Kenneth Brangh - Hamlet

Kenneth Brangh - Hamlet

1. Character

   • Gertuade
     • "Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet. I pray thee, stay with us. Go not to Wittenberg" (1.2.118-119)
     • O Hamlet, speak no more: Thou turn'st my very eyes into my soul, And there I see such black and grained spots As will not leave their tinct (3.4.88-91) ...O speak to me no more; these words like daggars enter my ears; No more, sweet Hamlet! (3.4.94-6)
     • Gertrude throughout the play is viewed as a mysterious deceitful character. She can be seen as a foil to Hamlet, as she is driven by emotions rather reflection. Gertrude adores her son Hamlet, like many mothers she has trouble figuring out how to talk to her son; as both characters have different ways of seeing the world. Her love for Hamlet is evident in the first quote, as she tells Hamlet to remain with her and not leave to Wittenberg. This is portrayed very similarly in the film, as Gertrude begs Hamlet to stay in the palace. Whilst in the play, her character often spied on others, in the film she knew less of the events that took place which lead to her keeping quite.
   • Ophelia
     • "I hope all will be well. We must be patient, but I cannot choose but weep to think they would lay him i’ th’ cold ground. My brother shall know of it. And so I thank you for your good counsel. Come, my coach! Good night, ladies, good night, sweet ladies, good night, good night." (4.5.77-71)
     • Ophelia is an important character in the play because of her relationship with Hamlet. She is innocent but is looked down upon by Hamlet, who leads her to her downfall. After the tragic death of her father, she goes insane. In the quote above, Ophelia has gone mad because of her father’s death, and in the film the actress is perfectly portrayed, as her actions and tone of voice when she speaks fits the scenario. Brangh does a great job in filming the scene because they use the same lines from the play which gave it the effect that Shakespeare wanted to convey during the play.
   • Ghost of King Hamlet
     • "I find thee apt; And duller shouldst thou be than the fat weed That roots itself in ease on Lethe wharf, Wouldst thou not stir in this. Now, Hamlet, hear. ’Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forgèd process of my death Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown." (1.5.31-40)
     • The first time the Ghost of King Hamlet appears in the play is when Horatio and the watchmen are watching for it to appear. When the ghost appears in the Branagh version of the film you get an unusual feel as they use very similar dialogue to the actual play. The tone and intensity of the ghost fits the scenario very well, which adds a horror element to the film. The ghost appears because he claims that his death was not natural, as we later found it was due to Claudius. King Hamlet seeks revenge and guides Hamlet on his adventures and appears in scenes where Hamlet is troubled. This adds to the overall theme of deception because the death of King Hamlet was caused by the deception of his brother Claudius.

2. Setting

   • Wedding ROyal Court
     • The royal court was shown to be very bright, colorful and had contrast between serious and dark scene. The scenes that took place in the court room had multiple camera angles to captures the whole scene. It is the most memorable scene in the play, as it introduced many characters including Hamlet, Claudius, and Queen Gertrude. The Branagh film version captures this scene perfectly by modernizing it, but still managing to stay true to the dialogues. They added mini features to the scene such as, roses falling from the ceiling to make the wedding between Gertrude and Claudius more memorable. The quote that I have provided below shows the first time Claudius talks about deceiving others by lying during the weeding about his love for his brother.
     • "Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe, Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature That we with wisest sorrow think on him Together with remembrance of ourselves. Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, Th’ imperial jointress to this warlike state, Have we as ’twere with a defeated joy, With an auspicious and a dropping eye, With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, In equal scale weighing delight and dole) Taken to wife. Nor have we herein barred Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone With this affair along." (1.2.1-16)
     • To be or not to be - Soliloquy
       • "To be or not to be—that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And, by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep— No more—and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep— To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There’s the respect That makes calamity of so long life. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely" (3.1.57-72)
       • The Kenneth Branagh film version stayed true to the play as the most famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy was word for word. In the scene we can see that Hamlet is not directly speaking to the camera and the film shots zoom out as the soliloquy becomes more intense. Branagh executed the scene very well, as the voice of Hamlet is confident and empowering and his body language fits the scene. The room was filled with mirrors so it can contribute to the overall theme of deception, as it gave Claudius and Polonius the ability to spy on Hamlet.

3. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, it is revealed through deception that if an individual has the mindset of achieving an goal, that individual would they will go out of their way to attain it.

   • Theme
     • Deception
       • Claudius
       • Polonius
       • Hamlet
       • As a play of revenge, Hamlet uses deception as methods of conflicts both within the characters and the overall plot. Hamlet, Claudius, and Polonius are three sources of deception throughout the story. Their decisions and actions dictate the reactions of other characters and causes a sense of confusion and unrest between them. Throughout the play, Claudius is shown to be deceiving others, this is evident in the first quote, as Claudius is feeling guilty for his actions against his brother and how he fooled everyone into thinking he is innocent. In the other quote, Claudius is seen deceiving Guildenstern and Rosencrantz into thinking that Hamlet is insane. Hamlet deceives others for the purpose of drawing the truth from Claudius. Whereas Polonius organizes arrangements and schemes to uncover secrets from Claudius. Polonius does this by spying on other characters throughout the play. He is portrayed very well throughout the film as he stays true to his spying character
         • "The harlot’s cheek, beautied with plastering art, Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it Than is my deed to my most painted word: O heavy burthen!"(3.1.50)
         • "Our sovereign process, which imports at full, By letters congruing to that effect, The present death of Hamlet. (4.3.64-6). Give him a heedful note, for I mine eyes will rivet to his face, And after we will both our judgments join. In censure of his seeming."(3.2.86-89)
         • "Faith, no, as you may season it in the charge. You must not put another scandal on him That he is open to incontinency; That’s not my meaning. But breathe his faults so quaintly That they may seem the taints of liberty, The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind, A savageness in unreclaimèd blood, Of general assault." (2.1.28-35)

4. Sesaiyee Mahendren

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