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Orson Scott Card's Homophobic Retelling of "Hamlet"
Posted: 08 Sep 2011 01:20
by Redstar
Orson Scott Card’s Hamlet: Not as Good as Shakespeare’s Version
In this adaptation, Hamlet was never close to his father. The prince is unfazed and emotionally indifferent to the old king's death, feels no sense of betrayal when his mother speedily remarries, and thinks that Claudius will make a perfectly good monarch. Hamlet is also secure in his religious faith, with absolute and unshakable beliefs about the nature of death and the afterlife. He isn't particularly hung up on Ophelia, either. Throughout the novella, Prince Hamlet displays the emotional depth of a blank sheet of paper.
And then there's the startling reveal at the end of the novella, in which we discover — spoiler alert — that Hamlet's father was gay, and that this made him a terrible king. And his ghost was actually a demonic liar that misled Hamlet as to his cause of death. Claudius didn't kill Hamlet's dad after all — instead, it was Horatio, who was taking revenge on Hamlet's dad for molesting him as a little boy. Hamlet's dad also molested Laertes, and Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, and turned all four of them gay in the process. (Oh, and in the end, Hamlet goes to Hell for all the harm he's caused, where his gay dad will molest him for the rest of eternity.)
Read this recent article and instantly had memories flood back of my early enjoyment of OSC. It's hard to believe he was ever a good writer considering his decline over the years. Such a sad fall from grace for sci-fi fans.
Thoughts?
Re: Orson Scott Card's Homophobic Retelling of "Hamlet"
Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:26
by A Thing of Eternity
I'm under the impression (could be wrong) that he's pretty much always been a piece of work wingnut. He just happens to also be a good writer I suppose, when he doesn't let himself get preachy.
I'll say for him that honestly when it comes to music and writing I'm almost instantly hating something as soon as I find out that the creator is a shitheel (thanks for that term SandRider!), but I can actually really enjoy his stuff regardless of who he is. So he must be pretty bloody good.
P.s. I love how he thinks gays are pedophiles, and that people are "turned" gay! What a loser.
Re: Orson Scott Card's Homophobic Retelling of "Hamlet"
Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:41
by JustSomeGuy
If Ender's Game is anything to go by, then he was never a good author to begin with.
Re: Orson Scott Card's Homophobic Retelling of "Hamlet"
Posted: 08 Sep 2011 06:28
by Serkanner
JustSomeGuy wrote:If Ender's Game is anything to go by, then he was never a good author to begin with.
That is like your opinion man! Ender's game is one of my favorite science fiction novels ever.
Re: Orson Scott Card's Homophobic Retelling of "Hamlet"
Posted: 08 Sep 2011 11:10
by SandChigger
This is a joke, right?
I mean, why the fuck is the Mormon wingnut rewriting
Hamlet in the first place. Fucking KJA-level hubris?
Anyway, this was good, among the top few comments when I accessed the linked page (emphasis added):
gschristopher @bob_d
Either way, Card is a raging Tea Party enthusiast, and we all know how much they love rewriting history. Paul Revere? Warning the British. Hamlet's dad? Queer as a three-dollar bill dusted with crystal meth and shoved into a twink's g-string.
I've always enjoyed his work by separating the crazy, hateful man from the brilliant author. Now that Card seems incapable of doing so, I find no reason why I should continue to either.
If anything, Card's continued preoccupation with putting children in compromising positions throughout the Ender series makes me wonder if maybe Uncle Orson isn't that creepy uncle your mom won't let you stay the night with.
One does begin to wonder...
A Thing of Eternity wrote:P.s. I love how he thinks gays are pedophiles, and that people are "turned" gay! What a loser.
Sounds like that crazy old Martin bat over on the Amazon forums: she's "sure" that 90% of homosexuals are pedophiles.
But she also thinks Uranus is artificial and hollow and that squid evolved on the Moon.
Re: Orson Scott Card's Homophobic Retelling of "Hamlet"
Posted: 08 Sep 2011 23:31
by Hunchback Jack
So glad someone else posted about this, cos I was just poised to.
There's another summary of it
here which is pretty entertaining.
I don't know, I really thought Card was good once. He could write fiction without inflicting too much personal bone-picking, or was at least better at hiding it. Such a shame. I've lost hope on Alvin 7 being any good, too.
HBJ