Hamlet Movie Analysis

In Act 1 Scene 2 (from the beginning to Hamlet’s soliloquy), Claudius declares his marriage with Gertrude and explains why he married to Gertrude — his brother’s widow. While Hamlet is complaining about his mother’s marriage, and he thinks his uncle is a “satyr”. At that time, his view of the world was meaningless, useless and corrupt. He even wants to commit suicide if it is not a sin. Hamlet is a tragic play that was written by the famous playwright, William Shakespeare. Hamlet was adapted to the movies since the development of the film industry, and that did the most influential two adaptations were filmed in 1990 and 1996, and directed by Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh respectively. These versions are distinct from each other in
He is cunning that he knows talking in that way would let all the court believe his faith of gratitude, which forms a foundation for him to gain the public and fits his characteristics. While Claudius is quite diplomatic in Zeffirelli’s adaptation since his speech is cadenced, which shows he is emotionless about his brother’s death, that does not connect to his words “Have we, as’twere with a defeated joy”(1.2.10). Besides, Zeffirelli’s version does not show any response when Gertrude and Claudius see Hamlet is in black during Claudius’s marriage, which that cannot help the audience know the strangeness of wearing black during a marriage. On the contrary, when Hamlet enters the foyer with black and sadness in Branagh’s adaptation, all the court members' are surprised by Hamlet’s action seen through their abundant facial expressions. Lastly, Hamlet’s reaction of responding Claudius in Branagh’s adaptation is through his eyes. When Claudius says “To give these mourning duties to your father. But you must know your father lost a father” (1.2.89), and Hamlet is rolling his eyes and disparaging of Claudius through his eye expression. However, Hamlet’s response to Claudius’s speech is flat in Zeffirelli’s, which he looks outside with empty eyes to pretend that he is not listening to Claudius, while that cannot show his negative feeling that appears in his soliloquy, where he describes Claudius as a “satyr” (1.2.140). Characters’ performances are influential in leading the theme of the film. In those two adaptations, Branagh’s version shows a deeper meaning behind the words while Zeffirelli’s merely shows superficial lines. Thus, Branagh