Gregory Doran's Adapta Of Hamlet

A Contemporary Classic: The Adaptation of Hamlet for a Modern Audience

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, first written in 1601, is one of his most beloved plays (Delville, and Michel). It continues to endure through the centuries, even in a new millennium. This prominence would not be realized without the numerous versions that have been released since its publication date. A particularly recent take on the renowned play, released in 2009, is directed by Gregory Doran. Throughout the film, he maintains the sentiments of the original piece, but complements them with his own alterations for contemporary distribution. Specifically, Doran’s adaptation of Act 4, Scene 2 of Hamlet appeals to its twenty-first century audience through a captivating protagonist, the effective use of a single camera, and the interpreted expressions and motions employed by the actors. In this version of Hamlet, David Tennant portrays the title character in a manner that interests a modern

This allows a contemporary version of the play, such as Doran’s, to appeal to a twenty-first century audience. Tennant, a charismatic actor, demonstrates many of these non-speaking actions on his own, but he is also aided by the rest of the actors in the scene, especially Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, played by Sam Alexander and Tom Davey, respectively. After Rosencrantz says to Hamlet, “Take you me for a sponge, my lord?” (Shakespeare IV.ii.13), the protagonist replies: Ay, sir, that soaks up the King’s countenance, his rewards, his authorities. But such offers do the King best service in the end: he keeps them, like an ape, in the corner of his jaw; first mouthed, to be last swallowed. When he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you and, sponge, you shall be dry again. (Shakespeare