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0原著作者｜威廉·莎士比亚
In Denmark, the winter was colder than any winter before
The old king's death was like a dull knife, slowly cutting into everyone's ears
The funeral bell rang three times
Queen Gertrude didn't cry, her eyes like a frozen lake, showing no emotion at all
Less than a month later, she married the new king Claudius
The air in the whole court felt blocked
Servants walked with heads bowed
Ministers' boots made no sound on the carpet
Only Hamlet knew
His eyes were colder than the winter wind
He stood at the end of the palace corridor, his fingers digging crescents into his palms
No moon
A figure rose from the shadow of the city wall
Pale armor, ashen face, a deep wound on the neck visible to the bone
Hamlet's breath stopped
"I am your brother" the ghost's voice like squeezed from stone cracks "He poured poison in my ear"
The prince didn't retreat
His fist clenched until veins popped, nails digging into his palms
"Remember me"
The ghost faded into the cold wind
Hamlet stood alone in the darkness, like a statue
The players entered the palace
The old player's eyes were like stones polished by years
"What shall we perform, Your Highness"
Hamlet handed the script
His fingertips trembled, but there was a smile at the corner of his mouth
"Just the simplest one"
The performance began at dusk
On stage, actors vividly portrayed the king and queen
Claudius sat on the throne, fingers drumming the armrest unconsciously
The third act began
"The king fell asleep in the garden" the actor's voice was clear "His brother quietly approached and poured poison in his ear"
Claudius's face changed
Not pale, but gray-white, like drained of blood
He stood up abruptly, his chair fell back, the sound echoing through the silent hall
"Light the lamps" his voice cracked
Hamlet stood in the shadow, eyes had cold gleam, no tears
He confirmed it
The time for revenge, was ripe
The Queen's chamber
Candlelight cast shaking shadows on the walls
Gertrude sat at the vanity, her lips moved, but no sound came
"You shouldn't have married him"
"He's the king" "He killed Father"
The Queen's face turned ashen
She opened her mouth, wanted to speak
Behind the curtain, someone was trembling
Hamlet's gaze swept over
His arm was faster than his thinking
The sword left the scabbard like a sigh
Then the dull sound of a body falling, like a puppet with cut strings
He pulled the curtain aside
Polonius lay in a pool of blood, blood stains forming dark brown cracks across that aged face
Hamlet didn't cry
His eyes held only cold gleam
"Send him to England"
Claudius's voice came from outside the door, cold as a blade
In the sealed ship cabin, only the sounds of rats
Hamlet crouched in the corner, fingers searching the floor cracks
A letter
He pried open the seal with trembling fingers
The King of England would behead two envoys upon arrival
His fingers trembled
But his eyes lit up
He had a plan
The pen tip moved under candlelight, ink slowly soaked the paper
A new name was written
A new seal pressed
The shipwreck happened
The ship broke into pieces in the storm
Hamlet grabbed a piece of wood, drifted in the dark sea
He woke lying on the beach
A pirate island
But they let him go
"This man is interesting" the pirate chief said "There's fire in his eyes"
Hamlet stepped onto Danish land
Claudius's spies were everywhere
But he didn't care
"A duel" Claudius smiled "My dear nephew has returned, we should celebrate"
Horatio burst into the room, his face white as paper
"The letter, I intercepted it, they'll kill you in the duel"
Hamlet looked at the sky outside the window
His gaze fell on the sword
"I know"
He smiled, the smile contained icy things
The dueling hall was bright with candles
Claudius sat on the high platform, his wine cup gleamed in the candlelight, with faint luster inside
Laertes walked to Hamlet's side, whispered "Let me be your second"
The prince shook his head
His fingers picked up the sword, the pommel pressed into his palm
The first thrust
A feint
The second thrust
Hamlet's sword tip cut Rozencrantz's arm
The third thrust
Claudius's sword tip stabbed toward the prince's chest
The Queen stood up, her lips moved, wanted to speak
The wine cup was empty
Gertrude's body began to convulse
"The wine" her voice caught
Her fingers grabbed the tablecloth, knuckles white
She fell, her eyes still looking at Hamlet
Claudius's sword pierced the prince's shoulder
But Hamlet's sword also pierced him
Claudius fell into the pool of blood, eyes wide open, like seeing something he shouldn't have seen
Rozencrantz rushed over, but Laertes's sword had already pierced his chest
He fell beside his father
Hamlet fell on the stage
His blood flowed on the wooden planks, like a thin dark red river
Horatio rushed over, held his head
"Live" the prince's voice like from far away "Denmark needs someone to remember"
His hand fell
The hall was silent
The Prince of Denmark, the Queen of Denmark, Claudius, Rozencrantz
All had fallen
Only Horatio still stood
He stood and walked to the window
Dawn was breaking outside
But Denmark's sun, would never rise again
