A palace walk with Hamlet, Jeongjo

In honor of the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, Changdeokgung Palace opened its doors to a Hamlet-inspired Secret Garden tour on Sunday.

“A Walk with Hamlet and Jeongjo,” a tour that is part of the annual series of performances of traditional music in Seoul’s royal palaces, features a recitation of the Shakespearean tragedy “Hamlet.”

On Sunday, visitors listened to excerpts from “Hamlet” in unison with the tale of King Jeongjo while taking a brisk morning walk in Changdeokgung Palace’s Huwon Secret Garden. 

“Did you know that in this small country of ours, we have had more than 400 showings of Shakespeare’s plays?” said Lee Hyun-woo, a professor of Shakespeare at Soon Chun Hyang University, who guided the tour.

“The majority of the Shakespeare productions in Korean have been ‘Hamlet,’ but why ‘Hamlet?’” Lee continued. “It’s widely believed that one of the biggest reasons why the story of ‘Hamlet’ is so well received by Koreans is because we can find a similar tale of revenge in the name of one’s father in Korean history as well.”

One of Shakespeare’s most recognized tragic tales, the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, tells the tale of the young prince and his emotional turmoil when summoned to attend his father’s funeral only to learn that his mother, Queen Gertrude, was already remarried to his father’s brother, Uncle Claudius.

Adding salt to the wound, Hamlet finds out that his Uncle Claudius had murdered his father and the prince swears vengeance to restore honor to his father’s name.

The life of King Jeongjo (1752-1800), the 22nd Joseon king, tells a similar tale of a son’s quest to rectify his father legacy.

King Jeongjo was the son of Crown Prince Sado, who was put to death by his own father, King Yeongjo, who ordered him locked up in a rice chest where he died on the eighth day. King Jeongjo spent much of his reign trying to clear his father’s name.

“Both these young men, Hamlet and Jeongjo, were scorned by the tragic deaths of their fathers and it was their strong sense of filial piety that shaped their future, not only as royal figures, but as human beings,” said Lee. 

Along with the educational tales of Shakespeare and Korean history, the tour also includes a number of gugak, or traditional Korean music, performances throughout the walk. “A Walk with Hamlet and Jeongjo” will have its final event on June 5. Participants must register in advance at www.gung.or.kr.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)