--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I saw Derek Jacobi play Hamlet when I was…" description: "\"I saw Derek Jacobi play Hamlet when I was 17, and he directed me as Hamlet when I was 27, and I directed him as Claudius in 'Hamlet' when I was 35, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/kenneth-branagh-4630_again_i-saw-derek-jacobi-play-hamlet-when-i-wa_2524823.jpg" --- # I saw Derek Jacobi play Hamlet when I was 17, and he… ![“I saw Derek Jacobi play Hamlet when I was 17, and he directed me as Hamlet when I was 27, and I directed him as Claudius in 'Hamlet' when I was 35, and I'm hoping we meet again in some other production of Hamlet before we both toddle off.” quote by Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/kenneth-branagh-4630_again_i-saw-derek-jacobi-play-hamlet-when-i-wa_2524823.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/kenneth-branagh-4630_again_i-saw-derek-jacobi-play-hamlet-when-i-wa_2524823.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/450/kenneth-branagh-4630_again_i-saw-derek-jacobi-play-hamlet-when-i-wa_2524823.jpg) > “I saw Derek Jacobi play Hamlet when I was 17, and he directed me as Hamlet when I was 27, and I directed him as Claudius in 'Hamlet' when I was 35, and I'm hoping we meet again in some other production of Hamlet before we both toddle off.” [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on the evolving relationships and mutual respect that develop through repeated collaborations in theater **In simple terms:** Repeated work deepens trust and artistic growth Key Takeaway Cherish long‑term creative partnerships Themes theater collaboration growth Mood nostalgic reflective Type anecdotal inspirational When to use this quote - directing - acting - mentoring - reunion performances Key Concepts trust role reversal career cycles Questions to Reflect On - How does revisiting a role with a former colleague change your perspective? - What value does long‑term artistic partnership bring? A Different Perspective May overlook changing personal dynamics over time ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hamlet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamlet/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things that makes Hamlet unique among Shakespeare's characters is his courage to face up to the darker elements of his personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/one-of-the-things-that-makes-hamlet-unique-among-shakespeare-s/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [I don't think Hamlet is mad, nor is he predisposed to be a gloomy or tragic figure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/i-don-t-think-hamlet-is-mad-nor-is-he-predisposed-to-be-a-gloomy-or/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [Hamlet has been played by 5,000 actors, no wonder he is crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/hamlet-has-been-played-by-5-000-actors-no-wonder-he-is-crazy/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I started to realise that it wasn't for me. Perhaps I didn't have to give my Hamlet before I died, that the world might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-started-to-realise-that-it-wasn-t-for-me-perhaps-i-didn-t-have-to/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [I think Hamlet, as much as he loves his privacy and is kind of an introvert, he's a very functional introvert. When he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chukwudi-iwuji/i-think-hamlet-as-much-as-he-loves-his-privacy-and-is-kind-of-an/) [Chukwudi Iwuji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chukwudi-iwuji/) > [I never want to see 'Hamlet' ever again! Never ever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-elliott/i-never-want-to-see-hamlet-ever-again-never-ever/) [Marianne Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-elliott/) > [“The theater, bringing impersonal masks to life, is only for those who are virile enough to create new life: either as a conflict of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-jarry/the-theater-bringing-impersonal-masks-to-life-is-only-for-those-who/) [Alfred Jarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-jarry/) > [The essential is to excite the spectators. If that means playing Hamlet on a flying trapeze or in an aquarium, you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/the-essential-is-to-excite-the-spectators-if-that-means-playing/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [“In the gravedigger scene in act V, Hamlet looks upon an anonymous skull and jokes that even Alexander the Great decomposed into dust that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/in-the-gravedigger-scene-in-act-v-hamlet-looks-upon-an-anonymous/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [The two greatest plays ever written were Hamlet and Oedipus Rex, and they're both about father-son relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/the-two-greatest-plays-ever-written-were-hamlet-and-oedipus-rex-and/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [There are a thousand ways of playing a good classic. If it were effective, I would play Hamlet on a trapeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/there-are-a-thousand-ways-of-playing-a-good-classic-if-it-were/) [Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/) > [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Cannot you tell that? Every fool can tell that. It was the very day that young Hamlet was born, he that is mad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/cannot-you-tell-that-every-fool-can-tell-that-it-was-the-very-day/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Shakespeare’s Hamlet: “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/shakespeare-s-hamlet-there-is-nothing-either-good-or-bad-but-thinking/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right!” Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes: “Nay, come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-time-is-out-of-joint-o-cursed-spite-that-ever-i-was-born-to-set/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) ## More by Kenneth Branagh > [Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/music-and-language-are-a-vital-element-we-as-actors-and-directors/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [I noted about Cate Blanchett was her very positive lack of concern for how she turns out in Cinderella. She is happy to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/i-noted-about-cate-blanchett-was-her-very-positive-lack-of-concern/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [I do think that, for instance, we've been very lucky to have theatrical careers and be associated with Shakespeare which sometimes gives you a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/i-do-think-that-for-instance-we-ve-been-very-lucky-to-have-theatrical/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [Being Irish, I always had this love of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/being-irish-i-always-had-this-love-of-words/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [Frankenstein feels like an ancient tale, the kind of traditional story that appears in many other forms. 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I really haven't set out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/the-idea-of-accumulating-ambitions-or-achievements-didn-t-get-much/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [It's very strange that the people you love are often the people you're most cruel to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/it-s-very-strange-that-the-people-you-love-are-often-the-people-you/) [Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/) > [It doesn't mean old or younger. 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