Ohio

Was Hamlet Innocent or Guilty-The Answer at a Recent Criminal Mock Trial Was Indeterminant

By Cleveland Law Library

Was Hamlet, the famous character in Shakespeare's play of the same name, guilty of murdering Polonious? Hamlet's fate was left indeterminant in a mock trial recently held in California. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy presided over the trial, and local attorneys took the roles of the prosecutors and defense lawyers. In commenting on the 12 (sane) vs.10 (insane) decision verdict, the Justice sentenced Hamlet to "the pages of our literary heritage to challenge us and later generations to know more about you." Click here to read the article about the case.

Interestingly, local High School Padua Franciscan holds an annual trial of Hamlet in its Senior AP English class. This year, much to the consternation of the actor who played Hamlet, Hamlet was found both sane and guilty.

Full post as published by Cleveland Law Library Weblog on February 01, 2011 (boomark / email).