AO5 Hamlet - performances

Branagh (1996) - Hamlet's first soliloquy

Hamlet is left alone in the huge, extravagant room, begins his soliloquy stood between the thrones of the king and queen.

Becomes enraged/angry - begins to shout as he expresses his fury towards his mother.

Branagh (1996) - Hamlet meets his father's ghost

Action takes place in the woods, outside the castle unlike in the original text - natural setting for this supernatural event.

The ghost is on a higher level than Hamlet, perhaps showing his looming presence in Hamlet's life even after his death, as well as Hamlet's admiration for his father.

Reaches out to touch Hamlet's hand before he disappears, highlighting the care/connection between father and son.

Branagh (1996) - 'To be or not to be'

Hamlet is again left alone in the grand ballroom - isolated/separated figure. Use of the one-way mirror, as Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet, increasing the tension of the scene.

Hamlet speaks to himself in the mirror, contributing to his act of madness.

Draws a knife - violence, unsettling sense that he is aware of the presence of Claudius and Polonius.

Branagh (1996) - Nunnery scene

Emotional - Hamlet breaks down into tears as he talks to Ophelia, yet he quickly becomes violent (shouting, dragging Ophelia and pressing her face against the mirror).

He checks behind each of the mirrors, as he is clearly aware that he is being watched.

Physically close, Hamlet kisses Ophelia as she cries.

Branagh (1996) - Hamlet fails to kill Claudius

Attempts to stab him through the grates in the window of a confession box.

Hamlet's internal monologue is told using a voiceover.

Flashbacks to the death of his father - we are able to see Hamlet's private thoughts and memories.

Branagh (1996) - Closet Scene

Both Hamlet and Gertrude shout at one another - tense and violent as Hamlet physically threatens his mother.

Polonius is stabbed repeatedly through a curtain behind Hamlet and Gertrude, the curtain covers the body - increases the suspense as Polonius' face is revealed.

Branagh (1996) - Ophelia's madness

Ophelia wears a strait jacket and her hair is covered, this conceals her femininity and suggests the she is dangerous (both to herself and to the other characters).

Observation: Ophelia is watched by Gertrude.

Later, appears in a nightdress, which infantilises her and makes her appear young/vulnerable.

Giggles, sings, appears hysterical as Laertes attempts to reason with her - indicates the love between the siblings.

She hands out invisible/imagined flowers.

Branagh (1996) - Gravedigger Scene

Set at night - it is dark/obscure/mysterious.

Flashbacks to Hamlet's memories of Yorick mean that we are better able to understand Hamlet's past/childhood.

Ophelia's dead body is shown in the coffin as Laertes mourns.

Branagh (1996) - Final scene

Hamlet throws the sword to kill Claudius, impaling him in the back, releases a chandelier to crush him, and then forces him to drink the poison.

Fortinbras rides towards the castle as Hamlet lays dying.

Tennant (2008) - First scene

Use of surveillance - CCTV cameras highlight the idea that the characters are constantly being watched.

Sense of being intruded upon.

Tennant (2008) - Hamlet's first soliloquy

Crouches on the floor and sobs - appears overwhelmed by emotion and grief.

More sympathetic to Hamlet as a grieving son.

Angrier and more active as he talks of his mother's betrayal.

Speaks towards the camera/breaks the fourth wall - sense that he knows that he is being watched from the exposition of the play (also in 'To be or not to be').

Tennant (2008) - Hamlet meets his father's ghost

Action takes place at night - surrounding darkness contrasted with light from behind the Ghost creates an angelic/holy image.

Theatrical smoke is mysterious, highlight supernatural elements of the play.

Like in Branagh, Hamlet is on a lower level, looking up at his father.

Tennant (2008) - Nunnery Scene

Security cameras zoom in, signalling Hamlet's awareness that they are being watched.

Hamlet is barefoot - sign of his madness.

Ophelia presses her face against the mirrored floor as she speaks to herself - reflecting on her own involvement in the plot/relationship with Hamlet?

Tennant (2008) - Hamlet fails to kill Claudius

Soft lighting behind Claudius is heavenly/pure as he prays, opposing the violence and immorality of his actions.

Hamlet wears a crown, but it is crooked and falling of his head - perhaps an indication of his discomfort with his role as prince + rejection of the court, the burden of his societal position.

Pauses with the sword above Claudius' head - so close to killing him but unable to complete the action.

Voiceover for Hamlet's thoughts.

Claudius appears sly, manipulative, triumphant as he is unable to pray.

Tennant (2008) - Closet Scene

Physically aggressive - pulls and pushes his mother, pins her onto the bed.

Gertrude in her nightdress, vulnerability but may also hint at her sexuality.

Shoots Polonius once through the mirror, which shatters.

Hamlet uses photographs of Claudius + King Hamlet in a newspaper to compare the two.

Tennant (2008) - Ophelia's madness

Messy hair and dishevelled clothing show her madness.

Slaps Gertrude's hands away and shouts - stands up to authority.

Active portrayal, quickly shifting moods.

Sexual - strips off her clothes, Gertrude attempts to comfort and cover her.

Carries bundles of thistles/grass rather than flowers.

Bare feet like Hamlet's earlier.

Tennant (2008) - Gravedigger Scene

Foolish portrayal of the gravedigger, who laughs raucously at his own jokes - lightens the atmosphere and dissolved some tension.

Bright daylight contrasts Hamlet's reflections on death.

Laertes picks up and cradles Ophelia's dead body, Horatio attempts to hold back Hamlet from interrupting.

Essiedu (2016) - 'To be or not be'

Emotional performance - cries and breaks down as he speaks, portraying Hamlet in a much more sympathetic light.

Appears more youthful and genuinely broken by his father's death.

As the play progresses, his clothing becomes more and more dishevelled, mirroring Hamlet coming undone.

Conorado (1976) - Hamlet and Laertes

Theme of doubling - Hamlet and Laertes are played by twins (David and Anthony Meyer), magnifying Hamlet's doubts and uncertainties into a split personality. The final duel with Laertes forces Hamlet to fight and kill a part of himself.

Olivier (1948) - the Ghost

Olivier voiced the lines of the ghost, emphasising the connection between Hamlet and his father which is created by their shared name and Hamlet's mourning throughout the play.

Olivier and Scott - The Closet Scene

Sexuality and desire between Hamlet and Gertrude is made explicit, as Hamlet kisses his mother in the Closet Scene. Olivier's portrayal of the relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude was heavily influenced by Jones' interpretation of 'Hamlet' - fascinated by the Oedipus Complex.

Scott and 'Ophelia' (2018) - Gertrude and Claudius

The relationship between Claudius and Gertrude is made explicitly romantic and sexual, suggesting that Gertrude truly loves him. In 'Ophelia,' it is implied that there is no real love between Gertrude and King Hamlet, and Claudius clearly shows his desire for Gertrude before King Hamlet's death.

'Ophelia' (2018) - Claudius

'Ophelia' fundamentally misunderstands the character of Claudius, presenting him as an outwardly violent, aggressive, and intimidating tyrant, rather than the manipulative political schemer that we see in the play.

'Ophelia' (2018) - Ophelia

A modern, feminist portrayal which presents Ophelia as an assertive, confident, intelligent, and self-assured heroine, who rebels against the court. Ophelia is rewarded for her rebellion in this production, as she survives to the end of the film.

Explicitly romantic and sexual relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia, as they marry and conceive a child, and we see Hamlet attempt to save Ophelia during the Nunnery Scene.

Scott (2018) - Polonius

A sympathetic portrayal of Polonius, who is presented as a genuinely caring father. He is physically affectionate with his children in 1.ii, and his advice is presented as gentle and well-meaning. Ophelia and Laertes are allowed the freedom to gently tease their father, and this family unit is presented as much more loving than in other productions.

Essiedu (2016) - Ophelia's madness

Ophelia tears out her own hair in her madness, handing it to the other characters as the flowers.

Millais, 'Ophelia'

Ophelia is surrounded by feminine symbols of flowers and water, her peace and softness in death appear to erase the mistreatment and suffering that she experienced during her lifetime.

Scott (2018) - Fortinbras

Fortinbras does not appear on stage, but is mentioned through news broadcasts throughout the play.

Bouveret, Hamlet and the Gravediggers

Darkness creates a sense of mystery and obscurity, perhaps reflecting the severity of the topics discussed by the gravediggers (death/suicide/afterlife etc.).

Gravediggers are positioned on a lower level than both Hamlet and Horatio, reflecting their low class and social inferiority.

Brannagh (1996) - Polonius

Polonius is portrayed as a comedic character - he is a bumbling old fool who Hamlet is consistently able to outwit.

Laurence Olivier - Gravedigger scene

Dadd, Hamlet and his mother

Calderon, The Young Lord Hamlet