Performance for Hamlet Flashcards
Hamlet - Zeffereli 1990
emotive depiction of Hamlet, we see him as more of a young boy than a revenge hero
Surveillance - Hamlet is positioned as an outsider as he looks down upon the King’s feast
When performing his antic disposition to Ophelia, Hamlet says nothing and instead her fear comes from his erratic behaviour
Tonal shift when the players come, Hamlet positions himself as a director
- he speaks the lines alongside the players
Hamlet’s words, ‘the rest is silent,’ close the play as there is no promise of redemption for the court since Fortinbras’ character has been removed
Performative preparation for the duel
Violent and cruel treatment of Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Hamlet has no sympathy for their deaths
Soliloquies
Throws a book on the ground during his contemplation of life, perhaps it is knowledge that causes his death, knowledge of his father’s death, knowledge of the moral corruption of Elsinore and ultimately, the knowledge that he can’t exist in a time ‘locked in the past’ - Sean McEvoy
He performs his soliloquy at his father’s grave, ‘to sleep, perchance to dream’ as he witnesses the promised oblivion of death
Hamlet - Gregory Doran 2009
casual clothing
accentuated performance of madness with imagery of him in a straight jacked and mentally unstable as the boundary between madness and his antic disposition become increasingly uncertain
direct address to the audience and breaks the fourth wall in his soliloquies
stares at himself in the fractured mirror, reflecting his fractured self
Hamlet - Kenneth Branagh 1996
Hamlet interacts with the players like people, not solely props, for his revenge
A distinct focus on a flowering romantic relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia
critics have commented on the unstable performance of Hamlet from Branagh, with some feeling that he didn’t quite grasp the depth of Hamlet’s character
the emotional disconnect of his performance
Hamlet - Other performances
Ghost - Zeffereli 1990
Ghost - Gregory Doran 2009
The ghost is addressed but not shown initially - mystery and supernatural yet returns to avenge
Ghost - Kenneth Branagh 1996
Ghost - Other performances
Claudius - Zeffereli 1990
Claudius - Gregory Doran 2009
He willingly consumes the poisoned drink
Claudius - Kenneth Branagh 1996
Claudius is performed as a man first and a villain second
Claudius - Other performances
Gertrude - Zeffereli 1990
Gertrude - Gregory Doran 2009
She is depicted as knowledgeable about the poisoned drink and willingly consumes it in a final act of rebellion
Gertrude - Kenneth Branagh 1996
She darted her eyes and cast them down, all the while pausing between lines, as if remembering what had happened when recalling Ophelia’s death
She tries desperately to make the death seem peaceful and beautiful
Gertrude - Other performances
Ophelia - Zeffereli 1990
Ophelia - Gregory Doran 2009
Ophelia Kenneth Branagh 1996
Gertrude’s direct address of Ophelia’s death makes it appear as if someone witnessed her death.
Ophelia - Other performances
Goodwin
- When Laertes discusses her ‘chaste treasures’, she pulls condoms from his bag and pelts him with grapes, hailing him a ‘hypocrite’
Polonius performances
Branagh 1996
- overconfident in his abilities
- genuine kindness in his parting words to Laertes
