Carmelo Bene’s misreadings of Hamlet and Macbeth: A decolonial perspective?

Drawing on some of the most influential studies on Carmelo Bene, this article aims to offer interpretive tools that will enhance viewers’ and listeners’ appreciation of his misreadings of Hamlet and Macbeth. It also suggests that la scrittura di scena (scenic writing) and la macchina attoriale (the actorial machine), his most celebrated inventions as an actor, dramatist and musicologist, are two theatrical methods that could possibly assist the ongoing decolonial reinvention of Shakespeare’s stories in the (South) African context. The article provides introductory biographical notes on Bene and an overview of his main literary and philosophical influences. It then discusses the key concepts of scenic writing and the actorial machine as applied to Bene’s rewriting of Hamlet and Macbeth. Finally, it suggests some potential lines of research for decolonial scholars, playwrights, actors and poets from South Africa and beyond.