“Hamlet Hail to the Thief Review”: A Controversial Crossover of Shakespeare and Radiohead?
Act I: The Playlist of Denmark’s Despair
What happens when you mash the existential wailing of Shakespeare’s *Hamlet* with Radiohead’s 2003 album *Hail to the Thief*? Imagine the Prince of Denmark muttering “I will disappear, I will disappear” from “Where I End and You Begin” while clutching Yorick’s skull. Critics are divided: Is this fusion a brainbreaking masterpiece or a fever dream of a Venn diagram gone rogue? One thing’s certain: Thom Yorke’s falsetto pairs disturbingly well with soliloquies about mortality.
“2 + 2 = 5” or “2B or Not 2B”?
The crossover’s most debated moment? A remixed “To be or not to be” set to the paranoid thrums of “2 + 2 = 5.” Supporters argue it’s genius—after all, both works hinge on themes of:
- Existential dread (thanks, Hamlet’s ghost dad),
- Political decay (looking at you, Claudius),
- Sheer inevitability of doom (Radiohead’s specialty).
Skeptics, however, claim it’s like mixing mead with Mountain Dew—an unholy concoction that leaves you questioning reality.
“Pyramid Song” vs. “Get Thee to a Nunnery”
The album’s haunting “Pyramid Song” has been reimagined as Ophelia’s drowning sequence, complete with Yorke’s underwater vocals. It’s either profoundly moving or a *Saturday Night Live* sketch waiting to happen. Meanwhile, Hamlet’s infamous “get thee to a nunnery” rant has been auto-tuned over glitchy synths from “Myxomatosis,” because nothing says “emotional breakdown” like experimental electronica.
Will this crossover dethrone *The Lion King* as the definitive *Hamlet* adaptation? Unlikely. But if you’ve ever wanted to hear Polonius recite life advice over the chaotic crescendo of “There There,” well, the internet has once again delivered art only it could birth. Pour one out for Horatio, now forever side-eyeing the mosh pit.
Deconstructing the Metaphor: Is “Hail to the Thief” the Modern Soundtrack to Hamlet’s Madness?
Existential Paranoia: A Duet of Delusions
Picture this: Thom Yorke, bedhead akimbo, muttering “2 + 2 = 5” into a foggy mirror. Now swap him with Hamlet, skull in hand, debating the merits of Spotify playlists for Danish princes. Coincidence? Absolutely not. Radiohead’s *Hail to the Thief* is drenched in the same paranoid syrup that fuels Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” waffling. Both are obsessed with powerlessness, betrayal, and the gnawing sense that someone’s rearranging reality’s furniture while you’re not looking. Yorke’s “There There” could easily soundtrack Hamlet’s bush-side eavesdropping on Claudius—*just ’cause you feel it doesn’t mean it’s there*.
Songs of Scheming and (Electronically Distorted) Screaming
The album’s chaotic sprawl—jumping from glitchy synths to acoustic despair—mirrors Hamlet’s mood swings. Consider:
– “Sail to the Moon” as Ophelia’s drowned lullaby, if she’d owned a reverb pedal.
– “A Punchup at a Wedding” capturing Laertes’ post-funeral rage (minus the poison-tipped rap battle).
– “Where I End and You Begin” as the existential crisis Hamlet and Yorke clearly share over who forgot to take out the kingdom’s/band’s emotional trash.
Bonus absurdity: Both works feature ghosts (Hamlet’s dad, Radiohead’s “The Gloaming”) who refuse to stay dead, opting instead to haunt via basslines and iambic pentameter.
“The Raindrop” vs. “The Play Within the Play”
Radiohead’s obsession with surveillance (“I’m such a creep and a weirdo”) cuts deeper than Polonius’ curtain-adjacent snooping. Yorke’s yelps of “*We’re not scaremongering, this is really happening*” could double as Hamlet’s director’s notes for *The Mousetrap*. Both weaponize art to expose rot—Hamlet with drama, Radiohead with dissonant guitar solos that make your ears question their life choices. And let’s not forget: madness is a performance in both. Hamlet’s “antic disposition” is just Yorke’s stage dive into the void, set to a theremin.
