Izraelski «Hamlet» Konrada Swinarskiego
Konrad Swinarski's Israeli «Hamlet»

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses the Israeli press reviews of Konrad Swinarski’s Hamlet, which premiered at the Cameri Theater in Tel Aviv in 1966. Based on material previously unknown in Poland, the analysis makes it possible not only to reconstruct some of the stage actions and effects, but also to follow the reasoning, competences and tastes of Israeli critics. Comparing this material with documents concerning the preparations for the Kraków staging of Hamlet eight years later, the author concludes that the general framework of Swinarski’s conceptualization of the play was already developed in 1966; the director managed to bring some of its aspects to the stage in Tel Aviv. Most importantly, he created a new vision of the characters of Hamlet and Horace, re-examined the image of Claudius, and outlined a historiosophical and political interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. In Israel, the critics usually recognized the ideological message of Swinarski’s staging correctly; however, they questioned its point and denied its value.

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