Key AO5: Hamlet
AO5 – Theatrical/Cinematic Adaptation + Critical Opinion
(Critical Opinion – Focus on how it has changed overtime)
Theatrical/Cinematic Adaptation
1996 Branagh Production
Key Points:
- This adaptation remains faithful to Shakespeare’s original text, resulting in
a lengthy, four-hour film
- It maintained the original language of the play (Shakespearean English)
- It uses flashbacks and non-narrated subscenes as characters are
summarising what happened, which helps clarify for the audience what
has happened
- Critics believe the flashback scenes between Hamlet and Ophelia remove
the ambiguity of their relationship
Opening Scene
- Very eerie, with bells tolling and whistling wind that sounds like a person
screaming
- It is made clear that the guards are on edge, hinting that something is
wrong
- It takes a while before anything is said, building tension
Ending Scene
- Fortinbras is portrayed as very controlled and unemotional as opposed to
Hamlet’s more franticness, due to his spiral into madness
- Hamlet is carried out as if on a crucifix
- This could symbolise his persecution and higher moral authority than
Fortinbras
- It ends on the destruction of a statue of Hamlet Senior, with the head of
the statue falling to the floor
- This draws parallels between how Hamlet Senior killed Fortinbras Senior
and now he is, in some ways, giving Hamlet Senior ‘a second death’
- It demonstrates the end of one dynasty and the beginning of a new one
Hamlet and the Ghost:
- Hamlet appears frantic when he first sees the ghost
- In this scene, his thoughts are portrayed as his inner thoughts, rather than
him speaking these aloud. This is shown through his mouth not moving as
the words are being said
- When the ghost begins to tell its story, the camera pans over different
areas, replicating what Hamlet sees, and the ghost is not seen until later
in his speech
, - Despite the ghost appearing solid, Hamlet is not able to touch the ghost,
solidifying the knowledge that it is not from the physical world,
highlighting the supernatural
Soliloquies:
First Soliloquy
- It is the audience’s first look into Hamlet’s character, so it is important for
the director to make their interpretation clear and leave an impact
- There is a clear change in Hamlet’s posture once everyone leaves, but
there is a moment of hesitation before he drops his posture (perhaps
making sure he is alone?)
- Hamlet walks around a lot, to make use of the space, appearing more
frantic and stressful
- ‘Most wicked speed’ is spoken slower, to bring attention to the short time
that has elapsed between his father’s death and his mother’s remarriage
Fourth Soliloquy
- Although it is a soliloquy, here it is performed as if spoke to Polonius and
Claudius, since they are behind the two-way mirror
- It leads the audience to wonder whether Hamlet’s madness is performed
for his uncle and Polonius or not
- It plays with the contrast between appearance and reality, where Hamlet’s
reflection is the appearance/illusion and Hamlet himself (who is not shown
throughout the period of speaking) is the reality
- He is constantly stepping forward, getting closer as he gets more intense
- He speaks in a low and slow voice, to demonstrate the calm before the
storm perhaps
- The camera only shows Hamlet’s reflection through the soliloquy, which is
a physical demonstration of him talking to himself as he can’t trust anyone
else
Specific Allusions:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive bizarrely on a steam train, defining
themselves as comedic characters.
During Hamlet’s soliloquy, Branagh holds a knife to his head while repeating the
iconic line ‘To be or not to be’.
Claudius dominates the courtroom holding the political power and dominates
Hamlet in a political sense as Hamlet stands separate from the Court wearing all
black.
Hamlet stabs Polonius aggressively 5 times, making it seem as if he is decisive in
his decision to kill Polonius before the King.
Polonius’s influence over Ophelia is more physical. He pushes Ophelia and
demands she give up the truth when asking what affection Hamlet has shown
, her. When Ophelia tries to get back on the same step as Polonius, he again
pushes her, escalating the conflict.
Hamlet Senior’s Ghost takes on an eviller nature than other versions. It pushes
Horatio to the side and pulls out a rapier and threatens them with death. This
results in a conflict over believing the Ghost or not.
Zeffirelli’s Film Adaptation (Mel Gibson)
Key Points:
- It presents a more youthful and emotionally intense and physically active
Hamlet, set in a contemporary context with a greater emphasis on political
and family conflicts
- Zeffirelli made significant cuts to the text to allocate more screen time to
female characters
- This Hamlet is more emotionally volatile and less restrained than Olivier’s
interpretation
- It can be seen as a psychological drama due to its in-depth exploration of
Hamlet’s mental and emotional struggle
Opening Scene:
- The scene at the guard tower is entirely omitted, since Zeffirelli deemed it
wasn’t necessary to have multiple scenes with the ghost being
encountered
- This meant Zeffirelli was able to cut down the length of the film, whilst still
including the scene that is the catalyst in which Hamlet decides to prove
and revenge the murder of his father
- It begins with an original scene of Claudius, Gertrude and Hamlet
mourning Hamlet Senior’s death at his funeral
- Here, Gertrude looks up at Claudius whilst bent over her late husband’s
death, to emphasise how she is already moving to her new husband-to-be
Soliloquys:
- This is one of the aspects of the play that Zeffirelli maintained, where he
shares his absolute shock that his father has only recently died, and his
mother is already remarried
- He maintains the well-known lines, ‘frailty, thy name is women’
Specific Allusions:
Hamlet’s Oedipal desires are emphasised. The closet scene with Hamlet’s
suggestive movements on top of his mother + violent with her + shaking her
and forcing her to kiss him
Fortinbras’s character is completely cut out to allow the focus of the play to be
on the dysfunctional families rather than political discord
Ophelia is a confident woman who looks into Hamlet’s eyes however Hamlet gets
physical and is unable to control his emotions when talking about ‘God hath
given you one face and you make yourself another’.
AO5 – Theatrical/Cinematic Adaptation + Critical Opinion
(Critical Opinion – Focus on how it has changed overtime)
Theatrical/Cinematic Adaptation
1996 Branagh Production
Key Points:
- This adaptation remains faithful to Shakespeare’s original text, resulting in
a lengthy, four-hour film
- It maintained the original language of the play (Shakespearean English)
- It uses flashbacks and non-narrated subscenes as characters are
summarising what happened, which helps clarify for the audience what
has happened
- Critics believe the flashback scenes between Hamlet and Ophelia remove
the ambiguity of their relationship
Opening Scene
- Very eerie, with bells tolling and whistling wind that sounds like a person
screaming
- It is made clear that the guards are on edge, hinting that something is
wrong
- It takes a while before anything is said, building tension
Ending Scene
- Fortinbras is portrayed as very controlled and unemotional as opposed to
Hamlet’s more franticness, due to his spiral into madness
- Hamlet is carried out as if on a crucifix
- This could symbolise his persecution and higher moral authority than
Fortinbras
- It ends on the destruction of a statue of Hamlet Senior, with the head of
the statue falling to the floor
- This draws parallels between how Hamlet Senior killed Fortinbras Senior
and now he is, in some ways, giving Hamlet Senior ‘a second death’
- It demonstrates the end of one dynasty and the beginning of a new one
Hamlet and the Ghost:
- Hamlet appears frantic when he first sees the ghost
- In this scene, his thoughts are portrayed as his inner thoughts, rather than
him speaking these aloud. This is shown through his mouth not moving as
the words are being said
- When the ghost begins to tell its story, the camera pans over different
areas, replicating what Hamlet sees, and the ghost is not seen until later
in his speech
, - Despite the ghost appearing solid, Hamlet is not able to touch the ghost,
solidifying the knowledge that it is not from the physical world,
highlighting the supernatural
Soliloquies:
First Soliloquy
- It is the audience’s first look into Hamlet’s character, so it is important for
the director to make their interpretation clear and leave an impact
- There is a clear change in Hamlet’s posture once everyone leaves, but
there is a moment of hesitation before he drops his posture (perhaps
making sure he is alone?)
- Hamlet walks around a lot, to make use of the space, appearing more
frantic and stressful
- ‘Most wicked speed’ is spoken slower, to bring attention to the short time
that has elapsed between his father’s death and his mother’s remarriage
Fourth Soliloquy
- Although it is a soliloquy, here it is performed as if spoke to Polonius and
Claudius, since they are behind the two-way mirror
- It leads the audience to wonder whether Hamlet’s madness is performed
for his uncle and Polonius or not
- It plays with the contrast between appearance and reality, where Hamlet’s
reflection is the appearance/illusion and Hamlet himself (who is not shown
throughout the period of speaking) is the reality
- He is constantly stepping forward, getting closer as he gets more intense
- He speaks in a low and slow voice, to demonstrate the calm before the
storm perhaps
- The camera only shows Hamlet’s reflection through the soliloquy, which is
a physical demonstration of him talking to himself as he can’t trust anyone
else
Specific Allusions:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive bizarrely on a steam train, defining
themselves as comedic characters.
During Hamlet’s soliloquy, Branagh holds a knife to his head while repeating the
iconic line ‘To be or not to be’.
Claudius dominates the courtroom holding the political power and dominates
Hamlet in a political sense as Hamlet stands separate from the Court wearing all
black.
Hamlet stabs Polonius aggressively 5 times, making it seem as if he is decisive in
his decision to kill Polonius before the King.
Polonius’s influence over Ophelia is more physical. He pushes Ophelia and
demands she give up the truth when asking what affection Hamlet has shown
, her. When Ophelia tries to get back on the same step as Polonius, he again
pushes her, escalating the conflict.
Hamlet Senior’s Ghost takes on an eviller nature than other versions. It pushes
Horatio to the side and pulls out a rapier and threatens them with death. This
results in a conflict over believing the Ghost or not.
Zeffirelli’s Film Adaptation (Mel Gibson)
Key Points:
- It presents a more youthful and emotionally intense and physically active
Hamlet, set in a contemporary context with a greater emphasis on political
and family conflicts
- Zeffirelli made significant cuts to the text to allocate more screen time to
female characters
- This Hamlet is more emotionally volatile and less restrained than Olivier’s
interpretation
- It can be seen as a psychological drama due to its in-depth exploration of
Hamlet’s mental and emotional struggle
Opening Scene:
- The scene at the guard tower is entirely omitted, since Zeffirelli deemed it
wasn’t necessary to have multiple scenes with the ghost being
encountered
- This meant Zeffirelli was able to cut down the length of the film, whilst still
including the scene that is the catalyst in which Hamlet decides to prove
and revenge the murder of his father
- It begins with an original scene of Claudius, Gertrude and Hamlet
mourning Hamlet Senior’s death at his funeral
- Here, Gertrude looks up at Claudius whilst bent over her late husband’s
death, to emphasise how she is already moving to her new husband-to-be
Soliloquys:
- This is one of the aspects of the play that Zeffirelli maintained, where he
shares his absolute shock that his father has only recently died, and his
mother is already remarried
- He maintains the well-known lines, ‘frailty, thy name is women’
Specific Allusions:
Hamlet’s Oedipal desires are emphasised. The closet scene with Hamlet’s
suggestive movements on top of his mother + violent with her + shaking her
and forcing her to kiss him
Fortinbras’s character is completely cut out to allow the focus of the play to be
on the dysfunctional families rather than political discord
Ophelia is a confident woman who looks into Hamlet’s eyes however Hamlet gets
physical and is unable to control his emotions when talking about ‘God hath
given you one face and you make yourself another’.
