Thinking Activity : Hamlet movie screening

Here is my answer on Thinking Activity on Hamlet movie screening. Task given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir Click here to view about  this task.

• Hamlet by William Shakespeare :

   

Hamlet is the first Tragedy in Shakespeare's series of great tragedies which is believed to be published in between 1601 and 1603. This play is one of his successful, perfect and best plays ever known. Hamlet is a revenge tragedy written in the line of Roman Senecan tragedy. It is the tragedy reflection and moral sensitivity.The protagonist is very reflective and too sensitive, thus unfit for taking revenge through action. He has tyo undo the past., but the paradox of guilt and justice baffles him.The soliloquies of Hamlet help to bring out his complex mental state. When the play ends all the major characters are dead making the tragedy an absolute one.

• Movie Adaptation :

Only Dracula and Sherlock Holmes have appeared in movies than Hamlet Shakespeare's most famous play has been adapted for the screen more than fifty times, in many languages. Because Hamlet is so long. Movie versions are usually heavily cut,but there are five widely-available adaptations of Hamlet which use most or all of Shakespeare's original text.

MOVIE ADAPTATION "HAMLET"	DIRECTOR	NOTABLE CAST
Hamlet - 1969	Laurence Olivier	Laurence Olivier.
2. Hamlet - 1969	Tony Richardson	Nicol Williamson Marianne faithful, Anthony Hopkins.
3. Hamlet - 1998	Franco Zeffirelli	Mel Gibson close,Helena Bonham-Carter.
4 . Hamlet -  1996	Kenneth Branagh	Kenneth Branagh,Kate Winslet,Julie Christie.
5. Hamlet -  2000	Michael Almereyda	Ethan Hawke,Julia Stiles,Bill Murray,Kyle Maclachlan.

• Hamlet Movie screening Kenneth Branagh :

Branagh's Hamlet uses Shakespeare's full text, and even adds in several flashbacks that don't appear in the original play. The result is a running time of nearly four hours. Critics admired Branagh's performance in the title role, and this adaptation is probably the most faithful to Shakespeare's play.

Here is my answer on based on movie screening Hamlet Kenneth Branagh .

Q - 1 How faithful is the movie to the original play?

"Hamlet " movie is directed by Kenneth Brangh on 1996. A complete version of Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, it is over 4th hours long and Shakespeare's world of Hamlet is fully presented with the each dialogue as it is  in original text. The original text's dialogues covered up in this movie.

We can not say that the movie Hamlet is 100% faithful because there are many new thing in these movie. We can see that the costumes of characters look more like Victorians than 12th century Denmark or 16th century England. Branagh saws the Victorian ear and style costume,luxurious dress and rich ceremonies at the Court of Elsinore which is particularly luxurious rather than medieval time. Kenneth Branagh as'Hamlet" looks middle aged rather than young student of University.And by doing this Branagh little went away from the original play.

Q - 2 After watching the movie, have your perception about play, characters or situation changed ? 

According to my interpretation about some characters and situation are changed. In the movie (Kenneth Brangh ) hamlet is portrayed as too old than the real Prince Hamlet in the play who is very young.

Before i watched movie my perception about character of  Gertrude that she is good Queen but while watching the movie my perception is changed towards Gertrude.I have doubt her character.We can see that she was very happy with Claudius.I doubt that was she involved with Claudius to murder king Hamlet?Another one is that  i think Ophelia is a strong character but while watching the movie i see that she is became a made.

Q - 3  Do you feel ' Aesthetic delight' while watching the movie? 

Yes I feel 'aesthetic delight' while watching the movie. There are many scene in the movie its provide us aesthetic delight. I feel aesthetic delight while saw the ice-desert.

I also feel aesthetic delight while watching the ghost scene in the movie because I would like to watch ghost's movie.and also ghost performs as a vital role in the play because he wanted to revenge his murder.

I also feel aesthetic delight one scene in the movie 'Play Within the play'. Hamlet learns that his father has been murdered by Claudius. But he hesitates to execute the command of Ghost. He has doubt the genuineness of the Ghost and Claudius sin. He wishes to have strong proof before taking revenge and allows time to lapse until the arrival of the players. Their arrival inspires him with a sudden idea of enacting a play to catch the conscience of Claudius.Hamlet receives the players with enthusiasm  and plans with them to stage a play called The Murder Of Gonzago with some modification of speeches. Claudius behaviour is changed while  watching the play. The Mousetrap is well played by actore and that time king Claudias face with the trying hard not to show by his face what he is feeling. He suddenly standup and go out side. This is very interesting.

The gravedigger make a fun. He provide us aesthetic delight.

Q - 4 : Do you feel 'Catharsis' while or after watching movie?

Yes , I feel ' Catharsis' in the play, while Hamlet returned from Wittenberg to Denmark, He come to know about that his father is death and his mother grabbed by his uncle. The over hasty marriage of his mother with his uncle he gets shattered. 

Secondly we feel pity and fear towords Ophelia. Hamlet misbehave with Ophelia and also he used abusing words for her. Ophelia gone mad . The madness of Ophelia is miserable. How Ophelia became a made because of the three person in her life. Her father who abuse her for his own motives, her brother Laertes also involves in the same.

Q - 5 : Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the play?

Yes, movie is better to understanding of the play. It is a very easiest way to understanding Hamlet play through the movie screening because in this movie Kenneth Branagh tried to covered up original text's whole dialogues as much as possible. It is possible that we can't imagine that kind of whole situation as well while reading the text. so in understanding character's every emotions movie is very helpful rather than reading. I don't read the original play so the movie screening help me to batter understanding about the basic idea of the play.

Q - 6 : Was the any particular scene or moment in the movie that you will cherish lifetime?

Yes,there is last scene in the movie is cherish me lifetime .

Horatio : If your mind dislike anything , obey it. I will forestall their repair hither, and say you                   are not fit.

Hamlet :   Not a whit. We defy augury. There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it                    be now, 'tis not to come. If it be not to come,it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will                    come. The readiness is all .  Since no man of aught he leaves knows, what is't to leave                    betimes? Let be. 

               (Act five scene two)

This exchange seems to capture in its essence the changed Hamlet that we see in act five scene two. No longer is Hamlet his old questioning, searching, tormented, macabre  self. Now he has almost a zen-like acceptance of things as they are. What will be will be. All the world, at this point , seems to exist within a greater order-- perhaps an unknowable order, but an order nonetheless. The speech, while short, contains several rich paradoxes. First, Hamlet claims that there is rhyme and reason to the slightest events of the universe --there is "special providence in the fall of the sparrow."At the same time, he asserts that we know nothing of the world--"no man of aught he leaves knows." So all things are rich with meaning, yet we know not what such meaning might be. Thus Hamlet closes the play in a quiet and mysterious counter-poise with fate. He no longer attempts to understanding the unknowable, but accepts it as such ; indeed, he accepts unknowability as an inescapable condition of all existence. What good is it, then, to roil one's guts over future plans? On the contrary, not the action, but The readiness , is all.

Hamlet says," readiness is all " this line is touch in my heart I never forget it.

Q - 7 : If you are director, what changes would like to make in the remaking of movie on Shakespeare's ' Hamlet'?

Yes, if i got a chance to make some changes in the movie i would like to make some changes .I would like to change in woman character. first I would like to make changes on Gertrude character.In the movie of Hamlet I can see that Gertrude was a very happy after death oh king hamlet. She was a remarried with her husband's brother Claudius. In my changes made Gertrude as a good Queen like a Queen of Sarabi.

There are many scene same in the movie "The Lion King" is a 2019 American musical film.Here we can see that the king Mufasa was killed by his brother Scar and than Scar become a king. He feel love for his brother's wife Sarabi. He tried to convince her for marry after king was died. But here Sarabi does't marry with him. She is presented as a good and brave queen. The same thing i would like to present in the movie of hamlet. I would like to present Gertrude as good and brave queen like a Sarabi and she does't marry again. Another thing i would like to shown Hamlet as a young prince of Denmark. As a hero he will be stronger than other character. 

We can see that Ophelia was also weak character in Kenneth Brangh's movie. I would like to present her as heroin and strong and brave girl who fight against wrong thing happen in her life.In the movie 'The Lion King' we can see that Simba' beloved is very brave heroin .

Q - 8 : What does the fallen status signifies ?

In the beginning of the movie, Camera rolls over the statue of King Hamlet castle and the movie ends with the similar sequence wherein the statue of the king Hamlet is hammered down to the dust. This fall of statue symbolically represent the fall of the dynasty of the king Hamlet. The fall of the statue also signifies that at the end after death nothing remains, like a pride, rule, money destroy with the cycle of the mortal things. Perhaps Kenneth Branagh wants to say that 'Revenge' is not right moral answer . It was King Hamlet who wanted his murder to be avenged and thus the fall of his statue signifies the fall of an empire.

Q - 9 : While studying the play through movie, which approach do you find more applicable to the play? Why ? Give reasons.

There are many approach applicable to the play but i would like to apply philosophical approach because we can see that  Hamlet is a student of philosophy.

We know that Hamlet is a philosopher and sharper minded. When Claudius alone while he was praying, at that time he had great opportunity to kill him he also try we can see above pic but he didn't it. He thought that if he would kill him while praying then his soul would go to the heaven which Hamlet never want. Here philosophical approach well applicable.

One more thing i would like to apply philosophical approach here. Hamlet also think a philosophical way.

" To Be Or Not To Be "

The first six words of the soliloquy establish a balance. There is a direct opposition - to be, or not to be. Hamlet is thinking about life and death and pondering a state of being versus a state of not being- being alive and being death. Click here to learn more about this philosophical question 'To be or not to be'. I think philosophical approach more applicable here.

Q - 10 : Which of the above approach ( in the pre-viewing task ) appeals you more than other? Why? give reason. 

Which of the all above approach i would like to appeals Psychological approach rather than other. Hamlet madness is also seeming as psychological mind of Hamlet. Hamlet's delay to take revenge is shows that he is victim of exssesive melancholy he could not do anything.

Norman n. Holland neatly summed up the both for Hamlet's delay and also four our three- hundred- year delay in comprehending Hamlet's true motives :

               Now what do critics mean when they say that Hamlet cannot

                  act because of his Oedipus complex? The argument is very sim-

                  ple, very elegant. One, people over the centuries have been

                  unable to say why Hamlet delays in killing the man who mur-

                 dered his father and married his mother. TWo, psychoanalytic

                 experience shows that every child wants to do just exactly that.

                 Three, Hamlet delays because he cannot punish Claudius for

                 doing what he himself wished to do as a child and, uncon-

                sciously, still wishes to do: he would be punishing himself. Four,

                the fact that this wish is unconscious explains why people could

                 not explain Hamlet's delay. 

The delay of revenge we can say that psychological mind of Hamlet.

Hamlet is a great tragedy by William Shakespeare. The movie Kenneth Brangh is such interesting . The character is well presented in the movie . I enjoyed the movie screening.

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