HAMLET VS MACBETH, directed by Waldemar Razniak

Hamlet vs Macbeth

Based on the plays of William Shakespeare

directed by: Waldemar Ražniak

Power does not change a person. She reveals it.

Shakespeare's two archdramas come together in one timeless, post-apocalyptic space. “Hamlet vs. Macbeth” is a confrontation of two paths to power - the path of an immature rebel and an experienced player who believes he controls destiny.

In a harsh space filled with toxic and ruthless relationships, young Hamlet is thrust into a soulless mechanism of politics, interests and manipulation. Raised in isolation, unprepared for the brutality of the adult world, he tries to dismantle the system that shaped him. His rebellion becomes a gesture of freedom and at the same time an act of self-destruction.

Power in “Hamlet” appears as a space of supervision and play — an arrangement of roles, hierarchies, and deals. It is a world in which youth is used as a tool in other people's strategies.

The second act, Macbeth, brings us to the center of power. Instead of immaturity, we see ambition. Instead of rebellion, decisions. Instead of hesitation, actions. Macbeth is a man of the system: mature, proven, rewarded. He believes he can carry the weight of the crown. However, each decision pulls him deeper into a spiral of suspicion, obsession and violence.

The play reads supernatural phenomena — the Spirit of the Father, witches, visions, hallucinations — as psychological projections of the protagonists: symptoms of overload, trauma, unfulfilled ambition. Power here is not a gift or a curse from the outside. It is a psychological construct.

“Hamlet vs Macbeth” juxtaposes two models of disintegration: the rebel and the tyrant, the victim and the perpetrator, youth and maturity. It exposes a power that is not an end but a process that reveals the most hidden fragility in man.

Power acts like an element — once you enter its orbit, you no longer have the opportunity to leave it unscathed.

Duration: 3 h 15 min (including break)

Release Date: 11 April 2026

Production: Teatr Mały w Tychy