ways that affect the plot. It's a bit of me taking my sci-fi fandom and injecting into epic fantasy. It's not overwhelming—subtle in some places to stay true to the fantasy genre, but the weapons and magic that are discovered or invented in Abacus really help at various important inflection points throughout the series.

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

Professionally, I am a federal lobbyist the deals with defense and tech companies on a daily basis. I've learned throughout my career in Washington DC that politics plays a role not only in the development of this new tech but also in day-to-day living, which I tried to sprinkle into the realm of Warminster. I think it helps with the flow of the story if nobility and leaders in Warminster stand out to the reader as believable, and there's a truthfulness to how they interact with one another that mirrors both modern and medieval societies.

 (I couldn't get the cool map to download for insertion here)

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

I have been an avid tabletop role playing gamer nearly my entire life, starting at the age of 10. I think that many of my plotlines and characters have been borne out of years of playing Dungeons and Dragons and combining the arcs of characters with the storylines of my novels. I even drop a few “Easter eggs” in my stories for my friends and family to find, including names of their own characters or references to unique campaigns that I've run as a dungeon master or as a player character.

I think borrowing from that game, among others, as well as paying homage to fantasy literature that came before me (like Middle Earth or Westeros) will keep my readers interested but appreciative of the uniqueness of Warminster. I've taken care to make sure that my magic system stands apart from others, the races of the realm are sure to be one of a kind, and I combined a little sci-fi when the plotline calls for it.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

Recently I just read Frosthelm by Dave Dobson who is a fellow author, and I would recommend his current and future work. Although he has a different style than I do, I appreciate the world building that he's done in some of his characters. Take a look, and judge for yourself.

 (Imagine the cool cover of Vorodin's Lair, Book Two of the series here--which I couldn't get to download).

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

This is a bit of a cheat, but I only have one book currently available which is The Last Keeper, the first book in the Warminster series. If you want to try something different for shorter reads, visit Altered Reality Magazine online and check out my serial there, the Element of Time. It too is of the fantasy genre but “snack size.”

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

To be honest, when COVID took hold and much of my work was put on the back burner, I had a lot of spare time on my hands to start writing. It's a moment in time that I will never forget and one that was a silver lining in a very dark period for many. Since that time, I've learned to be a more efficient writer and instead of taking a year to get a book to market, I've got it down to every three or four months. Working on the second release in the summer of 2022 with the third book in this series coming out at the end of 2022.

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

I think the question I don't get asked often but would like to be asked more is “if you can choose one of your characters to spend one day with who would it be and why?”

I would choose Graytorris the Mad, because even though he looks like a simple “big bad evil guy” in book one, as the series progresses, the reader learns more about his background and history, offering a window into his mind. Why does he do some of the things he does?

As an outside observer looking in, I would love to pick his brain—even though I am technically in his mind as his creator, and ask why he's doing the things he's doing to the realm.

 (This is where the cover of The Trillias Gambit, Book 3 of the Warminster series would've appeared if I could've downloaded it)

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

“From the silent bow, the arrow flies,” is my favorite quote from book one. It is a line from the Ballad of Rillifane's Meander, sung by one of the Longmarchers, and speaks to the magical bow named Silencer that Sir Ritter of Valkeneer carries in the battle. When the bow shoots an arrow, it flies silently, sometimes keeping him hidden from his enemies. And perhaps the bow also gets its moniker from its wielder “silencing” the enemies of the realm.

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Thanks to J.V. for participating. 

I've got the first ten chapters of Book 6 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series out to my Skirmish Team for review. Redcoats, dragons, stone cats, magic, and more. Can liberty prevail against such implacable foes?

Book 2 in the series, Power to Hurt, is available for two days only: May 16 and 17 for only 99 cents.  

Book 1, Threading the Rude Eye, is still at 99 cents.