That is the underlying message behind the show "The Banquet", where the storyline seems to be adapted from a certain infamous Danish story prince story by a certain late Bard, but without the famous soliloquy of course.
The movie was set somewhere after the Han Dynasty, more than two thousand years ago. Zhang Ziyi plays the ruthless, ambitious Empress (Queen Gertrude but twice as ruthless) who would d0 anything to keep herself in power.
Ge You plays the usurper, who poisoned his brother the Emperor, married the reigning Empress and took the throne for his own. Sounds familiar?
Daniel Wu is the Crown Prince, who, like Hamlet, wanted to avenge his late father by killing his uncle, guided on by the spirit of the late Emperor.
During the coronation of the new Emperor, the Crown Prince put up a play on how a character was kulled by blowing a poisonous powder into his ears, which was exactly how the late Emperor was killed. Needless to say, the new Emperor turned pale at the scene, proof of his guilt, just like how Hamlet's uncle turned ashen when Hamlet put up the play chronicling how his father died.
Zhou Xun plays Qingnu, who, like Ophelia, loves the Crown Prince with all her heart, but in the end was sacrificed as her love was forbidden.
The poisonous powder was bought from a medicine man twice. And twice he was asked, " Is this the most poisonous thing in the world?" And twice he answered, "No, nothing can be more poisonous than a human heart."
It was only during the second time when he was asked, "Why did your first buyer not take it away then?" He answered, "Because he is not ruthless enough."
So, the seond buyer, in order to show ruthlessness, took the powder away and made the medicine man drink arsenic so as to keep the secret safe forever.
The statement is true indeed. Nothing is more poisonous than a human heart. Is it any wonder why most have lost faith in humanity?
The movie was set somewhere after the Han Dynasty, more than two thousand years ago. Zhang Ziyi plays the ruthless, ambitious Empress (Queen Gertrude but twice as ruthless) who would d0 anything to keep herself in power.
Ge You plays the usurper, who poisoned his brother the Emperor, married the reigning Empress and took the throne for his own. Sounds familiar?
Daniel Wu is the Crown Prince, who, like Hamlet, wanted to avenge his late father by killing his uncle, guided on by the spirit of the late Emperor.
During the coronation of the new Emperor, the Crown Prince put up a play on how a character was kulled by blowing a poisonous powder into his ears, which was exactly how the late Emperor was killed. Needless to say, the new Emperor turned pale at the scene, proof of his guilt, just like how Hamlet's uncle turned ashen when Hamlet put up the play chronicling how his father died.
Zhou Xun plays Qingnu, who, like Ophelia, loves the Crown Prince with all her heart, but in the end was sacrificed as her love was forbidden.
The poisonous powder was bought from a medicine man twice. And twice he was asked, " Is this the most poisonous thing in the world?" And twice he answered, "No, nothing can be more poisonous than a human heart."
It was only during the second time when he was asked, "Why did your first buyer not take it away then?" He answered, "Because he is not ruthless enough."
So, the seond buyer, in order to show ruthlessness, took the powder away and made the medicine man drink arsenic so as to keep the secret safe forever.
The statement is true indeed. Nothing is more poisonous than a human heart. Is it any wonder why most have lost faith in humanity?
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