Samuel West decided to "make it clear that Hamlet has been studying philosophy…" which he said provided a good background for the "To be or not to be" soliloquy (West 48). Part of this philosophy background is why, West argues, Hamlet waits to trap and attack Claudius instead of immediately rushing off to kill him the moment he learns of the murder. West also emphasizes that Hamlet's madness is feigned madness used as an elaborate plot that his intelligent Hamlet has come up with to trap Claudius.
Hamlet Directed By Stephen Pimlott (2001)
Samuel West as Hamlet directed by Stephen Pimlott.
Reviews
"His is an intelligent, underplayed Hamlet, with his madness barely noticeable."
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"Samuel West impressively turns Hamlet into a melancholic, mixed-up scholar-Prince, who's lost faith in religion and love. Christopher Good's tormented Ghost does not unbalance his mind. West puts on a nice, mocking show of craziness. He clings to the new cult of scepticism and irony more than he does to Kerry Condon's frail, vulnerable Ophelia or to his distant, detached Mamma. It's in his struggle to find meaning and emotion in a world gone to the dogs that West is most affecting."
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