Hamlet Movie Vs Play

Tony Robbins said, “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others”. Shakespeare’s writing has had many different ways of being presented because people perceive it in different ways. Whether it is a literal representation or a spin, directors like to show viewers the way they perceive the text. In the movie version of Hamlet the director, Kenneth Branagh, wanted the viewers to find Shakespeare interesting and full of action and drama. Kenneth chose the right direction to go in to keep the audience’s attention but it

There is proof to demonstrate this when Hamlet promptly asks Ophelia after they are finished talking, "Where's your dad?" (Shakespeare). At the point when Ophelia reveals to him that Polonius is at home, Hamlet answers with: "Let the doors be shut upon him that he may play the fool nowhere but in ‘s own house" (Shakespeare). This infers Hamlet knows Polonius is watching him and is arranging something.

Movie adaptations of famed works are always difficult tasks, but when it comes to adapt Shakespeare on the big screen, the chore can be quite complex and risky. If the movie is Hamlet, then the performance is even harder. One of the reason why such conversion to the screen can become problematic is that in films there is not a direct relationship between the text and the reader, but a visual representation of the play, hence the director has to make changes, analyze topics more than others and conveys a personal and unique interpretation of the story. A character such as the “Ghost” can help the director doing so. Its peculiar presentation on the screen can make the audience better understand the director’s perspective and rendition as well

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Franco Zeffireli’s film version of the story are different in many ways, but the basic characters and basic plot remain the same. Franco Zeffirelli’s screenplay is an edited, re-vamped version of the original tragedy in which lines are cut and scenes are modified. Additionally, Zeffirelli modifies Shakespeare’s ghost scenes and uses narrative and film techniques to both create an overall suspenseful atmosphere and generate empathetic feelings towards Hamlet. The various changes made by Zeffirelli are interesting, and attempting to analyze the decisions made by the film director allowed for not only a deeper understanding of the film, but of the story Hamlet in general.

In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet, the ghost appears very little but causes Hamlet to think abnormally and act unlike his normal self. He is accused of madness and hallucinating in one scene, and it can be traced back to the ghost causing it. By only speaking to Hamlet throughout the play, the ghost presence is not always clear, and it makes other characters think Hamlet has gone crazy. Even though the ghost only appears twice to speak with Hamlet, each visit significantly affects him.

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the audience of Shakespeare’s time period as well as today’s audience would have recognized the play as a revenge tragedy. But, this is not your typical revenge tragedy, this one has a twist. As in most Elizabethan revenge tragedies the ghost appears to further motivate the action or reaction of the hero. However, the ghost in Hamlet not only appears as part of the plot, but surpasses the traditional role of the ghost and becomes an actual character within the play (Mandell).

Firstly, from the very beginning of the play, appearance undermines reality. It begins with the appearance of the late King Hamlet’s ghost. The appearance of the ghost seems to dance between the line of appearance and reality. It is possible that the apparition is real, however, it is also possible that a demon has possessed King Hamlet’s persona (Price 44). The reality of the truth behind the ghost is blurred with the possibility of being a false appearance.

Hamlet has a very convoluted plot. It begins with Hamlet seeing his father's ghost and telling Hamlet that he was wrongfully murdered by his own brother, the new king of Denmark. His father's ghost asks Hamlet to avenge him and take back the crown. This scene really sends Hamlet down the rabbit hole because we know later on in the film that he has a difficult time pursuing his uncle, Claudius (played by Derek Jacobi). The prince of Denmark goes through madness, murder, an unsure love interest, he directs a play, conspires against friends, and finally gets revenge against his uncle, but not without killing almost everyone in the movie. As mentioned earlier, Ophelia (played by Kate Winslet) is a young and beautiful lady who is in love with Hamlet. However, her father and brother tell her to stay away from Hamlet because he only sees her as an object of lust. We see more of Ophelia in this movie then we do in the play. In the actual play, it mostly focuses on Hamlet and his madness, but in Branagh’s film version we get to see the effect Hamlet has on everyone. This includes the new king, Claudius who is seen as a vicious and cunning serpent. Hamlet’s sweet and gentle mother, the queen, was thrown into a plague over her worry for Hamlet and his sanity. Other characters include Polonius, Laertes, Horatio, and Fortinbras, all who contribute to Hamlet's downfall or witness

In the Zeffierlli version, the director uses narrative and film techniques to create a suspenseful atmosphere and generate feelings of empathy for Hamlet. He makes significant changes in narrative techniques, specifically for the first act of the play, by reflowing the play’s plot, adding to the settings of each scene and by cutting some dialogue. These changes reinterpret some elements of the play and intensify Hamlet’s dilemma for the viewer. First, Zeffierelli changes the plot and rearranges the action of Hamlet to get straight to the main action and characters. Act one, scene one of the play establishes the conflict: Denmark is preparing for a war. It also establishes the believability of a ghost. The guards first say they have seen something

Over the course of the past fifty years there have been many cinematic productions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, some of which remain true to the text while others take greater liberties from the original format. Director Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 production of Hamlet was true to Shakespeare’s work in that the films dialogue was delivered word or word as it is presented in the text. In contrast, Franco Zeffirelli conducted his 1990 production of Hamlet in a much more liberal direction in which lines, scenes and characters were omitted from film. I argue that from the perspective of an individual with moderate knowledge in Shakespearian literature, that the best film versions of Hamlet are those that take the most liberties from the text. I concur that the following elements reflect the level of liberty taken in regards to the text and that these elements determine which film is the best; changes to dialogue, changes to plot, presence of theme portrayal of emotions and the setting.

In the initial appearance, the ghost is only apparent to Hamlet, Horatio, and the guards. Hamlet is the only one who can hear the ghost, which shows how close Hamlet is to his father. When the ghost appears the second time, Hamlet’s own mother can’t even see him, which displays the gap Gertrude now experiences between her, Hamlet and the late king. His mother is so shocked that she exclaims "Alas, he's mad"

The key to Hamlet’s quest for revenge starts with his meeting with his father’s ghost. Before Hamlet himself ever sees the ghost, four others on watch make contact first, including his trusted friend Horatio. If Hamlet had met the ghost alone, it would be easy to question the legitimacy of his meeting. However the audience is shown four men who encounter the ghost, confirming its existence, and then Hamlet himself with two others are present as the ghost confers the truth of his own

The play begins outside the castle of Elsinore where the ghost of recently deceased, King Hamlet arises. Likewise, with the emerging of the ghost, ambiguity surfaces in Shakespeare work. The uncertainty of the King Hamlet ghost being an angel or devil interconnects with the information the King tells Hamlet. After conversing with ghost, Hamlet gets the information that, Claudius murdered his father. If the ghost is indeed an angel trying to communicate with Hamlet, the information is true but if the ghost is the devil it may be untrue. When Hamlet first sees his father ghost, he believes it is an angel but because of his uncertainty he must confirm in order to be able to take the action of revenge and this ambiguity, starts the course of the play for Hamlet to prove the ghosts nature. Shakespeare although communicate to the audience, through Claudius soliloquy, that the ghost is an angel when Claudius admits the action of murdering his brother or King Hamlet. It isn’t until later in the play when Hamlet realizes that the ghost is an angel and telling the truth, and Hamlet indeed can rightfully get revenge on the truth. This ambiguity contributes to the whole work by complicating the theme of mystery of death, truth, and doing the right or wrong thing.

In the actual play, the two directors did not think alike at all. First of all, the second movie totally left out the dumb play. This seems more realistic to what the king does because the king leaves during the death of Gonzolago in the speaking play of both movies, but if the king saw what was going to happen by watching the silent play, then I think he would have gotten nervous as well as guilty right then and would have left the room. Also, the lines that Hamlet says during the middle of the speaking play are yelled out loud in the first movie, going along with the thought that he is crazy. In the second movie, he whispered them to either Ophelia, or the king and queen. Hamlet seems more focused on making the king feel guilty about murdering King Hamlet and showing it on his face to prove the ghost right in the second movie. He seems to say things that would get the king

Director Zeffirelli's excellent work in his film Hamlet sets it truly on an unexpected level in comparison to all others movies. For the terms of setting, it is a vital part of any movies or literature. Setting in the scene of Zeffirelli’s movie assumes a critical part, which set this film unique in relation to others. The scene startup in a dark cage filled with skeleton and tombs and with a great use of extraordinary utilization of props and lighting. Use of all these things created a very dramatic situation which Hamlet turned it up a little indent with his actions, for example, the scene where he meanders around from tomb to tomb. This show his uneasiness and how frantic he is to sleep with the dead from the tombs. Let's talk about expressions. An