Hamlet and Claudius had themselves a Twitter feud
Thursday | Oct. 5, 2017
If Shakespeare's characters ever had access to Twitter, you can bet that the 140-character limit would never constrain their pithy wit.
Can you imagine Iago as a Twitter troll? The weird GIFs that Puck would post? Or how Hamlet and Claudius would snipe at each other if they had their own accounts?
Well, you won't have to imagine quite as hard on that last one, because Rep actors Jim Poulos (Hamlet) and Michael James Reed (Claudius) basically recreated what a Twitter feud between these two characters would look like using their own accounts and direct quotes from The Bard himself.
It all started when The Rep posted an innocent publicity shot of Claudius, Hamlet and Gertrude (Robynn Rodriguez).
First look at the first family of tragedy in #RepHamlet. (And you thought your family photo session was awkward). https://t.co/gtHFHW5t4f pic.twitter.com/XLPnhUd34c
— The Rep (@repstl) October 3, 2017
Early on in the play, it's revealed that Claudius poisoned his brother (Hamlet's father) in order to seize the throne and marry his brother's wife, Gertrude. It's a pretty dastardly deed, but Reed (in-character) blamed Hamlet for the familial tension:
Nothing like a moody grown up stepson to ruin an otherwise perfectly normal second marriage. #awkwardfamilyphoto #RepHamlet @repstl pic.twitter.com/LcQ73PAr5r
— Michael James Reed (@mikejimreed) October 4, 2017
We tried to empathize...
Why doesn't anyone ever consider Claudius' perspective? #hamlet #shakespeare https://t.co/v34GEQLTnP
— The Rep (@repstl) October 4, 2017
Which Reed was all for...
Exactly! I mean, who among us hasn't killed a brother, married their wife, arranged a stepson's death, and inadvertently poisoned a wife??
— Michael James Reed (@mikejimreed) October 4, 2017
But Poulos (in-character) was having none of it, quoting from Hamlet Act 3, Scene 4.
An apt assessment from a cutpurse of the empire and the rule. #viceofkings #satyr #cankerofournature
— Jim Poulos (@JimPoulos3) October 4, 2017
Reed was not impressed by this Shakespearean verbosity (citing Act 2, Scene 2)...
Words words words.
— Michael James Reed (@mikejimreed) October 4, 2017
... So Poulos went in for the kill (from Act 5, Scene 2):
Drink off this potion, murderer.
— Jim Poulos (@JimPoulos3) October 4, 2017
Obviously, this is all in good fun – we're pretty sure, anyway – and we can't wait to see what these two awesome performers do when they actually confront each other on stage. Because, hey, as fun as Twitter feuds are, it's always way more interesting to watch larger-than-life characters clash in-person.
Speaking of which, be sure to get your tickets for our production of Hamlet below:
