The Court
The various members of the court of Denmark (or Soviet Russia; now there's an anachronism)
Polonius and his Children
Laertes with his father and sister
Polonius, Laertes's father, a high court official, friendly and fatherly
Ophelia, Laertes's younger sister, Hamlet's love interest, goes mad
Polonius's base clothes are khaki like Laertes. He wears a military coat with bands on the sleeves which indicate his high rank. His burgundy tie matches the bands. The army green of his coat is a thread through the adults of the royal court.
Ophelia is not dressed like a lady of the Soviet block, because the fashions for soviet women don't fit with our modern American sensibility of what sweet young ladies look like. Instead she is dressed more like an American secretary from a similar era. Her structured jacket with militaristic buttons keeps her in the disciplined spirit of the design concept, while her curled hair and light blouse give her a more feminine air, to make it more plausible that she might be Hamlet's girlfriend. Her skirt is a faded olive color, like her father's jacket.
Later in the play, when Ophelia goes crazy, her hair was teased a little and she changed into a plain black slip. After her death, the director had her walk among the members of the court like a ghost, and for that, her hair was doused with water, and she changed into a long flowing white shift, with a garland of flowers around her neck. No pictures are to be had of either of these looks, which is a crying shame.
Polonius, Laertes's father, a high court official, friendly and fatherly
Ophelia, Laertes's younger sister, Hamlet's love interest, goes mad
Polonius's base clothes are khaki like Laertes. He wears a military coat with bands on the sleeves which indicate his high rank. His burgundy tie matches the bands. The army green of his coat is a thread through the adults of the royal court.
Ophelia is not dressed like a lady of the Soviet block, because the fashions for soviet women don't fit with our modern American sensibility of what sweet young ladies look like. Instead she is dressed more like an American secretary from a similar era. Her structured jacket with militaristic buttons keeps her in the disciplined spirit of the design concept, while her curled hair and light blouse give her a more feminine air, to make it more plausible that she might be Hamlet's girlfriend. Her skirt is a faded olive color, like her father's jacket.
Later in the play, when Ophelia goes crazy, her hair was teased a little and she changed into a plain black slip. After her death, the director had her walk among the members of the court like a ghost, and for that, her hair was doused with water, and she changed into a long flowing white shift, with a garland of flowers around her neck. No pictures are to be had of either of these looks, which is a crying shame.
The King and Queen
Claudius, the king, Hamlet's uncle-turned-stepfather, murdered the previous king (who was his brother and Hamlet's father)
Gertrude, the queen, Hamlet's mother
Claudius wears black pants and a white shirt with a tie, to give him a formal air. He tops it with an olive green army dress jacket on loan from a US Army veteran. The 'US' and eagle pins were removed for the stage of course - either insignia would reflect the setting of the play incorrectly. The jacket is similar to Polonius's jacket of office, but the buttons are gold, indicating Claudius' higher rank.
Gertrude, like Ophelia, is more American secretary than Soviet block. She wears an olive green skirt, and a green jacket with large gold buttons befitting her rank as queen. She also wears a small white hat, in the style of First Ladies of the United States during the period. Her patterned tights are a bit of a stretch period-wise, but they suggest her kind of spotty moral character which is also hinted at in the play's text.
Gertrude, the queen, Hamlet's mother
Claudius wears black pants and a white shirt with a tie, to give him a formal air. He tops it with an olive green army dress jacket on loan from a US Army veteran. The 'US' and eagle pins were removed for the stage of course - either insignia would reflect the setting of the play incorrectly. The jacket is similar to Polonius's jacket of office, but the buttons are gold, indicating Claudius' higher rank.
Gertrude, like Ophelia, is more American secretary than Soviet block. She wears an olive green skirt, and a green jacket with large gold buttons befitting her rank as queen. She also wears a small white hat, in the style of First Ladies of the United States during the period. Her patterned tights are a bit of a stretch period-wise, but they suggest her kind of spotty moral character which is also hinted at in the play's text.
Hamlet's Friends
(perhaps "Friends" is more appropriate)
Rosenkrantz and Guilderstern (L and C), school friends of Hamlet, employed by the King to get Hamlet out of the country
Horatio (R), school friend of Hamlet, his right-hand man and best friend, one of few survivors at the play's end
R&G wear the same uniform: olive shirts, khaki pants, navy blazers, and black caps. This adds to their characterization as inseparable, and difficult to tell apart. It also mashed with their physical humor that involved borrowing each other's limbs.
Horatio is dressed all in gray to indicate his neutral status in much of the play's conflict. He wears a single color to complement Hamlet's similar costume.
Rosenkrantz and Guilderstern (L and C), school friends of Hamlet, employed by the King to get Hamlet out of the country
Horatio (R), school friend of Hamlet, his right-hand man and best friend, one of few survivors at the play's end
R&G wear the same uniform: olive shirts, khaki pants, navy blazers, and black caps. This adds to their characterization as inseparable, and difficult to tell apart. It also mashed with their physical humor that involved borrowing each other's limbs.
Horatio is dressed all in gray to indicate his neutral status in much of the play's conflict. He wears a single color to complement Hamlet's similar costume.
