Adaptation of Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Hamlet(the movie)1990

Hamlet is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is estimated to have been

written between 1599 and 1601. One of Shakespeare’s best-known and most highly regarded
works, it is also his longest, containing a total of 29,551 words and 4042 lines.
Interestingly, there are three different versions of the play which have survived to
this day. The first version, published in 1603, is only just over half as long as the second,
which was printed a year later in 1604. The third version was published in 1623, as part of the
first version of Shakespeare’s Complete Works. The version most of us know today is a
combination of the second two versions.
Hamlet is a tragedy which deals with a wide variety of themes, including love, death,
revenge and mental health.
The play centres around the main character, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. When
Hamlet’s father dies, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, marries his mother and takes the throne for
himself. Hamlet’s father appears to the young prince as a ghost, telling his son that he was
murdered by Claudius, and he wants Hamlet to kill Claudius to avenge his death.
Hamlet feels he needs proof before taking any drastic action, and he pretends to be
mentally ill while he investigates the claims made by his father’s ghost. However, he
genuinely becomes deeply affected mentally by the situation, and ends up accidentally killing
another man, Polonius, believing him to be Claudius. Polonius was the father of Hamlet’s
girlfriend Ophelia, and, on hearing the news, she kills herself by drowning.
The story culminates in a sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes, Ophelia’s brother.
Laertes has dipped his sword in poison, which he has also added to some wine. This results in
the deaths of Hamlet, his mother Gertrude, and Claudius at the end of the play.
ACT 1
The play opens with a meeting between Hamlet’s friend, Horatio, and two of the
palace guards. The guards inform Horatio that they have seen a ghost resembling the King,
who has recently died. The ghost then appears to the group, and they decide to tell Hamlet
about it.
We then cut to the following morning, and the wedding of the King’s widow,
Gertrude, to his brother, Claudius. Claudius has taken the throne, and Hamlet is extremely
unhappy about this and his mother’s wedding. Horatio and the guards inform Hamlet about
the ghost.
The following scene shows us a conversation between the new King’s advisor,
Polonius, and his son and daughter, Laertes and Ophelia. Ophelia has a romantic interest in
Hamlet, and her father and brother advise her against this. She agrees not to see him anymore.
That night, Hamlet sees the King’s ghost. The ghost tells him that he was murdered
by Claudius, and he wants Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing Claudius. However, he
doesn’t want Hamlet to harm Gertrude in any way. Hamlet agrees to his father’s wishes, but
decides he needs to get proof of the truth before taking action. He thinks the best way to do
this is by feigning mental illness, and he informs Horatio and one of the guards of his plan.
 ACT 2
Hamlet starts to carry out his plan, acting strangely. Ophelia breaks off her
relationship with him, and she tells Polonius that Hamlet’s behaviour is extremely out of
character. Polonius is convinced that Hamlet is still in love with Ophelia, and he tells
Claudius. The pair start to spy on Hamlet to try and find a reason for his strange behaviour.
Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, is also concerned about the change in her son. She asks
his old school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to try and find out what’s wrong with
him. They’re unsuccessful, as Hamlet won’t answer their questions.
A travelling theatre company then arrives at the palace. Hamlet requests that the
following night they should perform a play about a man who kills his brother and marries his
brother’s widow, in the hope that it will provoke a guilty reaction in Claudius.

ACT 3
Ophelia and Hamlet meet so she can return the gifts he gave her when they were
together. Hamlet tells her the best thing she can do is go to live in a nunnery. This confuses
Polonius and Claudius, who are spying on the pair. They conclude that Hamlet’s madness
hasn’t been caused by Ophelia, and Claudius thinks Hamlet should be sent away to live in
England if nobody can find out what’s wrong with him.
That night, the theatre company performs the play. Claudius storms out, stopping the
action and convincing Hamlet that his father’s ghost was telling the truth. He makes up his
mind to murder Claudius that night, but hears him praying and decides to wait.
Hamlet goes to see his mother, Gertrude, and they have an argument about everything
that’s been happening. When Hamlet hears someone moving behind a tapestry, he thinks it’s
Claudius, and stabs the intruder. He then realises it’s actually Polonius he’s killed. The old
King’s ghost appears again, telling Hamlet he shouldn’t have upset his mother. Gertrude can’t
see the ghost, and thinks Hamlet’s apparently one-sided conversation is proof that he’s gone
mad. The scene ends with Hamlet dragging Polonius’s body away.

ACT 4
Claudius sends Hamlet away to England with his friends Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern. On the way, he discovers that Claudius has asked the English King to have him
killed when he arrives. Hamlet decides to send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in his place, and
return home. He sends a letter to his friend Horatio, explaining that he has stowed away on a
pirate ship that is bringing him back to Denmark.
Ophelia has gone mad with grief following her father’s death. She kills herself by
drowning. Her brother Laertes, blaming Hamlet for his sister’s death as well as his father’s,
swears to get revenge. He teams up with Claudius, and the pair devise a way to bring about
Hamlet’s death.

ACT 5
On his return to Denmark, Hamlet meets Horatio in the graveyard. He finds the skull of
an old friend, the court jester Yorick, and talks to Horatio about life and death. Ophelia’s
funeral procession then arrives.
During the funeral, Hamlet and Laertes have a fight. A duel is arranged between the
two of them to settle their differences. However, Claudius and Laertes have already hatched
their plan to kill Hamlet. They agree that they will dip Laertes’s sword in poison, and also
bring some poisoned wine to the duel for Hamlet to drink.
At the duel, Hamlet refuses to drink the wine, which Claudius has offered him.
However, his mother, Gertrude, drinks it, and dies instantly. Laertes and Hamlet each wound
each other. As he’s dying, Laertes confesses the plot he and Claudius hatched to kill Hamlet,
and asks for Hamlet’s forgiveness. Hamlet then stabs Claudius with the poisoned sword,
killing him.
Hamlet, of course, has also been stabbed with the poisoned blade. In his last breath, he
asks Horatio to tell the future King about him. The play ends as Hamlet dies, and Horatio
promises to tell his story.
There are many adaptations of Hamlet, including the film Hamlet from 1990. There are
similarities and differences between the two.
This movie from 1990 reconstruction of the original play,successfully interpreted
Shakespeare’s original intentions.Using characters,theme and setting the director effectively
portrayed Shakespeare’s vision,staying true to the original play.
Interpreted Themes
The themes portrayed in the film stay true to the original play. Themes such as
uncertainty leads to madness, appearance vs reality and hamlet's existential dilemma are all
conveyed effectively in the film. In the Movie his soliloquy in Act 4 where he says " How all
occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge! What is a man If his chief good
and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? A beast " and continues with self hating
woes, is completely cut from the script. This was probably done to emphasize Hamlet's
madness as oppose to his self hatred.
Appearance vs Reality
This theme is portrayed both in the original play and the film. In Act 1 Hamlet receives
the instructions from the ghost of his father to avenge his death by killing his murderer,
Hamlet's uncle. During this scene Hamlet has conflicted thoughts over how justifiable it
would if he killed another human being. He starts to doubt the ghost that he saw as he says
"The spirit that I have seen May be a devil; and the devil hath power".
Therefore the audience can wonder how much creditability this ghost truly has. Even
when he decides to put Claudius to the test to see his reaction to the play and Claudius gives
the anticipated reaction, other questions arise as if his reaction can be enough to give
culpability. Although throughout the play Hamlet fakes madness, it is never clear if during the
play Hamlet actually goes mad. Hamlet has conflicting thoughts over being able to achieve
his revenge and then feels guilty over his lack of action to be able to fulfill his fathers wishes.
Hamlet's self loathing cycle begins as he procrastinates the murder of his uncle later hating
himself for it. This drives Hamlet into a suicidal state where Mel Gibson accurately conveys
the famous soliloquy " To be or not to be" Hamlet's uncertainty lead him madness, it drove
him to kill Polonius with cold blood.
The parrallism between Fortinbras and Hamlet is highlighted through this theme as
Fortinbras take immediate action to avenge his dead father while Hamlet stays in a paralyzed
state without taking definite action. The film effectively portrays the theme with an emotional
dramatization through Mel Gibson's skillful acting. During the film Hamlet, the conflict
between appearance and reality is always present. Characters in Hamlet all hide behind masks
to conceal their true identities. Hamlet for example fakes madness as he gives the impression
that his love for Ophelia has drove him to insanity.
Hamlet when talking to his friends about his sanity "I am but mad north-north-west.
When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw". Therefore saying that he is
calculating, he knows when to act mad as otherwise he is sane. This theme is also
demonstrated through Claudius. Claudius feigns being a caring and wise king yet he has
ulterior motives as he has dark secrets and uses Rosencrantz,Guildenstern and Polonius to
hide it.
Claudius fears Hamlet's madness for his own well being yet pretends to be concerned
for his nephew. Another example of deceit is seen through Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who
at first glance appear to care for the well being of his friend yet also have ulterior motives.
Hamlet also lies to them as he knows that they are working with the king yet goes along with
the deception. This film along with the play is full of characters who appear to be what they
are not. Director Zeffroni demonstrates this theme through added actions and scenes of the
characters, for example when Claudius laughs after the play, his mask is easy to see through
in that moment.
Existential Crisis. Uncertainty leads to madness
The theme of Hamlet's existential crisis is evident during the film which fulfill
Shakespeare's intentions. Mel Gibson playing Hamlet, dramatically delivered the soliloquy of
Act 3 "To be or not to be" Here Hamlet was conflicted over his existence, basically saying to
exist or not to exist. As during that era most people had very strong religious beliefs, Hamlet
says "Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon
'gainst self-slaughter! O God, God!". Hamlet knew that suicide was considered a sin to god as
he knew that killing himself would deem him to everlasting hell in the afterlife yet he felt that
his life was just as bad. Hamlet later goes to say "But that the dread of something after
death,The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveler returns,". He feels that the
only reason humanity itself stays alive is the fear of the unknown, as nobody knows what
happens in the afterlife and comes back to tell the tale. If Hamlet was truly mad, this could
have been a reason that drove him to that state, his existential crisis.
Character Interpretation:
- Director Zeffrelli played more on the crazy side of Hamlet (Mel Gibson) where he is
furious and impulsive as oppose to the play where Hamlet was more of a suicidal and
depressed character
- Hamlet is a depreciating character as he hates himself for not acting quickly with his
father's revenge as he morally has conflicting thoughts over killing Claudias.
HAMLET Played by: Mel Gibson In Hamlet's soliloquy while planning the play
against the king, it starts off with self loathing as he says "Now I am alone. Oh, what a rogue
and peasant slave am I!".
This is not included in the movie as the director desires to protray him as an angrier
character who is less depressed therefore only the end of the soliloquy is acted out by Hamlet
(Mel Gibson) Hamlet 1990 vs Shakespeare This 1990 reconstruction of the original play,
successfully interpreted Shakespeare's original intentions. Using characters, theme and setting
the director effectively portrayed Shakespeare's vision, staying true to the original play.
The Director portrayed the characters is a similar fashion as Shakespeare, achieving his
intentions. There were small differences where lines were added or scenes were cut yet
overall the characters portray the original characters effectively. The following are some
noticeable differences between the characters in the movie and the ones in the play.
Character Interpretation:
Gertrude is portrayed by a beautiful and youthful looking actress, conveying her as an
attractive woman. Incest is shown multiple time through actions between her character and
Hamlet that are otherwise not described in the original play.
Gertrude (Glenn Close) In the scene where Hamlet and his mother argue, during the
movie they are seen to kiss on their mouths and be more intimate then described in the play.
In their argument Hamlet says "Nay, but to live In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, Stew'd
in corruption, honeying and making love" Although the line said accurately during this time,
Hamlet is seen thrusting his pelvis at the Queen which establishes more of an incestuous
undertone.
Other noticeable. Character Interpretations:
King Claudius: In the original play the king is although portrayed as a malicious
character, the film emphasizes this as different scenes were added to portray Claudius as more
malevolent. For example in the scene where Claudius sees the play Hamlet has prepared for
him as he rises he says "Turn on the lights. Get me out of here! " and leaves. Yet in the film
this scene is made much more dramatic and the king rises he cups his ear and later starts
laughing giving off a more evil undertone.
Ophelia: Ophelia is seen as more of a emotional and dramatic character than in the
original play. For example in the play in Act 5 Gertrude reports her death of drowning in the
river like she belonged there she said "As one incapable of her own distress, Or like a creature
native and indued Unto that element." She was more of a mysterious character that was easily
moved by the orders of the men in her life.
In the film there is more understanding to her character as a scene is included where
she contemplates her suicide and then she is seen floating in the river.
SETTING
- A different scene added to the film that was not in the original play is the funeral of the
king.
The setting portrayed in the play is similar to Shakespeare's originally described
setting. Most scenes take place in the castle of the royal family of Denmark. The director
emphasized a lot of detail onto props, scenery and costumes to accurately reflect the time
period. - There is no scene where in the beginning of the original play the guards are met with
the ghost of the King.
This adds to Shakespeare intentions of creating a more ominous and anticipated
feeling towards the ghost as it emphasizes the importance of the ghost as it is not seen until
later on in the film. - The film takes place in a Medieval Era yet the scenery accurately
reflects the ominous setting readers imagine while reading Hamlet.
- The castle the movie was filmed in was dark with a colder feeling to it and the characters
dressed dramatically to represent the time period correctly.
Examples of Film Setting:
- The opening scene showing the castle is seen in a blue light with ominous music. Blue light
is often used in crime drama to demonstrate a haunting and grim setting which accurately
conveys all the scenes in Hamlet.
Most of the representations of Hamlet fail to provide the plot line that is similar to
Shakespeare’s version. This is of particular concern to the depiction of Hamlet’s relation to
his mother. Specifically, in the play, the Danish Prince expresses his contempt toward his
mother and hatred toward his uncle. In the movie, this feeling is amplified by jealousy and,
therefore, the prominence of women in live of Hamlet is highlighted. Focus on Freudian
representation of the relationships between Hamlet and his mother deviates significantly from
that introduced in the play.
In conclusion, it should be stressed that the film representation of Hamlet is brilliant,
distinct, and bright. However, this depiction deviates slightly from Shakespeare’s version in
terms of expression, atmosphere, contextual background, and attitude to women. At this point,
Hamlet seems to be less concerned with answering the question To Be or not to Be. Rather,
the emphasis is placed on searching of the self, but not searching for his father’s murder.
In addition, Gibson’s Hamlet represents Freudian frameworks of perceiving women
surrounding him, including Gertrude and Ophelia. He feels jealousy rather than contempt
toward his mother, which differs much from the representation of these relations in the play.
Overall, the film adaptation focuses one different problem that can be admitted as a variation
of Shakespeare’s tragedy.