The effect of lighting wasn’t developed during Shakespearian times, so lanterns tended to be used. The lanterns eventually caused a fire in the Globe, and lanterns stopped being used. Instead actors were expected to learn imaginative skills to show the sun rise and fall. If the director Michael Boyd, had decided to stick to traditional lighting effects, then the audience would not of benefited this as today’s audience are used to lighting being part of the piece.
The use of lighting was especially significant when it came to the performance of the Ghost. The whole case of purgatory was present, as Old King Hamlet did not confess his sins before he died. Purgatory is well known to a different array of religious groups, which means to say that this was another aspect of Shakespeare’s work that are relevant to a contemporary audience. Elizabethans believed that Ghosts were just hallucinations, whereas today most of us are opened minded on whether ghosts do exist as the use of film, real life experiences and media have changed the way we think. Boyd presented the ghost in an interesting way that kept the audience engrossed. The use of the eerie noises and the live sound, was a warning of when the ghost was about to enter and created more of an impact. Lighting created the shadows which gave The King more status even though he was dead.
‘Hamlet’ was written during the first part of the 1600’s. In 1606, a law was passed so that plays that contained balsamiferous language were accepted. This means to say that the earliest version of Hamlet would have been a lot different to the one we know today. In order for a play that dates back this far, the director has to use the characters in order to have relevance to today’s societies and their knowledge. The casting of actors is used to find the correct actor for a part. Whereas Shakespeare created roles for particular actors. The actor Richard Burbage was known to have an exceptional memory, and Shakespeare created many of his roles for him in particular. Actors were expected to play more then just one character. Boyd kept this element, as two of the characters played two different roles. This is relevant to a contemporary audiences as this is still used in modern day plays, and I as an audience member enjoy the use of actors playing more then just one role.
Shakespeare is well known for using clever stagecraft’s in order to show tension and characters roles. Even though there mostly out right obvious on what is happening, they are still used in today’s work. The use of the Players in Hamlet is a good example of how his stagecraft worked. They helped in creating a play within a play and created more tension between Claudius and Hamlet, as Claudius became aware that Hamlet knew he had murdered Old King Hamlet. It also gives the audience a break, it helps them reflect on what has just happened and to understand the storyline. Boyd used these to his advantage, as to me these helped the most in making the contemporary audience intrigued. By using a comical approach this again kept the audiences attention. The use of the players created realisation for the audience, and I believe made them think that they could fully benefit the works of Shakespeare, as I know that was what I felt.
Its obvious to say that yes, theatre can be about how we used to live, as its made relevant to the way a modern day society thinks and how the views have changed. When looking at a modern day production of a play from the 1600’s, its clear to say that with the use of some modern developments such as lighting, that a contemporary audience can be intrigued for the whole course of the play. Shakespeare created many elements of theatre that are still used today, so to say that plays of this age will not be understood by present day theatre is incorrect. Set design, length of productions, and use of actors has changed immensely, but many other elements such as use of costume, role of the characters and acting techniques have not changed as much. By keeping traditional methods and adding in modern day developments, its clear to see that an audience can still enjoy a play of over 400 years old and fully benefit from it.
