And you thought you had a lot on your mind.

No number of midterms and upcoming exams could possibly compare to the torment that Hamlet, William Shakespeare’s famous angst-ridden character in the play of the same name, goes through.

And we’ll all get a chance to witness what he experiences when ISU Theatre brings its production of “Hamlet” to the Fisher Theater stage this weekend.

Shakespeare’s tale follows the story of a young man, Hamlet, who returns from the university to his home in Denmark, only to find that his father has been murdered.

His mother, in turn, has gone and married Hamlet’s uncle within a few weeks, thus adding to her son’s grief. Friendship, betrayal, murder and love intertwine among Hamlet’s plot lines.

Tim Davis, who plays Hamlet, said that most productions of the play run about four and a half hours long.

Gregg Henry, the director, has managed to shave off about 45 minutes. Not to worry, though, because the adapted script still contains all of the meat of the play, while some of the more obscure language and references have been cut.

“It’s very tough to do an uncut ‘Hamlet,'” Henry said. “So it’s significantly shorter [than other productions], but I think it plays kind of quickly.”

The play is opening tonight in conjunction with another show, “Fortinbras,” also put on by ISU Theatre.

The two plays will alternate performances; “Hamlet” is tonight and Sunday, for instance, with “Fortinbras” tomorrow evening.

Such a schedule is unusual for ISU Theatre. “The glib reason [we’re doing two plays at the same time] is that it’s just sort of neat to run these two plays together,” Davis said.

In addition, “Hamlet” has far-reaching relevance to our own time, “especially in an election year,” when people are questioning their own beliefs and those of political candidates.

“I’ve been very interested in working with these actors and discussing why we should be watching this play in 1996,” Henry said.

“We haven’t modernized it, but we’ve made decisions that isn’t traditional, dusty-Shakespeare stuff. It feels very immediate, very contemporary, even though it’s in Elizabethan language,” he said.

ISU Theatre’s productions of “Hamlet” and “Fortinbras” use the same massive set which resembles a medieval stone castle. A fully functional walkway (meaning that actors can actually walk on it) wraps around the building.

The set is actually so large that several seats had to be removed from the theater to accommodate it.

Plus, the number of actors and behind-the-scenes types is almost unprecedented in recent ISU Theatre history, which, Davis said, can be difficult at times, but also incredibly satisfying.

“That presents a real challenge,” he said. “I don’t know if I prefer one style of a play over another or not, but I like the fact that all of the pieces of this puzzle need to fit and work in one uniform direction.

“And, that so many different elements are going to contribute to the same piece of work. I find that really gratifying.”

Since the actors involved in the productions have been completely dedicated to their roles for several months (tryouts were during last spring’s finals week), many have become quite familiar with their characters, some almost to an exhausting degree.

“Actors can’t help but immerse themselves in their characters and their play,” Davis said. “Hamlet tackles a staggering amount for a young man. He contemplates everything from friendship, to love, to basic existence.

“It’s a lot, I think, for anybody to handle, and you can’t help but be affected by that,” he said.

Student tickets for “Hamlet” cost $4.75 at the door. The show opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Fisher Theater. There is also a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m., as well as a show next Saturday, Nov. 9, also at 7:30 p.m.