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Hamlet
William Shakespeare originally wrote ‘Hamlet’ in the 17th century; though written in England, the story is set in Denmark. It is the story of Prince Hamlet who gets a visit from the apparition of his dead father, who reveals to him that his uncle, in a bid to usurp him and takeover the throne, killed him. The Prince then seeks to confirm this is indeed true, and then proceeds to plot revenge. Over the years, it has been remade into different versions, possibly to understand its understandability. There are two versions of the play; both made in the 20th century. This is Laurence Olivier’s 1948 version and Franco Zeffirelli’s 1990 version. Each adaptation has changed or edited the play from its original version and there are many reasons behind this.
Olivier’s and Zefferelli’s Hamlet are a film production not a theatre production therefore have to be around 155 minutes long. To this effect, in both versions of the play, many scenes are cut out. This is done mostly to condense the play and make it appropriate for the film audience since the original version would be too long for an audience to watch in one sitting. Olivier also re-arranges some of the scenes and removes characters such as Fortinbras, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Zeffirelli’s version of the play is built on Olivier’s version but he retains the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Because of the omission of characters such as Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Fortinbras, other characters speak their lines. Thus, this is one of the most visible changes in Olivier’s version. In the original version, Fortinbras and Guiltenstern played an important role because they were hired by King Claudius to watch Prince Hamlet who he suspects to have gone mad. These characters are removed from the film in order to place emphasis on Hamlet as the main character of the play and to concentrate on his tempestuous emotions. Olivier also manages to make Hamlet the centre of the audiences’ interest by eliminating almost all the scenes that take place outside the castle. The entire movie is acted inside the castle and for any out of the castle scenes flashback is used. By cutting and editing various scenes of the movie, Olivier aims to simplify it and make it more understandable.
Zeffirelli’s adaptation also omits the first scene of the play where the three guards and Horatio see the late king’s apparition around the palace’s courtyard. In most cases where the original version of a play is too long, the director edits it by omitting the scenes that may not be crucial to the development of the plot. Therefore, Zeffirelli does this to shorten the play from its original four hours and a half to two and a half hours. In this version, the film begins at the funeral of King Hamlet while Olivier’s version begins with the scene where the guars see the apparition of the deceased King and call Hamlet to see it for himself. Olivier’s Hamlet begins with a narration of lines quoted from Act I Scene IV:
So oft it chances in particular men,
That through some vicious mole of nature in them,
By the o’ergrowth of some complexion,
Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason,
Or by some habit grown too much
Carrying, I say, the stamp of one defect,
Their virtues else – be they as pure as grace,
Shall in the general censure take corruption,
From that particular fault (Shakespeare 8)
After the narration, Olivier summarizes the main theme of the film as being one of ‘a man who could not make up his mind’. This is his personal perception and is not stated in the original version of the play. Therefore, this is one of the changes that the director makes to the play for he sometimes adds his own perspective. By adding his own perspective, he has changed the way the audience views the main character, Hamlet. In the play, Hamlet is a strong-willed, passionate character but in Olivier’s version he is indecisive and a procrastinator.
Olivier also adds his own perspective of the film by exploring psychological aspects such as Oedipus complex, which is a theory, formulated by Sigmund Freud suggesting that children were deeply attracted to the parent of the opposite sex and competed with their same-gender parents for the affection of the other parent. This psychological twist is seen in various scenes where Hamlet kisses his mother fully and passionately on the lips indicating that his emotions towards his mother are more than just familial; the original play does not explicitly reveal that Hamlet was sexually attracted to his mother.
Zeffirelli’s adaptation also insinuates a sexual connection between Queen Gertrude and Prince Hamlet in the scene where Hamlet reveals to his mother that King Claudius is responsible for the murder of his father. Therefore, the two versions are similar in this respect. They carry the same interpretation of the relationship between the prince and his mother. Zeffirelli’s Hamlet is played by Mel Gibson who acts the role in a more emotional and brutish manner than Olivier’s Hamlet who is calm and mild-tempered (Macek, 2003). Olivier’s and Zeffirelli’s adaptation of the closet scene is similar, the only difference being that Hamlet apologizes to the Queen after she slaps him while in Zeffirelli’s, Hamlet is not apologetic. This romantic love is again seen in the scene where Hamlet announces to Gertrude that he will not be leaving Elsinore. Delighted with the news, his mother kisses him deeply, as she would a lover.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet suggests that Hamlet and Gertrude had a deeper relationship than simply mother and son, but there are no blatant displays of an incestuous relationship. Though there are undertones of a romantic relationship between the mother and son in the play, for instance in the scene where Gertrude and Hamlet make a pact to eliminate Claudius, the bond between them seems peculiar. Olivier and Zefferelli’s versions edit these scenes in order to emphasize it. They have been added as a personal interpretation of the relationship between Hamlet and his mother to make the movie more intriguing. Many movies of the 1940s focused on the psychological motive behind an action; therefore leading to the adaptation of Hamlet where Olivier seeks to bring in the likelihood of an Oedipus complex between mother and son, where the child is attracted to the parent of the opposite gender.
Zeffirelli and Olivier have both changed the soliloquies into interior monologues. This includes the ‘to be or not to be’ speech where in both films it is interpreted as a suicide contemplation. A soliloquy is important because it enables the viewer to see the inner turmoil of the character, thus by changing the soliloquies to interior monologues the adaptations have reduced the effect of the speeches. Zeffirelli’s adaptation pays more attention to the roles of the women than Olivier’s does. This is seen in the bedroom scene, where Hamlet confronts his mother with the news that her new husband, King Claudius, is responsible for the death of King Hamlet, and the apparition of King Hamlet appears. In Olivier’s King Hamlet, the focus is placed almost solely on Hamlet while in Zeffirelli’s Hamlet, focus is placed on both Gertrude’s and Hamlet’s reactions (Barwolf 17).
In Act III scene I, both Zefferelli and Olivier put Hamlet’s conversation with Ophelia where he tells her to join a nunnery instead of becoming a breeder of sinners before the ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy. Hamlet tells her to join a nunnery and insults the institution of marriage on realizing that Ophelia had lied to him that her father was at home, while all along he had been hiding spying on them. This is because he feels betrayed. This is a change from the original play where Ophelia approaches as Hamlet is giving the famous ‘to be or not to be’ speech (Shakespeare 48). This change in the order makes it appear as though Hamlet’s melancholic speech was triggered by Ophelia’s betrayal. Therefore, the two films change the order of events in this scene in order to enhance the theme of betrayal and unreciprocated love.
In the play, Hamlet is portrayed as a brooding, melancholic and somber young man who meditates thinking and re-thinking his actions. This has been altered in Zeffirelli’s version where Hamlet who is played by Mel Gibson, is a brute who is angry and energetic. One of the reasons is that the movie was made in 1990; a time when action movies were exceedingly popular. Mel Gibson was a famous star and had acted in popular action movies such as Mad Max and Lethal Weapon. Therefore, in order to make the film appealing to the public, Zefferelli uses Gibson to play the role of Hamlet and changes it into an action film. Therefore, the period during which the adaptations were made also determined how the character of Hamlet would be portrayed. In the play, Horatio appears in many scenes and is portrayed as Hamlet’s close advisor and confidant. In Zeffirelli and Olivier’s adaptations however, his role as a friend, helper and advisor is weakened in order to emphasize Hamlet’s woes and eventual heroicness.
In the scene where Ophelia is used to find out whether it is indeed true that Hamlet has gone mad, Zeffirelli omits the words ‘Get thee to a nunnery’, which Hamlet spews at Ophelia in disgust upon realizing that it is a conspiracy between her and her father Polonius. Zeffirelli’s Hamlet appears to be in love with Ophelia and is concerned about her. Shakespeare’s Hamlet on the other hand does not appear to have deep feelings for Ophelia, therefore upon learning that she is tricking him, utters offensive words and tells her to get away from him. He does not do it kindly. Zeffirelli omits the lines ‘get thee to a nunnery’ because they would sound too harsh. In his adaptation, Zeffirelli intends for Hamlet to appear as harboring some affection for Ophelia and is concerned about her well-being and safety. He is therefore kind towards her and even when he makes any offensive remarks towards her, he does it calmly and gently as if he were warning her of imminent danger as opposed to chasing her away. In the play, he is so vexed by her to the extent that he says there should be no more marriages. (Shakespeare 56)
In the play, Fortenbras takes over as the new king of Denmark in the last scene where the Gertrude, King Claudius, Laertes and Hamlet himself die. Shakespeare’s ending was meant to give the audience a sense of hope that there would be a bright future for the kingdom despite the death of the main character. Zeffirelli and Olivier however omit the character of Fortenbras in order to give the film a dramatic ending. The absence of a solution to the problem also makes the audience see Hamlet’s important role in the story, that had he not died, he would have risen to be the King of Denmark. Zeffirelli and Olivier also do this in order to make Hamlet’s character more memorable and to leave the audience in suspense. This adds to the aspect of drama and intrigue to the film.
In the play, Claudius is portrayed as a strong and mighty politician who refers to himself proudly as ‘the Dane’ while speaking to Laertes. In both the Zefferelli and Olivier adaptations however, the king is portrayed as a fallible and even vulnerable individual who wants to hold on to power but is threatened by Hamlet. This is done also to take the audiences’ focus away from Claudius, in order for Hamlet to emerge as strong and heroic as well. Olivier and Zeffirelli achieve this by reducing the scenes where the King is speaking to his subjects from the palace’s court and emphasizing on scenes where the king is having one-on-one conversations in his chambers. This makes him seem more personable and human.
Annotated Bibliography
Bärwolf, Doreen. The Interior versus the Exterior in Orson Welles’s “Macbeth” and Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet. Norderstedt, Germany: GRIN, 2008. Print.
In this publication, Barwolf analyses Olivier’s Hamlet in detail providing an analysis of the changes that have been made during the adaptation and explaining the reason behind these changes. The book is an interesting read and is important in understanding the logic behind the editing and alterations that have been made. For instance, in this research it has been a useful tool in understanding why Olivier was interested in the psychological aspect of his characters.
Maçek, III, J.C. Zeffirelli’s Hamlet for Today. December 19th 2003. Web. February 4th 2011.
This is a scholarly web article, which systematically examines Zeffirelli’s adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play, Hamlet. It seeks to study the changes that have been made in the adaptation film and give an explanation as to why the changes were made. In this research article, it has been useful in providing insight into the character of Hamlet, and in making comparisons between Zeffirelli’s, Olivier’s and Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Mabillard, Amanda. Introduction to Hamlet. Shakespeare. Logan, Iowa: Perfection Learning Corp., 2004. Print.
The book gives a modern comprehendible version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is user-friendly and interesting to read as it provides both the original version of the text and its modern version side-by-side. In this research, it has been used to make comparisons between Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Zefferelli’s and Olivier’s Hamlet.
Mabillard, Amanda. Introduction to Hamlet. Shakespeare Online, 20 Aug. 2000. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. <http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/hamlet/hamletcharacter.html>.
The web article provides a brief summary and outline of the characters and plot of the play. It gives background information on the characters, therefore enabling the reader understand the characters more. It has been useful in this research as it sets the tone for the rest of the research.
Works Cited
Bärwolf, Doreen. The Interior versus the Exterior in Orson Welles’s “Macbeth” and Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet. Norderstedt, Germany: GRIN, 2008. Print.
Mabillard, Amanda. Introduction to Hamlet. Shakespeare. Logan, Iowa: Perfection Learning Corp., 2004. Print.
Mabillard, Amanda. Introduction to Hamlet. Shakespeare Online, 20 Aug. 2000. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. <http://www.shakespeareonline.com/plays/hamlet/hamletcharacter.html>.
Maçek, III, J.C. Zeffirelli’s Hamlet for Today. December 19th 2003. Web. February 4th 2011.
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