Hamletmachine

Hamletmachine is a play written in 1977 by Heiner Müller. Structured in five sections, like a Shakespearean play, it explores themes of deception, hesitation, and rationalization as Hamlet and his alter egos embody the modern intellectual’s struggle in the face of tyranny and terror.

 

In this interpretation, Ofelia (Hamlet’s love interest) and her many manifestations emerge as a response to the failures of men and Western civilization to break free from cycles of violence. Each Ofelia represents a personal act of rebellion, with the voices of women offering the possibility of revolution—an escape from history’s destructive and rationalized course. The play engages not only with communism and feminism but also with the broader idea of entrapment, whether by time, circumstance, or ideology. Ofelia suggests a realm of possibility.