The combination of a "Sweet" Hamlet and one who is forced to seek revenge for his father's death creates the revenge-hero seen on stage portrayed by Simon Russell Beale. Here you have a Hamlet who is genuinely liked, has friends, and just happens to get himself into a tricky situation. In this particular production, the ghost of Hamlet's father hands him a dagger, thus ordering Hamlet to seek revenge for his death.
Beale's Hamlet tries to ignore what his father has commissioned him to do, but ultimately he is hounded by the thought of it. The dagger becomes a symbol as Hamlet is banished and he hands it to Claudius before departing to England, symbolizing the end of his revenge.
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Hamlet Directed By JOhn Caird (2000)
Simon Russell Beale as Hamlet
Reviews
“Yet while this Hamlet, like so many young men coming of age, may judge the folks at home harshly, he is equally hard on himself. When in the opening scenes he compares himself to Hercules, it is with infinite self-contempt. There is also an essential sweetness to him, which goes some distance in explaining his inability to kill.”
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"To that end, Beale’s most notable achievement is to embody the “sweet” Hamlet whom Horatio (Simon Day) often exalts, including the celebrated “goodnight, sweet prince” farewell with which — since Fortinbras doesn’t figure in this scenario — Caird’s production concludes."
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