Hamlet: Comparing the Play and Film Version - Research Paper Example

Comparing William Shakespeare’s Hamlet play to the film version There are numerous adaptations of the play Hamlet by Shakespeare. This piece of work has been featured in many films that have been produced over different timelines. Some Hamlet films have been directed by produced by Laurence Olivier, Franco Zeffirelli, Michael Almereyda and Kenneth Branagh. The film versions of the play have been produced to make it easy to study the works of Shakespeare. For the purposes of the essay, the film version by Michael Almereyda will be discussed (Shakespeare 50). Michael Almereyda appreciates the cultural influence the works of Shakespeare have had across the world. In his film, he attempts to create an updated version of the play that is original and relevant today. The film version of Hamlet directed by Almereyda attempts to recreate Shakespeare’s play and there are some notable differences between the two version of Hamlet. In all his work, Shakespeare uses theatrical content to showcase his dramatic knowledge. Although his plays are confined to set time frames, his plays have a high degree of truth of correspondence. Although the play strictly focuses on Denmark, Michael Almereyda’s film moves the setting of the play five hundred years to come and half way the world over. The shift in setting does not, however, alter the plot and main concept of the play. He shifts the action to the year 2000 in New York. Instead of the setting being in Denmark as in the play, Demark is the name of a corporation in the film (Shakespeare 100). The CEO of the corporation is Claudius Hamlet’s uncle and he is the antagonist of the play. The personalities, themes and motives of the play’s antagonist and protagonist have been clearly captured in the film as written in the play by Shakespeare. Almereyda skillfully captures the basic elements that are enshrined in play, in his film. The play by Shakespeare begins at the castle where the guards are standing with Horatio. Horatio and the guard are anticipating the King Hamlet’s ghost arrival. The ghost appears twice and does not speak. The ghost is a symbol of the consequence of death. The guard decides to tell Hamlet of the ghost. In films start with the King’s funeral in this scene Gertrude stands besides the king’s coffin. The actions and themes in the film and play are centered on the protagonist Hamlet. The film adaptation by Almereyda attempts to portray the Hamlet’s character. Symbolism and visual imagery have played and major role in bringing out the protagonist character. In the film, young Hamlet represents a modernized adaptation of the character. Although the character is modernized, His character mirrors that which Shakespeare wrote in his play. Almereyda’s Hamlet is molded in a version that will appease the audience today. Hamlet’s wardrobe is mainly black color which is symbolic. There is a deep focus on Hamlet’s interest on artsy technology and his creation of documentary films (Shakespeare 150). Throughout the film, Almereyda portrays film motif, which represents a parallel to the use of metadrama in Shakespeare’s play. The film version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet takes a different approach to portray metadrama. All scenes involving Hamlet have filming equipment featured. Some of the features employed include photography, television or film editing. The rising action of the film and the play is where the ghost appears to Hamlet. The scenes where the ghost of King Hamlet returns to request young Hamlet to avenge his father’s death, the television jumps to a scene where a man walks engulfed in fiery flames. This represents a metaphoric accent. The film shows the parallel between the reappearance of the King’s ghost and a man coming from hell. The climax of the film is where Hamlet commits to avenge the death of his father. The scenes where Ophelia is visited by Hamlet, Ophelia is seen in a dark room. She is gracefully hanging her photography. The films show some of the photo’s she is hanging, and they understand that she has a deep attachment to her photography. The presence of Hamlets distracts Ophelia which show that she cares about him. The attention and care in which Ophelia hangs the photography symbolizes what she feels for Hamlet. In the same way in later scenes when Hamlet shows no affection towards Ophelia, she tosses the photograph which symbolizes her detachment from Hamlet. In the film Almereyda intensely uses visual imagery aided by use of modern technology. In this case, the understanding of Hamlet of acting and plays is replaced by knowledge in film, making in the Almereyda’s film version. The use of play within a play is also a prominent theme in the film. The documentaries created by the modern Hamlet portray various themes. Michael Almereyda leaves out various parts involving Ophelia especially during madness. The deletion of the lines made Ophelia appear crazier in Almereyda's film. To some level, the film and the play have a slight deviation. In the film Almereyda tries to portray the young generation as disaffected and cool. The play, however, emphasizes that the young generation is motivated by passion that pushes them to engage in extreme acts. Some characters in the play have been greatly alienated in the film. Perhaps Almereyda wanted thought certain scenes; themes and characters complicated the film production. The film by all standards is however a well made play.Various lines in the play, especially long sentences have been edited to make them shorter and easier to memorize and understand for the learners. Scenes from the play have been altered in the film adaptation. The director, Almereyda, was able to achieve truth of coherence by moving the scenes back and forth to create chronology of actions resulting in easier understanding of Shakespeare’s work. It is worth noting that Almereyda preserved dialogue used by Shakespeare in the play. He incorporated most of the renowned phrases in the film. A comparison between the film by Almereyda and the play write Shakespeare show that Almereyda is very modest. His modesty alienates the power that the literature of Shakespeare has for centuries eloquently created. Critics of Almereyda’s Hamlet film argue that the film failed to capture the original version of Hamlet as portrayed in the play. The character of the protagonist Hamlet and Ophelia is not clearly captured in the film. The starring cast of the film is way below par though the support cast strives to make the film worth watching. However, there are certain aspects that make the film adaptation worth watching. Work Cited William, Shakespeare. Hamlet. Classic Books Company, 2001, pg 1-500 Shakespeare, William, and Alan Dent. Hamlet: The Film and the Play. London: World Film Publications, 1948. Print. Cook, Patrick J. Cinematic Hamlet: The Films of Olivier, Zeffirelli, Branagh, and Almereyda. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2011. Print. Cantor, Paul A. Shakespeare, Hamlet: [a Student Guide]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print. Read More