Somebody Produce This

Some ideas you know you’ll never execute on. Better to free them into the universe and see if they take on a life of their own.

I’ve always been fascinated with the character of Francisco in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. He’s only got eight lines in the first scene when Marcellus, Bernardo, and Horatio relieve him at his post. If it ever comes up in trivia, Francisco delivers the line “Not a mouse stirring.” Then, he leaves and isn’t seen for the rest of the play.

Here’s my question. Did Francisco see the ghost? I like to think he did. Why not? Why would the ghost pick and choose which random guards he appears to? I have to believe that he keeps showing up, figuring that eventually, someone will get Hamlet. Or in this case, Horatio, who says, “We should get Hamlet.” Luckily, Marcellus had Bernardo to say, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” But poor Francisco didn’t.

And thus my idea. I’d like to see a one-man show centered around Francisco. We open with Francisco on stage and play the same scene from his point of view. But instead of Francisco exiting, the others exit, leaving him alone. What does he do next?

Maybe he doesn’t know what he saw. Perhaps he’s seen the ghost multiple times, and it’s become obvious. Francisco can’t exactly tell anyone. They’ll think he’s gone mad. So he’s left to deal with it himself. The ghost isn’t going to speak with him, just like it didn’t speak with Horatio.

The whole play would be about mental health and what it’s like inside someone’s head who feels like they’re alone in the universe and dealing with things beyond their ability to understand or control. Sometimes, he debates whether to tell someone but always concludes that no one is to be trusted. He’s not that close to anyone. So then he ponders how to handle it himself. Can he talk to the ghost? Can he prove to himself that the ghost is even real? But everything he tries fails, keeping that “Is any of this even real or am I going insane?” thought alive.

Ultimately, sadly, I think this story ends with Francisco committing suicide. This reinforces a similar theme in the main story. Did Ophelia, alone in the world, take her own life? Though he may have soliloquized about it, Hamlet ultimately moves on from the thought because he latches on to Horatio. Whatever’s in Hamlet’s head, he tells Horatio. He has that outlet. I’d say it saves him, but, you know, obviously not. Maybe more accurate to say having that close confidante, something that Ophelia and Francisco didn’t have, but even Marcellus and Bernardo did, saved him from himself.

<shrug>

Just an idea that came up in conversation last night that I thought would be fun to flesh out and document for posterity. In college, I saw a few of my plays performed, and I’d absolutely be writing this down if I still had that option. Maybe somebody else out there is still in that environment and wants to run with it. Just give me a shout-out in the credits and send a link!