Kenneth Branagh In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Hamlet is a very popular tragedy written by the famous author William Shakespeare. This drama follows Prince Hamlet and his quest to avenge his father. The play was first performed approximately between 1600 and 1601 (Alchin). Hamlet is still performed to this day in many big theatrical theaters, such as Broadway in New York City. Many movie adaptations have come from it. The “To be, or not to be” line is one of the most, if not the most, famous line uttered in the entire play. Many people, such as I, have had knowledge of this line long before knowing where it came from. Each rendition of Hamlet differs in the choices the director and actors make, which contribute to the feeling and the message of the scene. The goal is to create the best …show more content…

Therefore, it would only make sense if the costumes the actors wear resemble outfits from that time period. Mel Gibson’s costume is black and ordinary. In general, it is something you would expect to see in the medieval era. Kenneth Branagh’s costume is very formal. It makes Hamlet seem very wealthy. After all, he is a prince, therefore this outfit fits the character. Branagh is seen wearing a black suit jacket over a white button up, along with black slacks and black dress shoes. Once again, this resembles something you might expect from the medieval era. Looking both Branagh’s and Gibson’s outfit, the viewer would not think twice about the choice in clothing and the time period it belongs to. David Tennant’s attire, however, does not fit the time period Hamlet is set in. He is wearing an orange shirt and jeans. This takes away from his performance. It is impossible for Shakespeare to envision Hamlet to be wearing something like this. This type of clothing did not even exist during the medieval era. Thankfully, the camera is positioned on his face and not much attention is drawn to his outfit, at least for this scene. Gibson and Branagh make much better use of costume design than

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