Luis Velez Torres Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Film, Fiction

Luis Velez Torres Intro to Theater through Film Play/Film Comparison Paper 10/18/2018 Hamlet: Play vs. Film Hamlet was initially written by Shakespeare as a play conveying a tragedy , b ut throughout the years it has been portrayed on many d ifferent occasions, as a motion picture. Both formats share similar scenes throughout the context of the original play for which the films were adapted. Three of these scenes are Hamlet's encounter with his fath er's ghost, Hamlet's murder of Polonius, and Ham let's last battle with Laretes. The first significant resemblance between the play and the film arises when Hamlet sees and meets with the ghost of his late, killed father. In Act I, scene V of the play, the ghost exclaims to Ham let: "Doomed for a certain term to walk the night and for the day confined to fas t in fires till the foul crimes done in my days of nature are burnt an d purged away." Similarly in the movie, this same sentiment fills Hamlet's mind with both grief and loathing for his uncle. The ghost makes an emotional petition for Hamlet to plot v engeance against Claudius. Hamlet responds with a promise to his father's ghos t, "Haste me to know't , that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the t houghts of love may sweep to my revenge." Another major contrast between the movie and the screenplay comes when Hamlet goes to challenge his mother about her connection in his fat her's passing and ends up assassinating Polonius. Gertrude, feeling Hamlet's repulsion for what she did , fears t hat he might kill her as well . . As seen in Act III , scene IV, she calls for the help of Polonius: "W hat wilt thou do? Thou wilt not murder me? Help, ho!" In the movie , Ge rtrude has an extremely concerned look on her face and as she calls for aid there is movement behind a giant curtain . This infuriates Hamlet even further be cause someone has eavesdropped on his doubts . Hamlet furiously walks up to the drape and swings his sw ord into it, seriously injuring Polonius. As compared to the play, the death of Polonius is revealed in the movie as Hamlet withdraws his sword from the t ape stry and a loud thump is heard as his body crashes in to the floor. The final key comparison between the film an d the play comes towards the end . A c ompetition has been arranged between Laretes and H amlet, but Claudius and Laretes both have hidden motivations . Both are collab orating to murder Hamlet without him knowing . In bot h the movie and the play Hamlet emerges as victorious the first two rounds and in the movie he shows a co cky attitude towards Laretes when calling him for the final round . Also in the movie Laretes i s assertive and excited to begin . Claudius and Laertes's plans fail and end up causing their own d eaths . Tragically , Hamlet also suffered a deathly blow. " O , I die, Horatio! The potent pois on quite o'ercrows my spirit" - Act V, scene II . Many assessments can be made between the theatrical and the motion picture versions of Hamlet . Three of these scenes are Hamlet's encounter with his father's gho st, Hamlet's killing of Polonius, and Hamlet's final battle wi th Laretes . All of these scenes are prime examples of the relationship between the play and the film .