Falling Embers (Abandoned)

Chapter Six

”You wish to go insane and commit suicide?” Ember laughed.

“Well Ophelia gets the guy, right? She and Hamlet are together.” Anna shrugged.

“Hardly! In fact that is what partly drives her to insanity! She and Hamlet were, if you dare say it, dating before his father was murdered by his uncle and then Hamlet became somewhat of a recluse, all his energy poured into his anger at his mother for marrying his uncle so soon after his father’s death and then keeping secret that his father’s ghost appeared to him and revealed to him the truth of his murder. Poor Ophelia is subject to spurning, and then when she tries to reconcile with Hamlet he makes her his outlet for all of his pent up hatred and frustration and she just stands there and takes it because she’s still in love with him. Then her true love kills her father and feels not even a bit of remorse, thereby driving her insane and ultimately resulting in her drowning herself. If I ever felt sorry for one of Shakespeare’s characters, it is Ophelia. Have you not read the play at all?” she scoffed.

“I thought they agreed that it was the water that drowned her, not a suicide.” Anna said uncertainly.

“No, the grave digger and the clown were just trying to justify to themselves why Ophelia was to have a proper Christian burial when suicide was strictly against God’s law.”

“Oh. Well I still want to be Ophelia, I mean, there aren’t any other roles for a girl since you claimed the Queen.”

“If you are talented enough they may place you in a male role. You just have to act like a man on top of memorizing your lines.”

“They’re doing Hamlet?” Justin asked with interest.

“You act as well?” Ember smiled.

“I told you I do anything creative. Can I audition too?”

“I do not see why not. What role would you want?”

“Hamlet of course, but if I don’t get him I’d want to be Laertes. He might be in France for the middle of the play, but he’s the one who kills Hamlet in the end, plus he gets to die on stage. I love dying, it is so much fun.” He enthused.

“You are impossibly perfect.” Ember declared.

“Why?” he asked, somewhat amused.

“That is one of the main reasons I would rather be Gertrude than Ophelia; Gertrude dies on stage. What point is there in having your character die if you do not even get to portray their death?”

“Oh my gosh, exactly. You totally get me.” He exclaimed happily.

“Yah that would be so cool, if the three of us got the parts we wanted. We would hang out all the time, for play rehearsals and then to help each other learn our lines. Let’s do it, auditions start on Monday at nine. I want to be the first ones in.” Anna was radiating excitement.

“I can’t make it at nine, I have school, but we could go after I get out. Where are they being held?”

“At CSS, when do you get out because I have class ‘till three.”

“Perfect, I get out at three.”

“Not perfect, I don’t get out until five fifteen.” Ember sighed.

“Well they don’t shut down until seven. We can still get in at five thirty if that works for you both.” Anna suggested.

“Yah sounds good.”

“I agree completely.”

“Great! It’s set then!” Anna clapped her hands together happily.