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Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet

980 Words4 Pages

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often times shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare about 1599 and 1601, and published in 1603. Although the play was written and published about four centuries ago, it is still being read in the schools worldwide and there has been over fifty films based on the tragic play of Hamlet. As in all films, narration seems to be one of the most important aspects that make it clear for the director to communicate the message they were trying to connect to audience. It acts as a direct communication of the film’s theme and main idea. This comparative analysis shall aim to present a comparison of “to be or not to be” speech from the 1990 film Hamlet directed by Franco Zeffirelli and …show more content…

The 1996 play was the modernized version of Hamlet and this is clear through just the character of Hamlet with blonde hair, sharp mustache and goatee. In a contrasting manner, in this version of the film, the scene from “to be, or not to be speech” was shot in a huge empty room with mirror to make it seem even larger where in the 1990 version by Zeffirelli, there was a dark background in which Hamlet was the only focus. One of the key points of this scene was that the massive brightly lit ballroom was surrounded by double way mirrors as Hamlet seems to know that Claudius and Polonius are watching him from the other side. Branagh also used the mirrors to deliver the monologue in one continuous shot, some breaks only at the beginning before the speech to demonstrate that Claudius and Polonius are behind the double way mirror for the speech. Having the camera look over his shoulder and slowly zooming in on the reflection as he walks closer to the mirror and his hidden listeners. At one point he even draws a dagger and points it towards himself in the mirror. Or perhaps seen as foreshadowing he is in fact pointing the dagger at those who are standing behind it. One could also consider the mirror as an illusion to the disguise of death as Hamlet speaks of the travel, death, no one returns from, “But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover’d country from those who bourn no traveller

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However, Kinnear’s portrayal is not as good as Kenneth Branagh’s, as Kinnear fails to capture Hamlet’s anguish and rage in his expressions as well as Branagh does. Kinnear’s voice in the soliloquy is very clear with a sad tone expressing Hamlet’s displeasure of his mother’s marriage. His bodily movements from slamming his hands on a table to shrugging at Cornelius when compared to Hamlet’s father all express Hamlet’s feelings effectively, yet despite this Kinnear is missing something. Kinnear lacks the brimming rage that Branagh displays throughout his soliloquy by keeping a disapproving sneer as he talks about the marriage of Hamlet’s mother. By failing to show Hamlet’s teenage emotions ready to break free and try to fix the recent marriage, Kinnear expresses a less passionate Hamlet which is inferior to

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Comparing Hamlet And Branagh's Speech

550 Words | 3 Pages

In Branagh’s version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the ‘To be, or not to be’ speech is interpreted differently than other actors’. Branagh’s character, Hamlet, knows he is being watched by Claudius and Polonius. His disclosure about not committing suicide for fear of the afterlife is part of his plan to keep Claudius at bay until he can convince himself that Claudius is the assassin and find a way to get revenge. The set of this scene includes mirrors and mirrored doors but it is difficult to tell them apart. These are used very intriguingly by Branagh.

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Kenneth Branagh's Mirror

232 Words | 1 Pages

In Kenneth Branaugh’s version of act 3: scene 1, Hamlet is seen standing in front of a mirror. In this portrayal, the mirror represents an appearance of a false reality as it acts as a distorted depiction of something that is not actually real. Throughout the scene, the only visual image that the audience is allowed of Hamlet is that of the illustration of his reflection in the mirror. Hamlet is aware that Claudius is spying on him, and takes this into account throughout the progression of the soliloquy. This image that is depicted of Hamlet represents an act that he is portraying to hoax everyone into believing a false appearance.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Kenneth Branagh's To Be Or Not To Be

431 Words | 2 Pages

The deeply subtle music underscores the calculated nature of Hamlet’s speech. While Hamlet experience emotion to some degree, his soliloquy serves primarily as an exploration of thought. Lastly, the presence of Claudius and Polonius, who do not appear in the other two versions, provides a reminder that Hamlet has enemies and a purpose, which prevent him from merely ending his own life. In Laurence Olivier’s version of the speech, the imagery focus on turmoil and emotion. The darkness, the fog, and the crashing waves outdoors create a sense of chaos, further emphasized by the initially uproarious music.

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Kenneth Branagh's To Be Or Not To Be

231 Words | 1 Pages

The best portrayal of Hamlet’s “To Be, Or Not To Be” soliloquy is the Kenneth Branagh interpretation of the scene because, in my opinion, Branagh does the best to demonstrate Hamlet’s feelings of madness through his tone and body language. Even though Branagh’s speech is quite slow, and in my opinion too slow, the speed at which he is speaking allows him to place more emphasis on the topics that drive Hamlet insane, such as “Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay…” The slow listings of these flaws Hamlet sees in today’s world places emphasis on each and every one, as well as an emphasis on the total flaws themselves. Branagh also does an excellent job of demonstrating Hamlet’s madness

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1041 Words | 5 Pages

Branagh’s version was true to the plot and was based in a modern period of time, while Zeffirelli 's skewed away from the original text and set his film in the medieval times. However, while those dislike the medieval setting of Zeffirelli 's film, the way the director has his character roam throughout the kingdom, allows his viewers to observe the society during the period in which the play was set. Unlike in Branagh’s film, where characters were usually restricted to certain rooms in the castle. When comparing the overall quality of the two films, one can observe the amount of effort Branagh placed upon ensuring his portrayal of Hamlet was true to the script. Nevertheless, the greatest differentiation between the two films was how they portrayed the characters.

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851 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet is one of the most remarkable tragedy plays in the world, thus there are many reproductions to create same sensation. Films of Hamlet are the most famous versions of these and there are so several films created. These include Branagh’s version released in 1996 and Tennant’s version released in 2009. Branagh 's film is four hours long movie trying to create the exact version of story Hamlet on the screen and Tennant’s is three hours long television film, famous because it is a modernized version of Hamlet. Although Branagh’s and Tennant’s versions films have vast differences, they are both be able to convey the play’s theme of madness in their films.

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Psychoanalytic Lens

525 Words | 3 Pages

He begins to question the moral and ethical implications of seeking revenge. Through the use of monologues,Shakespeare gives us a glimpse into Hamlet's inner life. In Act III, Scene 1, Hamlet delivers his famous monologue, "To Be or Not to Be," in which he ponders the meaning of revenge and the meaning of life itself. This introspective speech uses metaphors and rhetorical questions to convey Hamlet's inner conflict. For example, the tropes of "slingshots and arrows of unimaginable destiny" emphasize the unpredictability and harshness of life, leading Hamlet to wonder if suffering is more sublime than acting.

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Who Is David Tennant's Soliloquy In Hamlet

254 Words | 2 Pages

In viewing these multiple performances of Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy, arguably one of Shakespeare’s most famous and well-regarded pieces of work, we are more quickly permitted to think or feel differently towards the exact nature of Hamlet’s ambiguous state of mind, whether feigned or real. These differences, however great or small they may be, affect our own greater understanding of Hamlet’s character arc, in addition to his overall effectiveness as the protagonist. David Tennant gives what many would be all too quick to call the definitive performance of this timeliness monologue, notably characterized by his comparatively quieter manner of speech. Rather than lashing out in overblown bitterness or exaggerated despair, Tennant’s

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855 Words | 4 Pages

Out With The Old, In With The New Many of us have heard the line, “To be or not to be,” from one of Hamlet’s famous soliloquies, but what is the meaning behind it? There is no right answer; the line can be interpreted in many ways by the reader. Similarly, directors and actors can interpret “Hamlet” and lines in “Hamlet” in many different ways. This has led to many productions of “Hamlet”, such as Franco Zeffirelli’s version and Kenneth Branagh’s version. Although these two particular versions were shot in the 1900’s, they are very distinct in their own ways due to sequencing, setting, costumes, and character portrayals in the movie.

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1010 Words | 5 Pages

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1323 Words | 6 Pages

The actor Kenneth Branagh portrayed Hamlet as a depressed and gothic individual. At the beginning of the scene, Branagh begins his speech while he is walking towards a mirror staring at his reflection. As he closes in on the mirror he not only has the same expression on his face, but also uses the same monotone voice. By doing so, the audience can see the disgust on his face, showing that this is a serious matter. The use of the monotone speech illustrates the idea that Hamlet sees no value or significance in his life, but rather that his life is meaningless.

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567 Words | 3 Pages

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1262 Words | 6 Pages

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932 Words | 4 Pages

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