Shakespeare's Hamlet: The Next Great Cast

"We know who we are, but know not what we may be." The world has seen many productions Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, but it's time for some new blood to get their chance at these iconic characters.

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Zachary Quinto as Hamlet

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Who is this character?

When Hamlet returns home to Elsinore after the mysterious death of his father the King, he finds that his mother has already remarried his late father's brother, Claudius, who has now suddenly become the new King of Denmark. Soon the ghost of Hamlet's late father appears to him and tells Hamlet the truth of his mysterious death and makes Hamlet vow to avenge his murder.

Why he's perfect...

We have seen many great actors take on this iconic and career-making role such as Jude Law, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branaugh, Ethan Hawke, and Lawrence Olivier, and now it's time for a fresh face to play the melonchaly dane. After his sinister performance last season in American Horror Story: Asylum and his spellbinding, if not definitive, portrayal of Tom in the current Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie, Zachary Quinto would undoubtedly bring us a Hamlet we are sure to never forget. Between his brooding presence, sexiness, piercing eyes and his evident ability to play internally conflicted heroes (often with Mommy issues), Mr. Quinto would deliver an interpretation that is logical, smart, and crafty while also being unforgiving, determined, and ferocious.

Lines he gets to say...

(There are so many...)

"Ay, the funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables."

"To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub, for in this sleep of death what dreams may come..."

"Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times"

"I must be cruel only to be kind. Thus bad begins and worse remains behind."

"The rest is silence."

Chris Pine as Horatio

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Who is this character?

After the Ghost of Hamlet's father is spotted around the castle, Horatio is elected to break the news to Hamlet. This trustworthy best friend remains a loyal advocate to Hamlet even when everyone else, including his family, abandons him.

Why he's perfect...

If Zachary Quinto is playing Hamlet, there is only one person we want playing his best friend: his bromantic life partner Chris Pine. Mr. Pine also brings with him a natural confidence and charisma that would make anyone believe him even if he's telling you that he has seen the ghost of your dead father.

Lines he gets to say...

"Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

Lizzy Caplan as Ophelia

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Who is this character?

Daughter of Polonius, chief counsellor to the King of Denmark, and Hamlet's girlfriend, Ophelia is thrown a curve ball when Hamlet, upon his return to Elsinore, starts acting like a "hellish" madman towards her and telling her to "get thee to a nunnery". Later, Ophelia also loses all semblance of sanity (leading to her suicide) when she learns that Hamlet accidentally murdered her father.

Why she's perfect...

Ophelia is often portrayed as frail, helpless, and a victim of her own social status, but she fights for answers even though they are never given to her. Lizzy Caplan would bring a grounded, unapologetic fierceness and intelligence to Ophelia, and her natural brazen attitude would stand strong against the ferocity of Mr. Quinto's Hamlet.

Lines she gets to say...

"O woe is me, To have seen what I have seen, to see what I see."

"Lord, we know what we are but know not what we may be."

"I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died. They say he made a good end."

Bryan Cranston as Claudius/Ghost of Hamlet's Father

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Who are these characters?

Claudius has become the new King of Denmark due to the recent mysterious death of his brother, the late great King Hamlet Sr., and his hasty marriage to his late brother's widow, Queen Gertrude. In an apparition to young Hamlet upon his return to Elsinore, the ghost of King Hamlet Sr. reveals that he was maliciously murdered by Claudius who poured poison into his ear while sleeping.

Why he's perfect...

Often Claudius and the Ghost are cast as the same actor. Scholars maintain that this is most likely how it was performed at the Globe around 1600 in the original production, thus, it is necessary to cast an actor who can play both a villainous murderer and a loving father we can trust. If there is anyone who can embody evil in one scene and make you fall in love with him in the next it's Bryan Cranston...no arguments.

Lines he gets to say...

Ghost: "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder."

Claudius: "O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven;/ It hath the primal eldest curse upon't,/ A brother's murder!"

Allison Janney as Gertrude

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Who is this character?

Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, inexplicably and hastily marries Hamlet's uncle Claudius not long after the death of King Hamlet Sr. causing Hamlet to feel as though she has betrayed him personally and the memory of his father.

Why she's perfect...

Gertrude can be played as a victim of her time and situation who feels like she is left with no other option but to remarry even if it is her dead husband's brother. Or she can be played as a woman who actually would have rather been married to Claudius the entire time. Someone of Ms. Janney's talent would make us question her motives the entire time. Also, Ms. Janney brings with her an undeniable likable energy that makes you instantly love her and feel like she could be your own mom (or perhaps favorite aunt), which would help the audience identify more with and increase the severity of Hamlet's feeling of betrayal.

Lines she gets to say...

"Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off,/ And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark."

"O Hamlet, speak no more!/ Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul"

Robin Williams as Polonius

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Who is this character?

The chief counsellor of the King of Denmark, and father to Ophelia and Laertes, Polonius works closely with Claudius to uncover the reason of Hamlet's mad behavior since coming home. But eavesdropping in Gertrude's bed chamber proves fatal when Hamlet murders him through a curtain thinking he's Claudius

Why he's perfect...

Robin Williams has already proven his chops for Shakespeare with his portrayal of Osric in Kenneth Branaugh's self-directed 1996 film adaptation of this play. And now it is time to see Mr. Williams step in to one of the greatest character roles in all of Shakespeare and make us fall in love with him all over again.

Lines he gets to say...

"This, above all, to thine own self be true."

"That did I, my lord, and was accounted a good actor...I did enact Julius Caesar; I was kill'd i' th' Capitol; Brutus kill'd me."

Pablo Schreiber as Laertes

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Who is this character?

Laertes, the son of Polonius and brother to Ophelia, leaves for France at the beginning of the play but returns to Elsinore in a fury upon the news of Polonius' murder. He gets back just in time to watch his sister hallucinate in front of the court and then drown herself in the river. Laertes then conspires with Claudius to bring about Hamlet's death via a fencing match, but is himself stabbed with the poisoned blade that was intended for Hamlet. In his final moments before death, he and Hamlet exchange forgiveness.

Why he's perfect...

Although we love him as Pornstache on Orange is the New Black, Pablo Schrieber began his career on the classical stage. His brute, forceful attitude is perfect for the hotheaded, vengeful Laertes. A Schrieber/Quinto sword fight would have everyone's full attention.

Lines he gets to say...

"I tell thee, churlish priest, a minist'ring angel shall my sister be when thou liest howling."

"Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet. Mine and my father's death come not upon thee, nor thine on me!"

Robert Downey Jr. as The Player King

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Who is this character?

As Hamlet plans his revenge on Claudius, he hires a group of actors to perform a play about a king who is murdered by his brother by poisoning him in his ear so that he can get the crown. The Player King is the leader of the troupe of actors and is known for his interpretation of dramatic monologues.

Why he's perfect...

He's Robert Downey, Jr. And it's a character who can perform dramatic moments with flair and style. Enough said.

Line's he gets to say...

"So think thou wilt no second husband wed; but die thy thoughts when thy first lord is dead."

Justin Timberlake as Rosencrantz

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James Franco as Guildenstern

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Who are these characters?

Hamlet's closest college buddies, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern visit Elsinore at the request of Claudius to secretly spy Hamlet. They eventually betray Hamlet who leaves them for dead on a ship to England when they are attacked by pirates. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern always appear together throughout the play, and even when watching the play on stage, one can rarely tell which is Rosencrantz and which is Guildenstern.

Why they are perfect...

Who doesn't want to imagine Zachary Quinto, Justin Timberlake, and James Franco as college buddies who used to get into trouble? Also, these two roles are essential to the play but are often fairly forgettable. However, Justin Timberlake's infectious humor and James Franco's suave boldness would ensure that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern would be completely memorable.

Lines they get to say...

Rosencrantz: "Good my lord, what is your cause of distemper? You do surely

bar the door upon your own liberty, if you deny your griefs to

your friend."

Guildenstern: "Which dreams indeed are ambition; for the very substance of

the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream."

Steve Buscemi as The Gravedigger

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Rachel Dratch as The Other Gravedigger

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Who are these characters?

When Polonius dies in Act III, we lose the comic relief character, which is why Shakespeare gives us the Gravediggers in Act IV. While digging Ophelia's grave and discussing life and death they discover the skull of Elsinore's former jester, Yorick. Hamlet recognizes this skull and tells Horatio of the good times he had with Yorick.

Why they are perfect...

Yes, the gravediggers must be funny and Steve Buscemi and Rachel Dratch would certainly land all of their jokes, but there is a humanity and emotional depth to them that require funny actors with tremendous skill and these two actors contain all of those things. Also, who doesn't want to see these two crack jokes about digging graves?

Lines they get to say...

"Come, my spade! There is no ancient gentlemen but gard'ners, ditchers, and grave-makers. They hold up Adam's profession."

Jake Gyllenhaal as Fortinbras

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Who is this character?

The crowned Prince of Norway, Fortinbras only appears briefly in the play but serves the function of acting as a parallel to Hamlet. Fortinbras' father was killed by Hamlet's father in battle and young Fortinbras is motivated to take over Denmark in order to avenge his father's death. Unlike Hamlet, who is often cerebral and speaks long soliloquies, Fortinbras is a man of action and short temper. Fortinbras arrives in Elsinore at the end of the play to discover the pile of dead bodies that was the royal family of Denmark, and delivers the play's final lines.

Why he's perfect...

Fortinbras takes action with strength and urgency. He represents the path Hamlet could have taken. Jake Gyllenhaal looks like a strong hero we can trust (and has had much experience playing soldiers). Naturally grounded, Mr. Gyllenhaal would provide the clear and solid voice necessary to bring us the conclusion of one of the longest, most epic plays in history.

Lines he gets to say...

"Let four captains

Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage;

For he was likely, had he been put on,

To have prov'd most royally"