Hamlet in L33T -- A cartoon/ IM / email-speak Hamlet, extremely funny.  With adults out of the room, first.

 

Hamlet, as if written by Raymond Chandler – Hamlet is perhaps the first great dramatic mystery every written, since the whole thing unfolds as a “whodunit” – and who better to write a whodunit than the great early 20^th century Los Angeles writer Raymond Chandler.  Even if you don’t know who Raymond Chandler IS, you should be able to get this joke.

 

Green Eggs and Hamlet – Okay, what if Dr. Seuss wrote Hamlet? A new take on Hamlet’s Soliloquy:  Would I, could I take my life?Could I, should I, end this strife? Should I jump out of a plane? Or lie down in front of a train?  In a similar vein ... Fox in Sox: Prince of Denmark (an actual PLAY!) 

 

Richard Nathan's Shakespeare parodies ROCK!  Hamlet as written for the Marx Brothers?  A Night in Elsinore His version of Macbeth?  Scots on the Rocks Another funny take on King Lear? How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth

 

The Dick and Jane Hamlet for Little Kids (NO IT’S NOT!) Perhaps in response to LAUSD’s Open Court program for pushing children to read at younger and younger ages, and into literature for which they are not prepared…. “See the man. What a funny man. His name is Hamlet. He is a prince. He is sad…..”

 

The Skinhead Hamlet – An example of what happens when people try to simplify, sanitize, and translate Shakespeare into contemporary English to make it more acceptable overall.  The process used to be called Bowldlerization and “derives from the name Thomas Bowdler, an editor in Victorian times who rewrote Shakespeare, removing all profanity and sexual references so as not to offend the sensibilities of the audiences of his day” (from www.dictionary.com)  This version turns that idea inside out and on its head by making a version that is translated, simplified, and offensive to everyone.

 

“HAMLET meets the Dead Parrot Sketch” (also known as Yorick is not Dead – He’s Pining for the Fjords) Monty Python Parrot Sketch.   Check out  Monty Python’s “The Bruce’s” –  and  Monty Python’s Parrot Sketch in order to really understand this parody (not as funny as watching it on tape, but will help you understand why a whole generation of adults begins to smirk when you say, with a sly grin, “He’s not dead, he’s restin’!”)

 

Sesame Street’s Monsterpiece Theater does Hamlet – Introduced by Alistair Cookie, “Hamlet” with the title role played by Elmo. 

 

The Tragic Comedie of King Leer – Starring Witch Tripp, Kenneth of Starr, Duke of McCurry, not exactly Macbeth, not exactly Hamlet … what is it, I’m not sure … political commentary? Satire?  You decide.

 

The Hamlet Rap also known as “Hamlet as Told on the Street” by Shel Silverstein, of children’s storybook and poetry fame --- NOT a little kids’ version! 

 

The Three Minute Hamlet – an abbreviated version, set to music and poetry, if you have the inclination! 

 

Hamlet Sees a Ghost -- After reading Act 1, enjoy this light bit of reading.  Can you find the puns in this article? 

 

Parodies of Hamlet’s Soliloquy – This page opens with Mark Twain’s parody from Tom Sawyer, and moves on to several other witty ones including Slacker’s Soliloquy, Worker’s Soliloquy, Brazillian Soccer Player’s Soliloquy, Glutton’s Soliloquy, and more.