BCS Presents Hamlet

by Moses Bratrud

The Upper Grade Class at Baldwin Christian School presented the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare at the Baldwin Christian Reformed Church on October 12, under the direction of Mrs. Maribel Hokanson. Mickey Raihala portrayed Shakespeare himself, and introduced the play with a short biography of Shakespeare and a synopsis of the plot.

Elsie Kersten excelled as the title character, the confused and conflicted Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Abraham Bratrud was suitably devious as Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, who claims the throne after the sudden death of Hamlet’s father and marries the lovely Queen Gertrude, his brother’s wife, well acted by Lucy Raihala.

Dylan Wevers was an able Polonius, the talkative friend and advisor to King Claudius. Stephen Hokansan did justice to the brave Laertes and LeAnn Larson was touching as Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius and Hamlet’s erstwhile love. Michael Van Dyke played Horatio, Hamlet’s loyal friend.

The story begins as the royal court of Denmark welcomes the new king. Some watchmen of the castle (played by Allison Jacob, Autumn Robole, and Caitlyn Hollabough) repeatedly see a silent specter on their watch. They inform Hamlet’s friend Horatio of the sightings, and he in turn tells Hamlet. Hamlet accompanies the watchmen and together they see the Ghost (spookily played by James Engel) who beckons to Hamlet. Hamlet follows him and the Ghost speaks, claiming to be Hamlet’s father, and saying that he was killed by Claudius. Hamlet believes the Ghost’s tale, but feels he cannot act on the information without more proof.

Meanwhile, King Claudius, expressing mock concern over Hamlet’s erratic behavior, sends Hamlet’s childhood friends, Guildenstern (Philip Hokanson) and Rosencrantz (Katherine Swanson), to find what is troubling Hamlet and report back to the King. At the same time, Polonius tells Ophelia that Hamlet probably does not mean his repeated declarations of love. She locks herself in her room and spurns Hamlet. Her rejection adds to his despair.

Hamlet orders a traveling theater troupe to present a play that is suspiciously similar to what the ghost claims Hamlet’s uncle has done. His plan is simple: to watch the king’s reaction as the actors (Mickey Raihala, Caitlyn Hollabough, James Engel) perform the play, and thus find out if the king really did murder Hamlet’s father. His plan works better than he ever could have hoped, and midway through the performance, the king flees the room, proving his guilt to Hamlet.

Armed with this proof, Hamlet begins to confront those he believes have wronged his father, but his actions are hasty and lead to an ever widening spiral of tragedy. At the play’s end, Hamlet has avenged his father but at the cost of his own life and the lives of all those for whom he cares.