'Post viewing' Thinking Activity on Hamlet

Thinking Activity on Hamlet:

     

'Hamlet' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare in English literature. We have seen movie hamlet directed by  Kenneth Branagh on 30th August,2018.Film is adaption of Shakespeare's paly Hamlet.

Characters of 'Hamlet':

i. King Hamlet-Father of Hamlet
ii. Prince Hamlet-son of late king,and nephew of the present king
iii. Claudius-king of Denmark
iv. Polonius-the lord Chamberlain
v. Horatio- a friend of Hamlet’s
vi. Laertes-polonius's son
vii. Reynaldo-polonius's servant
viii. Fortinbras-prince of Norway
ix. Ophelia-polonius's daughter
x. Gertrude-Queen of Denmark,Hamlet's mother.

• How faithful is the movie to the original play?

I have not read full book of Hamlet by Shakespeare, so I can’t say more about its faithfulness but, after discussion during the movie screening I can say that many scenes are added by director which are not described in real Play.
 i.e.: In Shakespeare's Hamlet there is not a statue and camera roll on statue but, it is happened in film.
 In original play we can’t find any type of  information about dressing and in play all courtyards with Glorious cloths.
 Film showed gloriousness of kingdom but in book we don’t find any writing about court related.
 Fortinbras's acting seen in the film but, it is not mentioned in original play.
 Physical relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is not mentioned in original play but Kenneth Branagh had shown it.
Most of scenes and characters are also in sequence as in play.By dialogue it is faithful to the original play.

• After watching the movie, have your perception about play, characters or situations changed?

Yes, after whatching the movie my perception about play, characters or situations are changed. Before whatching the film my imagination was looking Hamlet  as a young prince and his friend Horatio also as like him. But in filmI found Hamlet – as a older than my imagination.I thinked  that as a prince of Denmark he will be very attractive person as like king but,in movie I don’t found him as my imagination. In the play within play I found all play focus on only two characters but, before whatching movie I thinked that “ play within the play will presented by many characters. Mirror scene was beyond my imagination it means my imagination was not as like as presented in film. 

Ghost of Hamlet

My imagination about ghost was like not as like man but, in film I found ghost as like man.I thinked that ghost will in circulation shape and only his face will shown but ,in film I found king Hamlet with his full body.

• Do you feel aesthetic delight while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no, can you explain with reasons?

Yes, I feel delight while watching the movie. When gravedigger were digging the grave of Ophelia and they were singing love song it gived me more  delight. Conversion among gravediggers and Hamlet also delighted me.

• Do you feel ' catharsis' while ot after watching movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no, can you explain with reasons?

Yes , I feel catharsis during the movie screening.
A. When I seen Hamlet at first time.
B. Pity for Ophelia when Hamlet behaved very rude with her.

C. When hamlet was in depression about her mother’s marriage within couple of months with his uncle.
D. Hamlet's very cruel behaviour with Ophelia.

E. When king Claudius and Laertes both were decided about fencing fight at that time Gertrude came and said that:

“ Your sister’s drowned,Laertes”.(IV,vii)

• Polonius's death due to Hamlet’s misunderstanding.
• During the Duel scene when murder takes place in the play.
• When king Claudius repenting at that time Hamlet thinks to take avenge rather than do work.

• Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the play?

Yes, screening of movie help me a lot in better understanding of the play because through movie we can read facial expressions of the characters like:
 Anger
 Gladness
 Pity
 Fear
 Smile
 Disguise
Everything is not captured through only reading so watching is also necessary according to my point of view. After watching the movie my imagination totally changed and I can better understood the play. Everyone can not read real play because of it is bulky so, it is better that through movie we come to know about the structure of play. When I think about any scene at that time scene of film come in my mind and I can write about Questions through the imagination from film.

• Was there any particular scene or moment in the movie that you will cherish lifetime?

Yes, when gravedigger digging the grave for Ophelia at that time Hamlet came and said that:

“ I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers
Could not, with all their quantity of love,
Make up my sum.-what wilt thou do for her?(Act v, scene i).
At first We find that Hamlet became rude with Ophelia but after her death during her burial ceremony we found his love for Ophelia.

Also, Relationship between Ophelia and Laertes as brother- sister relationship cherish me a lot.

• If You are director, what changes would you like to make in the remarking if movie on Shakespeare's ‘Hamlet’?

As a director of film I would like to change character of  Hamlet. I would like to shown him as a young price of Denmark. As a hero of the play he will be stronger than other minor characters. Character of Ophelia was also weaked in Kenneth Branagh's play . I would like to presented her role as a heroin of the play. There are many unnecessary scene also. I think Norway attack scene was useless. Planned about fencing fight- that also very long scene. I would like to change in that scene. I think as a heroin Ophelia should be bold and can change every critical situation and could find solutions from it.

• In the beginning of the movie, Canara rolls over the statue of king Hamlet out side the Elsinore castle. The movie ends with similar sequence wherein the statue of the king Hamlet is hammered down to the dust what sort of symbolism do you read in this?

Before the class discussion I read the statue of king Hamlet in different way but, after the class discussion I can say that perhaps Kenneth Branagh wants wants to say that ' Revenge' is not the right moral answer. King Hamlet wanted his murder to be avenged and thus the fall of his statue signifies the fall of an Empire.

• While studying the play through movie which approach do you find more applicable to the play? Why? Give reasons with illustrations.

There are many approaches are applicable like:
• Historical and Biographical Approach
• Moral and Philosophical Approach
• Psychological Approach
• Mythological Approach
• Feminist Approach
• Cultural Approach
• Formalist Approach
• Textual Approach Archetypal Approach

I found that psychological Approach is more applicable for the play.In the play Halmet is suffered from “oedipus complex”. Hamlet fighter with his own self. His mind became disturbed. He felt hatred for his mother’s marriage with his uncle. In play we found him as a mad person also. He treated Ophelia and his mother Gertrude as a slave. His mindset was changed.He don’t want to became a king but due to his father’s ghost story he decided to take revenge of his father’s murder. Hamlet’ s delay to take a revenge also kind of psychological Approach.we find Hamlet also misogynic person.

• Which of the above mentioned approaches appeals you more than others? Why? Give reasons.

Feminist Approach from above mentioned

approaches appeals me more than others.
We find feeble female characters in Hamlet.Fenminism in Hamlet throughout the play, Ophelia is portrayed as the victim of the male character around her. The portrayal of Shakespeare’s female characters are considered as anti – feminist. The woman in Hamlet, Gertrude and Ophelia, are given demoted roles within the play. 

The play is from a male centred viewpoint thus it focuses  upon the male characters. This leads to assumption that Shakespeare wrote Hamlet with the need to display male dominance. Gertrude could be viewed as an negative stereotypes of women shaped by patriarchal society of Shakespearean time. Within the play she represents many roles like:
• She is Hamlet’s mother
• Queen of Denmark
• She is also the widow of the ghost
• Claudius’s wife
Hamlet speaks to Ophelia offensively so she will not become a ' breeder of sinners” because he believes that the sins committed by child is because the mother is the true sinner.
' Frailty, thy name is woman!'(Act I, ii)
Above quote expresses Hamlet's feeling that all women are weak. Ophelia is surrounded by powerful men and these men in her life ultimately become the cause of her madness .

In Shakespeare's other tragedy 'Othello' we can find that Othello also treated with his wife 'Desdimona' as a enemy. He was murderer of  'Desdimona'. So I can say that I think in Shakespeare's play women wear presented very weaker than men.