I think there’s a level of wordplay that I am missing here. I can see the metaphor easily – Laertes will be so much better at this than Hamlet, he’ll shine brightly like a star in the dark. And stars are made of fire and they are in the distance – so that all makes sense.
But the stick sticks.
Because a stick can be like a cut – or a hit in this dueling game.
And given what’s about to happen here – the stick feels like an obvious reference. But why is the STAR sticking far off?
Like, it’s so far off from Hamlet’s?
Like Hamlet’s skill is so earthbound and Laertes is WAAAY off in the heavens, stuck and fiery?
I feel like I’m missing a step.
The Hamlet Project 