Zeffirelli And Branagh's Hamlet Analysis

Within the classic Shakespeare play of Hamlet, many overarching themes can be found. However, when one looks more closely, they can see that the idea of revenge has huge impacts on the plot. When watching the movie adaptations, one directed by Franco Zeffirelli in 1990 and the other by Kenneth Branagh in 1996, some discrepancies can be seen throughout the story. The way the directors depicted certains scenes has changed the way the views see the ideal of revenge. By analyzing the depictions of Hamlet’s personality throughout all three versions of Hamlet, the audience realizes the importances of revenge in the plot. Throughout the Zeffirelli and Branagh adaptations of Hamlet and the actual text itself, a variety of different views can be

In the Branagh adaptation, more emphasis is placed on feelings of betrayal due to Hamlet and Ophelia’s secret relationship. Most of the scene is focused on Ophelia’s father conversing with King Claudius, rather than focusing on Hamlet’s plotting. This takes the attention away from Hamlet focusing on avenging his father, instead making the conflict between Laertes and Hamlet for significant. In opposition, the Zeffirelli version fails to even include the important conversation between Claudius, Gertrude and Ophelia’s father. Instead, the emphasis was placed on Hamlet discussing with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about how he could go about killing Claudius. Zeffirelli jumps right into the revenge for his father, more efficiently leading Hamlet to the idea of using the play as a method for revenge. In Shakespeare's original, Polonius reads the letter to Ophelia from Hamlet, saying “‘That’s an ill phrase, a vile phrase’” and expressing his hatred for the relationship between the two (2.2.112-113). Since he is so opposed to the exchange between the two, the readers can make the jump to say his son, and Ophelia’s brother, Laertes would feel the same. This establishes Laertes’ resentment for Hamlet and is very important later in the plot when Laertes and Hamlet have the fencing match. Without those feelings being evident, the audience may get

Based on the accuracy of representing Shakespeare’s original, the film directed by Branagh is most accurate. Although there are a few parts that were left out or changed, such as how the details of how the death of Claudius happened, overall it captures the ideal of revenge in the best way. Without Branagh’s focus of Hamlet’s need for revenge, the story would not accurately depict Shakespeare’s original version, and the classic novel of