“To be, or not to be: that is the question.”
More than four centuries after William Shakespeare’s Hamlet first posed this existential dilemma, Adishakti Theatre’s upcoming play, A Woman or Not to Be, returns to the classic tragedy but with a twist: What if Hamlet had been a woman?
Written and directed by Vinay Kumar and presented by Shreya Nagarajan Singh Arts Development Consultancy, the play at Alliance Française, Madras on June 6 portrays Shakespeare’s troubled prince as Princess Hamlet, a young woman navigating grief, anger, doubt and a relentless search for justice. At a time when we are still struggling with women’s rights, the production uses the story of Hamlet to examine big questions like male privilege, revenge, emotional independence and how society reacts differently to women who express anger.
The idea for the play came from Vinay’s disturbing news that Vinay had learned about a young woman who was attacked after rejecting a man’s proposal, which ultimately led him back to Shakespeare’s text.
Hamlet here is a modern young woman who loves manga and anime. One day, he receives devastating news from home, and discovers that his mother, Rani, has been murdered, and that his aunt is now married to his father. In his dreams, the ghostly figure of his mother urges him not to take revenge but to save himself and complete his education.
Vinay says, “When I looked at Hamlet and other canonical works, I started asking what is the moral difference between these acts and the violence we see around us even today.”
Vinay began to wonder whether Hamlet’s actions and agency would be viewed differently if the character was female. “If Hamlet is a princess instead of a prince, will she get the same agency that a male Hamlet gets?” he asks. “Will he be allowed to think the same way, seek revenge and pursue justice?”
A Woman or Not to Be | Photo courtesy: Special Arrangements from the set of
Unlike the original Hamlet, set in Denmark, Vinay’s play crosses geographical boundaries to represent women from all parts of the world. The biggest challenge for her was to write it from a female lens. “The discussion is a feminist area, and I’m a privileged person writing it, so I had to be extra cautious about the script.”
Playing Princess Hamlet is Nimmi Raphael, who was involved in the development of the production from the beginning. As part of Adishakti’s collaborative laboratory process, the actors put in the work long before the final script comes out. She adds, “In the process itself, you get a glimpse of where the script is going, and we keep discussing what character we are going to play.”
For Nimmi, portraying a female Hamlet required creating an entirely new emotional landscape. “Their concerns are different. Their outlook on life is different,” she says. “The challenge was to find the right balance of emotions so that her voice would not be dismissed as irrational or paranoid.”
As much as we aspire to economic freedom and other forms of equality, true freedom also comes from emotional freedom, the freedom to express what you feel. She says, “It’s something that this Hamlet struggles with because society constantly shapes and restricts the way women are allowed to express emotions.”
Music also plays an important role in the drama. Composed as an intrinsic part of the storytelling, it draws from genres ranging from heavy metal to jazz and includes several musical excerpts that bring emotional change to the play.
“We’re not telling the audience what to think,” says Nimmi. “The play asks questions about revenge, emotional freedom and how society shapes our responses to both. We pose those questions and allow people to come to their own conclusions.”
The play ultimately transforms one of the greatest tragedies into a contemporary conversation about power, gender, and who really has agency.
be a woman or not It will be held on June 6 from 5 pm to 7.30 pm (two slots) at Alliance Française, Madras. Tickets on shreyanagarjansingh.com for ₹250
published – June 03, 2026 04:57 PM IST