This weekend I finished reading a book titled Hamlet's Dresser by Bob Smith.
I've been doing a lot of reading since graduating in May. I've been reading a lot of my usual stuff. I love books where huge, government conspiracy theories are involved. There's a team of heroes who are both extremely athletic and lethal, but they are also sophisticated and their minds store immense amounts of knowledge. They somehow save the world book after book, usually work in a little romance (sex), and keep me utterly thrilled until the last page. I love that type of fiction, the kind where it combines history and spy. It's like Indiana Jones meets James Bond.
Now, I will happily say that I love this type of novel. But, I will not say that any of these books have ever changed my life. Those pieces of literature are in another list. A list that includes Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, William Shakespeare's Macbeth, William Mann's Object of Desire, and most recently added to the list...Hamlet's Dresser by Bob Smith.
A few weeks ago I was wandering the aisles of the Rock Hill Public Library. I really enjoy spending time at that library. It's small and the people behind the counter are always very, very nice. I was just looking around. I had a book or two on reserve behind the counter so I didn't really need to be looking for anything else, but I just love to walk around libraries sometimes. There's something about that level of enjoyed quiet...that community understanding that this is a place where people read. It's an awesome feeling.
So, I am exploring the shelves when I stumble upon a copy of the first folio of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It is (obviously) not an original copy of the text, but it looks like a photocopy of something very close to the original. I flip through those pages for a few minutes and see that the shelf is littered with different memoirs, biographies, and adventures all related to the Bard himself. One title strikes my fancy...Hamlet's Dresser...
I pick up the book and love the graphic of a young man listening to a performance of Hamlet offstage. It is ghostly and gray and makes me think of the ghost of Hamlet's father. I read the small description of the book on the inside cover and instantly decide to give the book a whirl.
When I get home I set my books down in my room and don't really get the chance to read for a few days. When I do, I decide to go with Hamlet's Dresser because it is short and appeals to me the most in that moment.
In Henry V I have a lot of breaks. Nym comes on in Act 2 for two scenes, has a break until Act 3 where he is in the first scene, and then he has a long break until a small section in Act 4. During those down moments, I needed something to keep my mind activated. I didn't want to just sit around. I wanted to be thinking. So, I brought in this book. The subject matter couldn't have been better.
So, during my breaks...I was discovering something about William Shakespeare. I was discovering just how much Shakespeare can relate to a person's life. I always had a great relationship with Shakespeare's texts, but this book showed me just how deeply a relationship with the world's greatest playwright can go.
Bob Smith tells the story of his life. From the moment of his birth until he is a man in his mid-sixties, the reader follows Bob through the good times and bad. And throughout it all...Shakespeare is there.
Time after time, Bob tells us a story. And at the end of those paragraphs a selection from a sonnet or a play sits waiting. You read this small citation and the story comes back to life, but in different words. Bob finds and presents these connections between real life and the lives of the characters in the Bard's writings.
It's amazing how real...how much a part of humanity these characters are. After seeings Bob's life analogies, you start to examine your own life in comparison to Shakespeare's writings and you see just how universal the concepts truly are.
This book showed me a completely different way to look at Shakespeare. As an actor, I have always viewed the man as nothing more than a playwright. He wrote these great pieces for us to bring to life onstage. But, in truth, these scripts are so much just in themselves. They are philosophical. They are encouraging. They are a kindred spirit. They are someone who understands exactly how you feel.
I hadn't been so affected in a long time. To see how much of an inspiration William Shakespeare had on this man's life...it was amazing. It was beautiful.
It just showed my how important the arts truly are. They awaken our hearts. They awaken our minds. They allow us to relate to another. They give us a shoulder to cry on. They give us feeling. And most importantly...they allow us to dream.
As I closed the final pages of this book...I realized that for the rest of my life I will commit myself to keeping those feelings alive.
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