To be or not to be an authoritarian parent. That is the question, or at least one of them, that faces anyone who embarks on the epic project of having children (and, when it comes to Shakespeare, I am nothing if not an authoritarian).
My son Nicholas, who is ten, was taught iambic pentameter from birth. I remember singing to him over his crib, “O my lady, where art thou?” from Twelfth Night. It helped him to sleep.
Much to my delight, Nicholas is a fan of Macbeth (the graphic novel version). And when I suggested we visit Kronborg Castle, the base of Elsinore Castle, in Hamlet (in honour of the 75th anniversary of Laurence Olivier’s Best Picture Oscar for his film adaptation of the play), he was enthusiastic.
Centre Stage: Thomas W. Hodgkinson visits Kronborg Castle, the world-famous setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet
The castle is located in Helsingor, Denmark, and has “pointed turrets and cannons galore.”
The castle, in Helsingor in the far northeast of Denmark, 45 minutes from Copenhagen, is as castle-like as you can get: it has limestone walls, pointed turrets and cannons galore.
The guide Louise tells us that the Bard never visited the castle, but that he knew actors who did. They went there to perform, like the actors who appear in the play and carry out the murder of Gonzago at Hamlet’s request, in order to discover his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet’s father, married his mother and stolen his crown.
You might think there’s plenty of reason for revenge, but instead Hamlet wanders off soliloquizing about the meaning of life and death. The iconic image is of the prince staring at a skull as he ponders his own mortality. So Nicholas and I brought a life-size replica of a skull as a prop.
Helsingor is a “fine example of a medieval Danish town, with cobbled streets, a beautiful Carmelite priory and a great maritime museum,” writes Thomas.
We took it out and posed on the battlements, where the ghost appears in the opening scene. We explored the ornate chapel, where Hamlet nearly killed his uncle. The same goes for the great hall, where drums beat and trumpets sounded whenever King Frederick II made a drunken speech.
For those less devoted to the Bard, Helsingor offers more. It is a fine example of a medieval Danish town, with cobbled streets, a beautiful Carmelite Priory and a great Maritime Museum.
There is a 200-year tradition of staging Shakespeare plays within the castle grounds. If you want to see it, come in early August and see Hamlet in the most evocative setting imaginable.
Kronborg Castle is just 45 minutes from Copenhagen, Denmark’s great capital.
Thomas is staying at the Alexandra Hotel in Copenhagen, near Tivoli Gardens (pictured)
We arrived at the castle as part of a day trip organised by Hamlet Tours. This visit includes another castle, a Viking ship museum and Roskilde Cathedral, which houses the body of King Harald Bluetooth (the technology was named after the dentally challenged Viking).
Afterwards, Nicholas and I relaxed in the elegant comfort of the Alexandra Hotel in Copenhagen. One of the advantages is that it is very close to Tivoli Gardens.
This is your reward for your Shakespeare overdose: hours of free-fall, roller coasters and arcades. We developed a technique to cope with the terrifying attractions: we close our eyes and shout lines from Hamlet.
Of course, it wasn’t a fun time for our neighbours, but remember it’s the anniversary of that Oscar. I’m sure Olivier would have been delighted.
