🎭 Hamlet — Grief that turns into obsession (Shakespeare Discussion)

### 🗡️👑 Hamlet - would you avenge your father… or would you freeze? (modern English provided)

Discussion only - we’re not reading the play aloud in the room.

Short summary:

We just watched Hamnet - a story that makes you feel the human cost behind Shakespeare’s world. Now I want to do the real follow-up: read Hamlet itself and talk about what it’s actually saying when you strip away the “famous lines” fog.
Hamlet is not just “to be or not to be.” It’s a play about grief that turns into obsession, a mind that can’t stop thinking, and the sick feeling of living inside a court where you can’t tell who’s lying… including yourself.
And yes - the biggest barrier is the language. So I’m making this easy: a modern-English version will be provided (you can read original Shakespeare too - either is totally fine).

What we’ll explore :

• If your dad died and someone told you “it was murder”… would you act immediately, or would you need proof first? Is Hamlet wise… or trapped?
• Is Hamlet’s “delay” cowardice, intelligence, depression, or something else? Like… is he thinking deeply, or stalling because action would break him?
• The Ghost - truth, manipulation, or trauma speaking? If the Ghost is real, why is it so morally messy? If it’s not, what does that change?
• The court as a pressure cooker: does Denmark feel like a family problem… or a political machine that turns people into liars?
• Ophelia: who fails her the most - Hamlet, Polonius, the court, or the culture? And what does her story do to the idea that this is just “Hamlet’s tragedy”?
• After Hamnet: if art can come from grief, is that beautiful… or does it feel like turning loss into a product? What did the movie make you notice differently in the play?

How we’ll do it :

• Quick hello + first round: “What scene or line is still living in your head?”
• I’ll give a short map of the play (so nobody feels lost in the names/politics)
• We’ll anchor the conversation in a handful of key scenes (you can point to your copy)
• Open discussion, guided: scenes first, hot takes second
• Wrap: “What do you think Hamlet is really afraid of?” (optional)

Reading

• Hamlet https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_vgPtZKjIHJmlgohkyd6lslyNRzC02qA/view?usp=drivesdk
• The above link is a Modern-English translation
  Read as much as you can. If you’re rusty or don’t finish, still come - I’ll bring enough context that you won’t be stranded.

When and where

• 🗓️ Date: Sunday, February 15, 2026
• 🕒 Time: : 3:30PM - 5:30PM
• 📍 Location: Central Library - Meeting Rooms - L4 North (492) Meeting Room

Cap 12–15 + waitlist
Small room on purpose. If it fills, join the waitlist.
Optional note
We’ll talk spoilers freely (it’s Hamlet - but still).
If you didn’t come to the Hamnet movie night, you’re still 100% welcome - this will stand on its own.