Kenneth Branaughs Hamlet or William Shakespeares Hamlet? Essay

Kenneth Branaughs village or William Shakespeares Hamlet?Kenneth Branaugh may have had the script of William Shakespeares Hamletspoken down to every last thee and thou, merely one must remember that this isHamlet through Branaughs eyes, not Shakespeares. Therefore, dismissingobvious additions made for adapting the play to film, such as having a realcastle kind of of a stage, it is possible to observe the unique characters,interpretations, actions, and setting that make this version the directors own.In the time of Shakespeare, one of the actors main challenges was to usethe words to paint the survey for the audience, since, for the most part, theywere looking at a bare stage. However, this use of imagination and portrayal isno longer needed when the script is brought to film. Every pearl and chiphave been placed strategically originally the audience, so that there is no need tolisten to the language to create your own vision of Hamlets world. Branaughsworld is fully of lavish affairs, freezing winters, and halls of mirrors. Theuse of the camera has some definite advantages and disadvantages. First, sincethe characters are no longer limited by a defined space, they are adapted todeliver their long speeches while being in a constant state of motion. Thisoccurs in the scene with the guards, and most noticeably in the scene withLaertes and Ophelia, before he leaves for France. This same scene demonstrateshow the camera enables the characters to switch from one setting to the next, aswhen Laertes, Ophelia, and Polonius are taken from outside to the church. This,in turn, helps Branaugh set the scene for Ophelia and Polonius, in which,Ophelia confesses everything to her father, perhaps only because she is in aconfession booth. Filming also allows for clarification of what is being saidthrough silent plays. During characters dialogue, the scene switches toactions of the past, present, and even to things that could happen. This seemsto be used to give the audien ce a better understanding of what is happening, andit also helps to further develop the characters so that the story is built up tothe audience, rather therefore being tossed into the middle of the storyline. YoungFortinbras is often shown in these silent plays and is the only way hischaracter is able to be developed to such an extent. This technique is... ...h Hamlet being carried out in a cross formation, perhaps suggesting thatHamlets pursuit of vengeance was his crucifixion.There are so many ways this work base be interpreted and acted out, andthat makes it tight to be critical when there is no standard to compare it to.This film was Kenneth Branaughs vision of Hamlet, and so to him it ismagnificent. To myself, this film had many splendiferous spots and was verythorough and well acted out. However, at times, the action and music became abit overwhelming. Perhaps Branaugh got a little to caught up in the moment, itis hard to say. The silent plays that were shown throughout ( King Hamletsdeath, the drowned Ophelia, Hamlets childhood days with Yurich, Priamsslaughter, Fortinbras) added a lot to the film, because it gave the characters ahistory and allowed for a non-shakespearean audience to better understand whatwas being said. The edition from play to film is not always very easy, andobviously some changes have to occur. Branaughs version of Hamlet definitelyhad some additions, but it still captured the union of Shakespeare making itan interesting piece of work, and an enjoyable film.