Ophelia Forgotten (2014) by Jon Pescevich is an opera in two acts, based on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”.
Keeping faith with his dead father, Hamlet swears to punish his murderer and deliver revenge. Blinded by his thirst for perfect justice, he commits one misstep after another. The audience watches Hamlet slowly destroy every chance for future happiness, even turning his back on Ophelia and her love.
Act One
The King of Denmark is dead. His son Hamlet is holding a nightly vigil by his father’s grave. Hamlet is tormented by inner voices. How could his Uncle Claudius have married his mother, they ask? And then ascend to his father’s throne? Hamlet has a vision of his uncle murdering his father. As dawn breaks, Hamlet swears revenge. Ophelia is also up early, and seeing her lover, she approaches him eagerly. Hamlet studies her dispassionately for a moment, and then leaves her without a word. She is so worried by Hamlet’s strangeness that she seeks out her father, Polonius, for advice. Polonius recommends bringing Ophelia’s concerns to the attention of King Claudius. He compels his daughter to accompany him to see the King. Hamlet, meanwhile, is obsessed with his inner voices’ allegations that his father was murdered. Hamlet resolves to design a theatrical trap for Claudius. A play that will catch his uncle’s conscience off guard and prove his guilt.
When his inner voices subside, Hamlet finds himself in the Great Hall, where his uncle Claudius and mother Gertrude are holding court. He mockingly replies to their greetings, and rudely invites them to attend his play. Unable to control his emotions, he rushes away in a huff. Polonius, who has entered the Great Hall with Ophelia, now approaches the King. Hoping to win status with Claudius, Polonius suggests that Hamlet’s dark mood is due to unrequited love. As proof of this theory, he shows Claudius a love letter. Ophelia is then compelled to read the letter aloud. Hamlet’s former love for her shines through every line in the letter, and Ophelia’s voice lays bare her soul’s answering devotion. Sensing an opportunity to tame the Prince’s wild behavior, the King and Queen lay a trap for Hamlet, using Ophelia as their bait. Lost in his inner voices’ musings, Hamlet wanders back into the Great Hall. When he sees Ophelia, his mind clears. His feelings for her reawaken, and he proclaims his love for her. She is cautious at first, and he becomes suspicious. She becomes confused, and he becomes angry. Abruptly, he calls for his play to begin. As the story of a King’s murder by poisoning reaches its climax, Claudius is stricken. Hamlet’s suspicion is confirmed and his inner voices howl in triumph.
When his mind finally clears again, Hamlet’s feet have led him into the chapel. Anticipating that Claudius’ burden of guilt will bring him here, too, Hamlet hides. Moments later, Claudius arrives. Filled with terror, Claudius drops to his knees and attempts to purge his mortal soul. He confesses all, and fervently begs heaven for forgiveness. Hamlet considers taking his revenge on the spot, but decides to wait and catch Claudius in an act of evil. Now that he has cleansed his conscience, Claudius rises unrepentant and skulks away. Hamlet, his mind busy with new plans for revenge, does not notice Gertrude and Polonius, who have come looking for him. Gertrude hides Polonius behind a curtain, before greeting her son. She then proceeds to scold him for upsetting Claudius. Hamlet reacts angrily and an argument escalates until Gertrude screams. From behind the curtain, a voice calls for help, and Hamlet stabs violently into the curtain, killing Polonius. Hamlet’s inner demons cry out in his ears, and he has a vision of his father’s ghost. The ghost reprimands Hamlet for not yet avenged his murder, before stalking away. Hamlet chases after the ghost, leaving Gertrude, who has seen nothing, alone to lament her son’s insanity. Claudius has followed the sound of lamenting to its source. He sends his wife away to make arrangements to send the Prince abroad. And he resolves to make an arrangement of his own – to order Hamlet’s execution. Ophelia, completely unawares, has come looking for Polonius. She throws herself over her father’s corpse and weeps.
Act Two
The death of her father has unhinged the balance of Ophelia’s mind. She wanders through the woods singing sad and curious songs as Gertrude and Claudius keep a watchful eye. Her brother Laertes has received the news of their father’s murder, and returned home to seek revenge. He angrily begins to confront Claudius, but is struck dumb when he sees his sister. In her madness, she does not know him. Stunned, Laertes watches as she wanders off deeper into the woods, gathering flowers. Concerned, Gertrude and some of Laertes’ companions follow her. Now that he is alone with Laertes, Claudius confirms that Hamlet murdered Polonius, and he offers to assist Laertes in a plot to poison Hamlet. Both men are relishing the prospect of Hamlet’s death when a tragic sight interrupts their gloating. Ophelia’s dead body is carried out of the woods by Laertes’ companions. They lay her pale, dripping corpse at his feet, and Gertrude tells him that Ophelia, delirious with melancholy, fell into a brook and drowned. Laertes friends lift the corpse back up, and followed by Laertes, Gertrude and Claudius they head back to Elsinore. Ophelia’s Ghost steps out from behind a tree, and watches the moon rise over the silent woods. But the tranquility of the moment is brief. Her ghost senses that Hamlet is near. He has returned to her! But the voices in Hamlet’s mind are screaming about Claudius’ plot to have him beheaded, and block out all other thoughts and emotions. Ophelia’s Ghost vanishes.
When Hamlet’s inner rage finally subsides, he finds himself back in the cemetery. His father’s grave is gone, replaced by a large hole in the ground. An old grave-digger crawls up out of the hole and challenges Hamlet with a series of inscrutable riddles. The odd old man tosses a skull to Hamlet, before disappearing back down into the hole. The sun begins to rise over the cemetery, and Hamlet, hearing footsteps approaching, hides among the trees. Laertes and his friends bear Ophelia’s corpse into the cemetery, followed by Gertrude and Claudius. Together the men lower her into the grave-digger’s hole. Hamlet emerges from his hiding place, and insults Laertes. The two men fight wildly, until separated. Hamlet’s mind reels as his inner voices passionately proclaim his love for Ophelia. The grave-digger crawls back out of Ophelia’s grave and replaces the skull in Hamlet’s hand with a sword. Hamlet and Laertes begin to fight a duel. Hamlet’s inner demons shout and scream to him that the time is now. Gertrude and then Laertes fall, the first victims of Claudius’s poisonous traps. The time has come, and the poisoned Hamlet slays Claudius with ruthless violence. Hamlet’s inner voices exalt in the act. But as Hamlet’s moment of death approaches, they become strangely calm. Hamlet can at last remember his great love for Ophelia. He begs for more time, but his pleading is in vain. His time has come and gone.