Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Movie version of Kenneth Branagh

• My interpretation about the movie screening of Hamlet is as follows.
• Before watching the movie Hamlet there was  lot of question about it in my mind that why people are debating too much about this play rather than any other play ? Why critics are calling Hamlet Mona Lisa of literature? And so on….
• But after watching movie my  interpretation about it totally changed. It creates far better understanding of the PLAY than it was ever before.

• Kenneth Branagh’s film  Hamlet is the faithful version of the original play so we won’t find much changes in it. for the most part  they  have tried to be faithful to the original though there are points in which we find changes like setting and  costume. Original play is located in 11th century Denmark so we cannot expect much thing same  from it but while making movie they have changed setting  and costumes to make movie more interesting and as per taste of the contemporary audience.

• It really enriches and flourished my understanding about the play. The is typically Shakespearean play with his contemporary  expressions . so some times as a second language reader it becomes difficult to catch exactly what writer wants to say by this. Or rather sometimes reading of the play needs more concentration so it becomes difficult to read the original. At this juncture screening of the movie  is like heavenly elixir  to us.
• Yes sir, we feel aesthetic delight while watching the movie.  literature has tremendous capacity to give us delight which  we can’t explain in words. Character of hamlet is more attractive. When we observe him closely at that time his soliloquies, apparent madness, his mental struggle (conflict), his ambiguity, split personality, intrigues in the play, sequence of action, light but satirical laughter, character of sweet Ophelia, love of brother and sister (leartes and Ophelia), play within play, appearance of ghost, mirror scene, grave digging scene , gives me wonderful delight. Hamlet’s word “ forty thousand brother cannot equal  to my (lover’s)love” is superb. his  speech to horatio “there are many thing in this world which is not in our book of philosophy my friend” is looks like universal truth. Claudius’s word “ Madness in great ones should not be passed unnoticed” is full of wisdom. This great speeches and wonderful scenes gives me boundless joy.

• CATHARSIS
• Movie was so interesting that it catches our attention at every moment and we feel ourself  closely intigrated with the play and characters. We start to feel pity, love, sympathy, compassion, hate for the characters. And that is I think this is the greatest achievement of the artist that he creates fabulous world of imagination in which we lost intentionally.  Among all the characters I have sympathy for sweet Ophelia, because all the characters are suffering because of their own fault but Ophelia is the one who has to pay price for the thing which she hasn’t done. She is victim of the dirty politics. Her only fault is that she loves Hamlet and her father whole heartedly. she  was used as mere pawns or puppet. She lost her caring father and also rejected by his lover prince Hamlet. Hamlet tells her to go to Nunnery. Now only just try to think her condition!!, tThere is no one present who gave her love. She is all alone!!!!!.Psychology also says that every one needs love in this sort of condition and when one fails to get that he/she becomes mad. Same thing happen with her. I have great sympathy for her. And when Laertes comes back and saw that his dear sister is mad at that time brother’s expression was also tragic.
• Even in the beginning when hamlet was following the ghost of his father at that time he talks with him. at that time father hamlet explains that how he was killed by his own brother while sleeping in the orchard for the throne and queen. how  his brother Claudius was seducing to the queen before his death. And spirit also explain that how painful death is given to him by his own brother!!!!. All this description creates sympathy for him and terror of painful death.
• And after Ophelia the catharsis happen to me for our tragic hero hamlet. A rather good man comes to a bad end , because of her error of judgement. If he had killed Claudius when he  was praying then he might have able to take his revenge and save his life. But great student of philosophy, a prince  comes to a tragic end. At the end of the play stage is full of dead bodied.  And this creates catharsis .
• The play is rich in  beautiful scenes. There are many scenes which are still floating in front of my  eyes.  Appearance of ghost, ophelia’s poetry  in madness, hamlet’s death scene when he was taken by soldier at that time he was in position of Jesus Christ,  That I will never forgot.
• Kenneth Branagh’s  movie is very good, faithful  presentation of the shakespeare’s  original play hamlet so  there  is no more scope(need) to make changes  in movie . first of all let me make clear that I don’t think that I can make a movie like Hamlet. And this movie is also included in top three best movies made from play of Shakespeare. So it is the best, But sometimes while watching movie , we feel tired. Because it is so long so it needs lot of patience, so if I was  or I will be a director then I will make it a bit shorter so that interest of the audience  is kept. I am not telling that length of the movie is unnecessary, they have tried  to be faithful to the original so it is okay.
• Symbolism plays vital role in understanding  of any  thing, whether  it is literature or movie or T.V. serial. Through symbolism creator tries to show the things which we cannot express through words. As it is saying that ‘pen is mightier than sword ‘ and ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’  so I will say that symbolism is  greater that words . words gives us limited, specific, particular image or  meaning  but symbols express more. It expands the horizons of our thinking. The same thing is interwoven in the play wonderfully. The play opens with the name HAMLET written on the wall of the castle of elsinore, and ends even with the broken statue of the king HAMLET. It has significance, it shows the END of every thing, the circle is complete. From where it begins it ends at the same point. As in DR. FAUSTUS he throws the cross (CHRIST)and holy books. it is symbol that now he rejects god. Similarly HAMLET is also full of symbolism which flourishes the play. Fall of statue shows end of ‘HAMLET-PARIVAAR’. Now there is no one left to reign into the kingdom. We can say it also gives message that revenge, fight, intrigues never gives fruitful result. We can compare the end of HAMLET with MAHABHARATA that it is also concerned with family war for the throne. And fought for it and died. But what is the use of it .ultimately all died, there is no one to rule in the kingdom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.  this play proved our gujarati proverb true that “ be (two) ni ladai(fight) ma trijo fave”. Finally fortinbras gets everything.
• To evaluate play any one approach is not enough, we should check work from the different perspectives. As HAMLET is the MONA LISA of literature so there are many critics who have applied vivid approaches on hamlet. If we want  to get answer that whether Gertrude’s marriage was  morally good or bad, then we have to do feminist reading . the same approach can be applied for the character of Ophelia also. We can also apply psychological approach for understanding of the ambiguous hamlet. There are cultural, biographical, and other approaches also but I think most perfect approach is Formalist one. This one says that for understanding of any work TEXT itself is best source. We have no need to study biography of writer, or society, history or anything. Whatever written in text that is the  best source for the evaluation for work. If we want to criticize hamlet play then we should study the words used by writer to understand it. And that is the best source. The true beauty of play lies in the words arranged beautifully by the writer.
• we can write so many things about this but I am  concluding  this.
• Thus from its premier at the turn of the 17th century  hamlet has remained shakespeare’s best known , most imitated and most analyzed play.