Derek Jacobi’s portrayal of Hamlet in the BBC version that I watched recently on TV, was the most heartbreaking as well as the most believable one I have ever seen. Hamlet has never been one of my favorite or beloved Shakespearian protagonists, probably because he never pierced my heart the way King Lear or Othello did. He always seemed way too smart to let his emotions get the better of him. Jacobi’s art as an actor, was in convincing us that Hamlet was as compellingly human and vulnerable as the other two, when it comes to our responses to feeling betrayed in both, love and loyalty, by the ones from whom we expect and demand it the most.