Hyperion to a Satyr: Hamlet Act I, Scene 3

Hyperion to a Satyr - The Fire and Water Podcast Network's Hamlet Podcast - continues Siskoid's scene-by-scene deep dive into Shakespeare's masterwork, discussing the text, but also performance and staging through the lens of several films, television, comics and even a rock opera. In Act I, Scene 3, Polonius has a talk with both his children.

Listen to the episode below or subscribe to Hyperion to a Satyr on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!

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Credits:

Theme: "Fanfare" from 1996 Hamlet, by Patrick Doyle, with clips from that film, starring Ray Fearon; the 1980 Hamlet, starring Derek Jacobi; and the 2009 Hamlet, starring David Tennant.

Bonus clips: Hamlet 1996 by Kenneth Branagh, starring Michael Maloney, Kate Winslet and Richard Briars; Hamlet 1948 by Laurence Olivier, starring Felix Aylmer and Jean Simmons; Hamlet 1980 by Rodney Bennett, starring ; Hamlet 1990 by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Ian Holm and Helena Bonham-Carter; Hamlet 2000 by Michael Almereyda, starring Julia Stiles and Bill Murray; Hamlet 2007 by Alexander Fodor, starring Lydia Piechowiak; and Hamlet 2009 by Gregory Doran, starring Edward Bennett.

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5 responses to “Hyperion to a Satyr: Hamlet Act I, Scene 3

  1. A great show as always. I particularly remember Briers being one of the most sinister of the (to borrow a friend’s term) Polonii.

    Your absence last week lead me back to Slings & Arrows, and since you talk about the reality of Old Hamlet’s Ghost in the feedback section — how real do you think Oliver’s Ghost is in Slings & Arrows? Genuine visit from the beyond, a product of Geoffrey’s madness / creative process, or a mixture of both? The fist time we see Oliver’s ghost, Geoffrey isn’t there. And it’s like the two morticians are serving as the guards in the play to confirm the Ghost’s independent reality.

  2. Somewhere along the way, I imprinted that Polonius is a buffoon and that unfortunately has impacted the way I see the character every time.

    So it is interesting to hear your take on his speech and the degrees of character here – stupid, nefarious, or self-contradictory.

    As always, thanks for the deep dive!

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