When Shakespeare lost the Plot

This play is a comedy, inspired by Osho’s comments about William Shakespeare’s famous question: “To be or not to be?” As the mystic explained, on several occasions, from the perspective of a meditator, “not to be” is the real answer, because it leads to spiritual fulfilment, while “to be” is just an expression of ego. Although portrayed as a great writer and poet, there is nothing noble about the character of William Shakespeare as I have created him this drama. On the contrary, he is an all-too-human, greedy and ambitious man, eagerly seeking to please Queen Elizabeth by writing plays for her. The Queen is getting old and has developed a morose view of life, so she demands that the Bard produce a play that ends in tragedy. In response, Shakespeare begins to write Hamlet, in which all the main characters die. But Shakespeare’s wife is strong, independent character with a soft heart and when she sees Ophelia rejected by Hamlet and preparing to kill herself, she intervenes. She inspires Ophelia with a new spirit of a free-thinking woman, who values her own happiness too highly to think of suicide. Meanwhile, Hamlet is also doomed to die, as ordained by the Bard, but changes his mind when a mysterious character called “Nobody” comes on stage. Nobody shows Hamlet how to embrace “not to be” in order to escape from his princely social role and also from his gloomy fate. Soon afterwards, Hamlet and Ophelia reunite and explore meditation together. Shakespeare is torn between his desire to please the Queen and his wife’s efforts to replace tragedy with a happy ending. Eventually, his wife wins, the Queen’s miserable attitude is transformed, and Shakespeare is saved from execution. The plays ends with everyone deciding to go to India to meditate.