Expectations Concerning This Performance, and Research Proposal

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The script eliminates one of Ophelia's major monologues, when she details to Polonius how Hamlet came to her, after seeing the ghost, when she first fears he is mad. Instead, the movie script shows this seen as action, in the real time of the play. Yet the silent reactions of Ophelia speak volumes, even though Hamlet is the most active character in the room.

What do you feel was the peak point, dramatically, of the play? Why?

In contrast to Carter's believable restraint during the 'mad scene' Gibson's most emotionally truthful scene is the apocalyptically emotional 'closet scene' with Glenn Close as Gertrude. Hamlet's anger at his mother's perceived betrayal is conveyed through intense physicality. This is Hamlet's most irrationally violent scene in the play, on paper, and the explosive anger that is consistently shown in Gibson's performance seems most appropriate in this scene.

Evaluate how well the costume designer met each of the objectives of costume design. How well did the costumes help to define the characters?

Gibson's simmering primal anger is also underlined by the use of costumes used in the film. Gibson's hero, an ancient Dane, wears rustic animal skins. The costumes indicate that this is a lawless society, still reliant upon ancient obligations such as revenging the murder of a parent with bloodshed.

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The film is distinctly medieval in appearance, and deemphasizes the relevance of the tragedy to people today.

What did you feel was the HOOK, or popular appeal of the play?

The popular appeal of this film version of Hamlet is clearly the way that it makes Shakespeare highly accessible and entertaining to everyday viewers, rather than its emotional complexity or truth. The appeal of the original play was likely the fact that it combines emotion about a parent's death with an exciting, elemental drama of revenge. The appeal of the movie, however, is the excitement of seeing a popular actor in Shakespeare and the exotic qualities of the ancient setting.

Conclusion

Zeffirelli's version is a kind of cinematic Cliffnotes of Hamlet: it is a good introduction to the Shakespearean plot and characters. It is raw, rough, and involving. But what distinguishes Shakespeare's tragedy from a standard revenge film or play is Hamlet's emotional depth, his keen observations about himself and humanity, and his doubts about his role as an actor in a revenge tragedy. The film's linearity of plot and its literalism in terms of depicting the setting detract from these aspects of the play's greatness.

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