Umberto Eco, I believe,
intending to or not,
has found the perfect way
to bring classic plays
back to life, to enable us
to reinterpret these
old works, to hold their
reincarnated selves dear.

All you need do is decide
whether you are one
who prefers beginnings
or finds ends more satisfying.

Go see Hamlet, but miss
the first act or so, and muse
on why he is anguished,
why his familial bonds
have all so badly frayed.

And make the late arrival
a staple of your Shakespeare
dramas, you’ll thank me
later, no one needs
that much bloodshed
and there is bodycount
enough in real life anyway.