To Be or Not To Be OR Get Thee To a Nunnery: Ophelia's Choice

“To Be or Not To Be” OR “Get Thee To a Nunnery”: Ophelia’s Choices. 

*This episode does contain talk of suicide.

Is Ophelia a “weak” woman? Don’t say that to Sarah Filek, who is playing Ophelia in the OSP production of Hamlet. Those are definitely fighting words. And, Hamlet is all about fighting words (but not actually fighting). Join us as Sarah and I discuss Ophelia’s choices as she decides “to be or not to be.” We will discuss the importance of Ophelia’s song and why her most impactful relationship in the play may, in fact, be with Laertes. If you are going to the OSP production, definitely keep an eye out anytime those two are on stage together.  We also go into why Ophelia’s death has been romanticized in art. So this will be a deep dive beyond the surface of the text to understand a character who has been chronically misunderstood by the other characters within the play, by academics, and critics. And decide for yourself - is Ophelia “weak”? 

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Hamlet only runs until September 29th. Get your tickets for this amazing show. Go, go, go! https://www.okshakes.org/hamlet

Thank you for listening!

Host/Shakespearean Shrew: Dr. Karen Feiner

Co-Creator/Brew Shrew: Michelle Coffman

Cover Art Creator/Artistic Shrew: Katie Kimberling ⁠⁠www.halfmaverick.com⁠⁠

Thank you to our guest Sarah Filek.

Sarah Filek (she/they) is an actor, director, and teaching artist from Vancouver, Canada. A recent graduate from Oklahoma City University, she is so excited to make her Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park debut! Recent credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena), The Life of Galileo (Chancellor/others), and Julius Caesar (Brutus). She would like to thank her friends, family, and mentors for always supporting her in everything she does. Instagram: @sarah.filek