More handpicked essays just for you.
Characterise shakespeare plays short topic
Shakespeare's plot and characterization
Shakespeare drama literary analysis
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Different adaptations of William Shakespeare’s works have taken various forms. Through the creative license that artists, directors, and actors take, diverse incarnations of his classic works continue to arise. Gregory Doran’s Hamlet and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet bring William Shakespeare’s work by the same title to the screen. These two film adaptations take different approaches in presenting the turmoil of Hamlet. From the diverging takes on atmosphere to the characterization of the characters themselves, the many possible readings of Hamlet create the ability for the modification of the presentation and the meaning of the play itself. Doran presents David Tenant as Hamlet in a dark, eerie, and minimal setting; his direction highlighting the …show more content…
The setting of this scene is not only a metaphor for the internal character of Gertrude, but also functions as the platform on which Hamlet reveals how he feels about all of her transgressions. The use of the mirror as a metaphor is also warped from this point on, as the mirror is cracked and all reflections in the glass are distorted. The very same mirror that is shot in this scene is present when Ophelia gives her final monologue before she dies. She finds the freedom to speak her mind in her insanity and, arguably, the true, mentally fragmented reflection of her character is seen. The reflections and characterizations in the scene in Gertrude’s closet are consistent with Doran’s character driven rendition of Hamlet. Hamlet’s violence towards Gertrude continues, as he holds her head roughly and shows her the newspaper images of the late king and Claudius. This is an interesting part of the scene because Hamlet is describing the differences between the two men, when, in reality, both are played by the same actor, Patrick Stewart. In some ways, the queen marring her deceased husband’s “twin brother” results in an even more incestual feeling. This is troubling, yet keeps the focus upon the family drama of the play. While this scene unfolds, Gertrude is constantly afraid and on the verge of tears. This shows that she too is ashamed of …show more content…
Unsurprisingly, Branagh’s version of the scene in Gertrude’s closet contains many differences as well. Even in this scene so wrought with family peril, the focus of Branagh’s Hamlet remains on the theme of revenge. From the moment Hamlet arrives in Gertrude’s chamber there is a screaming match. Gertrude is indignant and insulted, rather than hurt and scared as in Doran’s portrayal. Even when Hamlet becomes more violent and physical with her, she still appears to be strong and a nearly even adversary. The killing of Polonius occurs in a similar fashion, except he is hidden behind a curtain rather than a mirror and Hamlet kills him with a dagger instead of a gun. This time period difference is vital in the playing out of this murder, because the “revenge” that takes place is much more personal with a dagger than with a gun. Hamlet is able to commit the murder from farther away with a gun, creating a less hands-on image of murder and revenge. During Hamlet’s line regarding revealing Gertrude’s innermost part, instead of simply referencing a mirror, the audience sees Hamlet try to forcefully undress her. Where in Doran’s film this disrobing was entirely figurative, Branagh takes it more literally in the scene’s staging. For most of the scene, Hamlet and Gertrude are leaning towards each other as if it is a heated argument, rather than Hamlet
A Comparison of the Character Hamlet, of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and McMurphy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
After the death of Old Hamlet and Gertrude’s remarriage to Claudius, Hamlet feels extremely angry and bitter. “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!” (1.2.133-134). Due to the death of his father, he is already in a state of despair and the lack of sympathy that his mother has towards his sorrow does not aid him in recovering from this stage of grief. “Good Hamlet, cast thy knighted colour off, / And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark” (1.2.68-69). Hamlet is struggling to accept the fashion in which Gertrude is responding to the death of Old Hamlet; she seems quite content with her new life with Claudius, which is a difficult concept for him to accept as after the d...
Hamlet the movie starts out differently. It starts out with the funeral for King Hamlet with Gertrude standing beside the coffin. Hamlet sprinkles dust over his father?s dead body. The coffin is then covered and Claudius, Old Hamlet?s brother, places his sword over the coffin and Gertrude cries. The second difference is the way the scene is with the player?s putting o...
Branagh’s view on the mother-son relationship in the closet scene is a more practical portrayal in comparison to Gregory Dovan and Campbell Scott’s versions. Firstly, in the film directed by Kenneth Branagh, the relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude is portrayed with emotional intensity, as they both struggle to come to terms with reality. When Hamlet says “I must be cruel only to be kind” (Ham. III.iv.180), he and Gertrude place their foreheads together, as they both repent on the conflict apparent within their relationship. At this point in their conversation, Hamlet has lowered his vocal tone, speaking to Gertrude in a calm manner (Branagh 1996). This action proves that Branagh believes Hamlet and Gertrude have a close connection as mother and son. Although Branagh allows for Hamlet’s emotions to get the better of him earlier in this scene, Hamlet’s true anxiety is portrayed as a result of h...
“To be or not to be, that is the question.” It is a well-known quote from Hamlet who was created by Shakespeare. William Shakespeare is known as a great poet, playwright, and actor. He had written about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and many other writings (Bevington, 1). He was not only a playwright, but also he was the father of 1,380 characters (Bevington, 2), including Hamlet, Romeo, Juliet, Claudio, Prospero and Henry V. Shakespeare successfully created different characters and each of them had their unique personalities. Most of the well-known characters were not only alive in the plays, but also their characteristics could be found in the reality.
To be or not to be that is the question. Both the Ethan Hawkes and Gibson version of this famous speech by Shakespeare are portrayed differently. The differences of the setting in both versions gives the viewer different emotions as they watch the speech.
Tragedies in the Greek theater when compared to tragedies in the Renaissance theater varied in similarities and differences. Greek theater encouraged the use of religious figures while Renaissance theater was supposed to be strictly pagan in its ideologies. Theater was most dominantly used to depict the social and religious constraints of the time period. For example, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex are both portrayals of deceit, murder, and revenge all of which lead to the demise of its leading characters. Hamlet is depicted as a young man who is seeking revenge for his fathers death. Oedipus is a king who means to free the people of Thebes from a disease that has been plaguing them. They share similarities in that each of their love interest are conduits of their pain and anguish, further pushing the protagonists over the precipice. The voice of reason that they share is Creon in Oedipus Rex and Horatio in Hamlet. Their tragic flaw is that they are both ultimately and utterly doomed and no amount of guidance will steer them away from what has been predestined by fate. They are ultimately doomed to be their own Achilles heel.
One of Shakespeare’s great pieces of work, Hamlet, has been divided to alternate versions Quarto 1and Quarto 2. Focusing on Act I Scene iii, apparently the differences in these two versions are mainly on the way the characters are formed and the language that is used. Quarto 1 is a much more compact version that has weakly defined characters and uninformed language. As for Quarto 2 this lack of complexity is not so. This version has a higher quality of character depth and a language that is more comprehensible to allow more meaning to the play. Nonetheless the mutuality between these two versions main idea are clearly the significant mutilations to these scene are factors that make the play have a different meaning. The Quarto that would be most appealing to actors and the one that would be more fulfilling to the reader would be the second one because of it richness in characters and language.
In “Hamlet,” Shakespeare commendably conveys a, if you will, a “love story” between the major characters in the play. Hamlet, Gertrude and Claudius are the individuals he writes about. In this story, Gertrude must choose between her son, a loyal, sincere male figure in her life that has always supported and loved her, or a man who can offer her power and fulfill her dependency trait, which one may say is what she has always strived to attain. Gertrude’s inability to see the bigger picture of King Claudius’ deceit and ill morals is what makes Gertrude a weak and submissive character. While Gertrude means no harm, her poor judgment contributes significantly to the rotten events that occur throughout the play. The choices Gertrude does make ultimately leads to her death and the downfall of the ones she loves as well.
Oddly, it appears that Gertrude possess more significance to Hamlet than one first anticipates. Her swift call to matrimony leads Hamlet into a spiraling quarry of depression and grieving. This mirrors the Oedipus complex. Gertrude sexually commits herself to Claudius causing Hamlet to feel a sense of jealousy and disappointment. In retaliation, he expresses his repressed desire of love through his unruly comments. He even goes as far as to say that the love is incestuous. Furthermore, in Act 3 scene 4, Hamlet confronts his mother directly in a closet. Addressing concern over her sexual actions, he exclaims “In the rank sweat of an enseamèd bed, / Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love / Over the nasty sty” (III.iv.104-106). Not only does this quote show that Hamlet disapproves his mother’s marriage, but also that he believes Claudius is a wicked criminal. Aligning with the Oedipus complex, Hamlet strangely obsesses over his mother’s love life while viewing his uncle in
Queen Gertrude is the wife of the late King Hamlet and the mother of their son Hamlet; she is a simple yet important character in a play called Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Gertrude finds herself in a dilemma after the sudden death of her husband King Hamlet. She hastily decides to marry the former king's brother Claudius. Hamlet becomes incredibly angry over this state of affairs, but, rather than halt her engagement Gertrude continues on. The queen requests that Hamlet stays in the kingdom rather return to his studies. She must continue to make attempts to cover up Hamlet's behavior, which eventually cause her death at the end.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, shows strong prejudice against woman especially with such characters of Ophelia and Gertrude. Shakespeare created an interesting character with Gertrude; he created a character that sits in the middle of all the conflict and appears to not partake in much of it. However Gertrude does seem intent in defusing it at every possible chance she receives. Gertrude is a central figure in the play. She appears a great deal but doesn’t say much – implying mystery and creating an interesting uncertainty in the audience. Hamlet spends a lot of time dwelling on her marriage to Claudius and Shakespeare leaves many questions unanswered with Gertrude such as did she have an affair with Claudius behind old hamlets back? Why does she drink the poisoned wine that is intended for her son? Does she know it is poisoned? Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet and although they do not have a typical mother son relationship she does love him. Queen Gertrude is often interpreted by many as an adulterate, incestuous woman. Catherine Belsey states that typical interpretations of Hamlet maintain: ‘Gertrude a slut; and Shakespeare a patriarchal bard’ (Belsey,1997:34). Gertrude’s actions throughout the play could be read to show her to be a very passive character, far from a strong independent woman. This is shown with her obedience to Claudius, three times during the play, Gertrude is told to leave and each times she complies without hesitation. In Act 1, scene 2 Claudius says to Gertrude, ‘Madam, come’ (122). Then again, Act 3, scene 1, Claudius says to her, ‘Sweet Gertrude, leave us .’ (28), she complies with ; ‘I shall obey you’ (37). And finally, in Act 4, scene 1, Claudius say, ‘O Gertrude, come away!’ (28). This obedience that Gertrude ...
To begin, Gertrude is presented in differing manners throughout Hamlet the play versus Hamlet (2000) the film. In Shakespeare’s play, she originally is cast as a woman who has power due to her husband, but sits as a trophy wife. Craving power, safety, and comfort, she depends on men for her position and control. Seeming to have poor judgment, she never expresses self-reflection throughout the play and just seems to be a bit oblivious to everything, ultimately resulting in her death as an unaware victim of a game she ensnared herself
When Gertrude tries to protect Hamlet from Claudius in act IV, scene 1, when describing to Claudius about Hamlet 's killing of Polonius, Gertrude covers up Hamlets indifferent attitude by saying that he cried afterwards: “ Shows itself pure. He weeps for what is done” (IV.I.27). She knows that Hamlet did not show sorrow, but as a mother, she wants to describe him in a way that will make things easier for him. However, this does not change the conflict towards Gertrude and Hamlet. Hamlet is still enraged with vengeance and Gertrude’s nurturing act does not help the situation: “The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body. The king is a thing—Of nothing: Bring me to him. Hide fox, and all after” (IV.II.22-23, 25). Gertrude’s acts does not stop Hamlet from seeking revenge. She does not have the insight to distinguish between sincerity and deception in people. She seems to be more concerned with being caught in the middle of the two men in her life than with the possibility she has done something
In writing Hamlet, William Shakespeare plumbed the depths of the mind of the protagonist, Prince Hamlet, to such an extent that this play can rightfully be considered a psychological drama.