Hamlet; the Noir Adaption 2023 Act 4 Scene 4 Sub Scene 3

 Act Four

Act Four Scene Four

Sub Scene Three

War and the dead

“Za wolność! (for freedom)” Kazak the Polack Chief rallied the men. “ We will not be a stooge to Other Norway.”

“Never!’ The Polacks had gathered in strength. They were there to defend their streets from being overrun by the enemies. They came from different walks of life, from the old to the teens, and the rascals to the learned academic. What united them was the street they were to defend; it was theirs.

“We said nay to them taking over our stages. Who else will play our history to the young borns?” Kazak had made his speech. “Poland for too long had been colonized by others.”

From 1795 to 1918, Poland was split between Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and Russia and had no independent existence. In 1795 the third and the last of the three 18th-century partitions of Poland ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. After 1918, Poland was formed.

Little Poland then too with the two streets of the migrant, and half dozen stages for the plays that promoted what were their people. Does it matter the number of ducats or zloty received in the play; the culture of the people was invaluable to cast in monetary values.

“They don’t understand us. We love our culture. They have come many times, and many approaches but we don’t need them to tell us what we can do. We are fine. Now they want to force their way, and we will resist.” Kazak stirred the sentiments of the gathered.

“Give them no quarter, and make every step into our street a blood bath for them.” Kazak looked at his friends. How do you tell a carpenter that a saw was a tool to do the woodwork, and yet it may remove a limb? Or a hammer that could hit a nail in many or split a skull? The butcher had no issue with the chopper but cutting a live one may be different.

“Chen, you are not a Polack. Go home please.” Kazak looked at the laundry man who operates there, taking on the loads from the other streets to his shop.

“I am not, but lived here. I will defend my shop and my neighbor. And his neighbor. We are …’brat’, prawidlowy..” The round-rimmed bespectacled elderly man in the dark attire smiled.

“Indeed you are.” Kazak smiled at the neighbor of his.

Kazak had the street barricaded, with the carts and furniture on the ends, and the defenders were with their crude weapons. There were some with rifles; courtesy of the last war, but most had sabers and daggers.

“Kazak, they are here, but from the air.” One of the assigned men reported in. “They are coming on those ships that fly.”

“Then we must prepare the battle to the roof,” Kazak told the others.

“Will they …drop bombs?” A veteran of the war asked. Kazak did not reply and went on with the preparation.

On the airship, the leader of the Other Norway prepared his men.

“We will land on the roof, and from there to the street. Our objective is the stages, Burn them down.” The men knew their orders and took to the ropes. It was like how they had practiced.

“Jump!” Koenig on Ship Five called out. It was a drop of a hundred feet, and they have done it many times. The only difference then was the battle with the random rifle shots. They were not informed of this.

“Koenig, they are shooting at us,” Franz called out.

“It’s only a few rifles. Get down there.” The leader called out. His was the advanced team to go in first. He was next to rappel down. He went down with the winds in his face. It was quick and soon he was on the roof. He found himself unbalanced on his feet and fell to his haunches.

“There’s oil on the flooring!” Koenig called out before he was hit by the wooden plank on his face. The blow broke his nose and blurred his vision.

“Grab his guns!” Koenig heard the call, and he reached for his rifle but he was hit there with something sharp. He felt his rifle was removed and then the next call was on.

“Throw him over!”Koenig panicked at that call. He was to be thrown off the roof.

“You do it. I am not a killer.” Koenig heard the argument, but soon he was rolled to the side. He fell to the street below from three levels high. He broke his left leg and neck.

“Kazak, we are outnumbered.” Kazak heard the report and recalled the defenders. “Take the fight to the levels. We will fight them there.”

The battle became more of the defenders despite their numbers being repelled by the invaders. Most of the defenders did put up a fight, but their efforts were overtaken by the weapons that the invaders yield.

“We are on the street.” Fortinbras received the report. “They are mostly down, or killed.”

For an instant, the leader of the Other Norway felt repulsed by the battle. It was so easy to prepare for it with the offering of Norway, but when he was there, he saw the carnage and killing.

“Give the withdrawal call. We are pulling out.” Fortinbras told the leaders. We have done them a lesson. Now we leave.”

The signal went out and the airships returned to retrieve the men. Fortinbras lost only twenty men compared to the hundred Polacks that were either killed or injured. The defenders had surrendered. Kozak was killed in the battle.

Fortinbras took to the rope when he heard the call by the Polack.

“Was it worth the lives we had to lose?” Fortinbras did not reply and continued his climb. He has much to learn there.