Comparing Shakespeare And Twelfth Night

In the play Twelfth Night, Shakespeare displays the common theme of foolishness throughout his play through his characters actions, behaviors, and words; while doing this he creates a diversified spectrum of foolery that can be witnessed through dramatic irony, indirect characterization, and dialogue that reinforces the idea behind certain jocose, satirical events within the lives of the characters in the play.

In 1996, British actor and director, Kenneth Branagh took on the production of the film The Hamlet. It is notable that Branagh took into consideration the play’s intricate detail as he built around the film. In his directing effort, he made both plausible and not so brilliant decisions too. It is commendable to a given extent that Branagh maintained Shakespearean language throughout the film. However, he did away with a significant part of the play’s ambiguous quality by making plain, mindful decisions on aspects such as setting, characterization and others in the film. Branagh put it in the Napoleonic era rather than the Middle Ages according to Shakespeare’s original version. BRANAGH’S DIRECTOR CONCEPT EMPLOYED STRATEGIES AIMED AT CREATING A BLOWN UP DRAMATIC VISION OF HAMLET. Several cinematic basics, such as the film’s melodic make, compliment Branagh’s complex vision of the film and intrigue the audience.

Michael Hoffman’s 1999 film version of Shakespeare's midsummer night’s dream was able to modify the audience experience of the play. Michael Hoffman had successfully turned the play into a film and was able to show a visible expression of the characters to the audience. He had also made some changes, like the settings and made his version modernized. Though the film was based on the Shakespeare’s play, the audience’s experience is still different.

“Hamlet” and “Twelfth Night” are two Shakespeare plays of complete opposites. Due to one being written as a tragedy, and the other as a comedy, many comparisons can be drawn between the two plays, on themes and motifs that develop throughout the plays. One of the themes that is easily recognisable in the early stages of both plays, is that of deceit and disguise. In “Hamlet”, we learn early on that Hamlet decides to act as a madman in order to try and weed out a confession from his uncle about the murder of his father. Although he does not actually reveal to any other characters his plan until Act 1 Scene 5, when he tells Horatio that he plans to “put an antic disposition on”, the audience can recognise very early that Hamlet is going to show some kind of deceptive characteristics in order to execute his plan.

Certain parallels can be drawn between William Shakespeare's plays, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Romeo and Juliet". These parallels concern themes and prototypical Shakespearian character types. Both plays have a distinct pair of 'lovers', Hermia and Lysander, and Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Both plays could have also easily been tragedy or comedy with a few simple changes. A tragic play is a play in which one or more characters  has a moral flaw that leads to his/her downfall. A comedic play has at least one humorous character, and a successful or happy ending. Comparing these two plays is useful to find how

The purpose of this report is to compare and contrast two movies made about Hamlet. I will present and discuss different aspects of the version directed by Kenneth Branagh to that of Franco Zefirelli. During this paper you will be presented with my opinions in reference to determining which version of Hamlet best reflects the original text by Shakespeare. I will end this paper with my belief and explanation of which movie is true to the original play.

Trevor Nunn’s (1996) adaptation of Twelfth Night illustrates the complexity of Feste’s character and how important he is to the overall play. Ben Kingsley, the actor, presents Feste as sympathetic and gentle choric figure. It is Feste who allows the audience to see the films respect for the original play, and the existing issues within it. This includes the defencelessness of women, and the attractive, but dangerous, qualities of altering one’s true sexual identity. Interestingly, unlike the original script, Nunn opens his first scene with Feste observing Viola struggle to shore after the shipwreck she has experienced. In this context, Kingsley’s Feste is revealed for the first time. He is shown as a mysterious and isolated individual, who

Kenneth Branagh’s interpretation of Hamlet emphasized different importance's of the play. His version differs from that of Zeffirelli’s because; he makes use of the entire text from Shakespeare’s original work. Branagh also does not hold the time period authentic. Although his version of the play was not altered as much as Zeffirelli’s, he is still able to hold the attention of modern critics and viewers. However, by transfiguring the play into a Victorian background, Branagh’s film completely alters the mindset and feel of a true Shakespearean play.

     Many of Shakespeare's works have been transposed from stage to screen, none so more than Hamlet. Two of the most unique film appropriations of the play are to be found in Rodney Bennett's 1980 film and Kenneth Branagh's 1996 blockbuster. The two films share many parallels between them in both interpretation and method, however they also have marked differences in their respective approaches to the text.

Around the beginning of the seventeenth century, William Shakespeare introduced a piece of literature that is considered one of the most important plays written. The tragedy, Hamlet, is considered to be Shakespeare’s most famous piece, even over Timon of Athens, and Cymbeline. This theatrical performance is based from “Amleth”, the medieval Scandanavian tale told by Saxo Grammaticus. Both plays consist of elements pertaining to justice, revenge, and rightful place in social order. However, Shakespeare incorporated more Elizabethan qualities due to the fact he was a resident of England. The emphasis of ambiguity throughout the drama is the reason this play has been praised and performed since its debut. Hamlet begins with the protagonist, Hamlet, returning home from graduate school to find many things have changed since his departure. Upon his arrival, he learns about his father’s untimely death and also about his uncle Claudius’s incestuous relationship with his recently widowed mother. After a long, sorrowful soliloquy explaining how he feels, the ghost of his Father appears before him demanding that he seek vengeance for his death. The reasoning for his father’s vengeance is because not only is Claudius is now Gertrude’s new husband, but he is also responsible for the old king Hamlet’s death. In this dramatic performance, Shakespeare animates a quinessential antagonist who creates a disastrous dilemma for Hamlet,

love when actually they just loved the idea of it. One such a man is

Kenneth Branagh successfully adapts Shakespeare’s Hamlet into a modern film. His version of the tragedy allows enthusiasts to experience Shakespeare as a movie. Branagh’s use of an unabridged script and flashback scenes provide the complete story of Hamlet. The variety of camera shots highlight Hamlet’s intense dialogue and soliloquies. Patrick Doyle’s original score emphasizes action, suspense, and drama. Therefore, through his screenplay, cinematography, and score, Branagh caters to Shakespeare enthusiasts interested in seeing Hamlet on the big screen.

Kenneth Branagh 's Hamlet (1996) is the most complete retelling of William Shakespeare 's Hamlet. In four hours, Branagh details the complicated relationships and mental anguish of the royalty of Denmark as they navigate the murder of the king of Denmark, notably Hamlet, the heir to the throne of Denmark. As Hamlet has been tackled by many actors and filmmakers over centuries, there is no one true way to perform Hamlet. Nor has Hamlet been approached such as Branagh has, creating a screenplay using the full text from both the Quartos and the First Folio. Therefore, Branagh has taken the liberty of fully fleshing out his film through advanced cinematography techniques and meticulous attention to details. Kenneth Branagh 's Hamlet uses framing of shots and accompanying color schemes, detailed flashbacks, and an emotionally charged musical score to project Hamlet 's internal conflicts onto his environment, creating a tangible representation for viewers.

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is a play with themes that parallel the folly of the festival it is named after. The main storyline of the plot plays on this a lot by mixing up the stereotypes around gender that were very present at the time. However, a sub-plot involving secondary characters defines this theme even more. It takes the idea even further by relating servants’ attempts to blur the lines between social classes. Twelfth Night’s Maria and Malvolio both have great aspirations to rise above their social class. However, Maria succeeds where Malvolio fails because of her capability to make use of the satiric ambiance of her mistress’s household to achieve her goals.

With Shakespeare being born in the sixteenth century, there were still three centuries to go before women started the feminist’s movement. However, with his storyline in both The Merchant of the Venice and Twelfth night, the females leads disguised themselves as males to accomplish what needs to be done. Both plays, shows the heroine choices which challenges the characters they interact with. These endearing characters shows similar and different traits. The focus of these plays was based on Portia’s and Viola’s ambition which showed Shakespeare’s respect for women.