The Imprisoned Hamlet

Prisons are like hospitals: they help cure patients to give them a second chance in life (although some might take longer than others). Just like our former president said, "America is the land of the second chance - and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life." Prisons should be seen less as punishment and more as nourishment. That's why the acting of Hamlet in the prison was not only a great idea to help educate prisoners, but also a great way to reflect and learn from their mistakes by identifying with the characters of the play.

People would expect prisoners to be uneducated, illiterate murderers who are not willing to learn from their mistakes. Well, they could see us as privileged, ignorant people who are not willing to trust in them to be better people. That is our first problem in helping the prisoners. That's why the acting of Hamlet was brilliant. most of the actors were uneducated and there may have been a few problems in understanding the happenings of the play. But who knows, in the end, the prisoners might have understood better than others since they could have actually related Hamlet's (or any other character's) actions with their own. Their personal experiences were shown on stage.

One key concept of Hamlet is if the end justifies the means. Acting out the play, the prisoners were able to see the insanity of Hamlet bringing about tragic events and all the consequences for them. Like a domino effect, one tragic event causes another, and that one causes yet a worse one. Because of all the anxiety, anger and frustration builds up, Hamlet is unable to kill himself even if he wants to because he doesn't want to end up being like the unsatisfied spirit of his father that roams around Earth. Just like Hamlet's constraint, the prisoners are trapped in prison. And just like Hamlet growing insane and crazy, many people in prison could also lose sense of control over themselves. But, the third-person view of themselves through the play allowed the prisoners to realize many things that they hadn't realized before.

Just because someone is locked up in a prison doesn't mean that he/she is not a human. In fact, everyone lives in a sort of prison, just that some are bigger than others. Many people spend their whole lives living only in their own country, or even only in their own city. Prisoners spend their lives in prison. The only difference between the two is that one knows his/her limits while the other doesn't. Prisoners still have thoughts and feelings. They can still learn and educate their minds like us.