Modernization Of Hamlet Essay

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The Modernization of Shakespeare 's “Hamlet”
Hamlet or The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a classical play that was written by William Shakespeare between 1559 and 1602. It shows the tragedy of Danish royal family. Prince Hamlet found out that his father was killed by own brother Claudius who became a new king. The man decided to revenge, and his actions led to death of almost all main characters including his own. Hamlet was performed and cinematized many times. The play contains eternal topics like betrayal, revenge or difficult relations between close relatives. It can be turned into a more modern thriller or detective, but the plot would need some modernizations for this transformation. While these …show more content…

This lack of women could be caused by requirements to actors – men played both types of roles, and it could be difficult to find enough amount of travesty. The period of time also affected women’s behavior in the play. Both Ophelia and Gertrude were quite obedient and passive. These traits led to their death. This applies especially to Ophelia who did not demonstrate the presence of own opinion and easily became deranged because of Hamlet’s behavior and father’s death. Some adaptations changed sex of several secondary characters. I would like to keep the ratio the same, but improve personality traits of female characters, especially Ophelia. She would be affected by strange Hamlet’s behavior and the murder of her father, but these events should cause only a nerve breakdown and commitment to mental hospital, not the absurd suicide that happened in the original play. “There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke; when down her weedy trophies and herself fell in the weeping brook” (Shakespeare 130). Ophelia can survive tragic events because of her residential treatment. This would create a more interesting final, when the recovered girl will return and find out she is the only successor of the business according to the corporate charter. Polonius was a Lord Chamberlain in the original play, and he can be turned into a chief executive officer or part-owner in the modernized version. Discussion between Laertes and Hamlet from the Act V would happen near Polonius’s coffin in this