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Impact of Greek theater on modern play
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Comparing Hamlet and As You Like It
In comparing and contrasting the settings of Hamlet and As You Like It, I have found that each time a good comparison is made an example to contrast it is discovered. Elements that are found in the settings of these plays are scenery and whether the setting is direct or indirect. In each of these plays both of these elements are alike and different.
In both plays the scenery is simply. This is partly because of the fact that there were not many props to be used in Shakespeare’s times. Some scenes in each play were set in similar places, such as inside castle walls and the forest. But even these scenes differ because the forest in As You Like It was welcoming and friendly, yet in Hamlet the forest was an evil place. The setting in Hamlet was also full of death scenes and tragedy, but in As You Like It, it was more lighthearted filled with gardens and flowers.
In both plays the castle was a sort of place that represented the evilness of the kings. The settings in the castle brought bad news or death. The majority of the scenes in Hamlet took place in this center of wickedness. In As You Like It not much time was spent in the evil building, but rather in the happy surroundings of nature.
The opening scene of Hamlet and As You Like It sets the mood by the mentioning of a dead father. In a glimpse this is a comparison of two young men struggling with the consequences of his father’s death. It is also obvious that both young men are not satisfied with the men who have taken over their father’s position. But this is the extent of comparison; in Hamlet the whole rest of the story is related to this solemn mood, whereas in As You Like It this mood is not the basis of the story.
A courtyard is used in the beginning of both plays. It seems to bring us news of what was happening in their lives before we were able to come in. In As You Like It the courtyard is bright and cheerful leading a reader to believe that it is a happy place telling of good news. Yet in Hamlet the courtyard is a dark and gloomy showing immediate sign of sadness.
The pastoral settings in Shakespeare's As You Like It, John Milton's "L'Allegro," and his "Il Penseroso" provide an escape from an urban environment. Although Shakespeare's Duke Senior and his followers physically move into a forest, they still tend to impose their urban system upon the wilderness. In "L'Allegro," Milton presents an idyllic countryside where all adversity has been safely domesticated. In "Il Penseroso," the speaker makes no attempt to change the landscape of Melancholy, but rather embraces it for its solitude and silence. All of these scenes contrast sharply with a materialistic civilization.
William Shakespeare’s plays included different characters and different methods of characterization. The two plays that will be compared and contrasted are William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet. As for the characters from each play, Beatrice, Benedict, Don John, Don Pedro, Claudio, and Hero will be assessed from Much Ado About Nothing and from Hamlet, Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Laertes, and Ophelia. The importance of the above characters from each play is that they serve as the basis for identifying characteristics.
Hamlet makes use of the idea of theatrical performance through characters presenting themselves falsely to others – from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern spying on Hamlet to gain favor with the King, to Hamlet himself playing the part of a madman – and through the play within the play, The Mousetrap. This essay will discuss the ways in which Hamlet explores the idea of theatrical performance, ‘acting’, through analysis of the characters and the ‘roles’ they adopt, specifically that of Hamlet and Claudius. The idea, or the theme of theatrical performance is not an uncommon literary element of Shakespearean works, the most famous of which to encompass this idea being As You Like It. This essay will also briefly explore the ways in which Hamlet reminds its audience of the stark difference between daily life and dramatization of life in the theatre.
There have been numerous remarks of William Shakespeare’s most celebrated drama Hamlet. Almereyda managed to make Hamlet a theoretical play, into an intense, action-driven movie without losing much of the initial tragic atmosphere of the original play. The play Hamlet focuses strictly on the state of Denmark on the original Elsinore castle, however Michael Almereyda was able to modernize the movie to New York City. In many ways I think that the modernized version of Hamlet is easier to appreciate but in review that diminishes the play’s “greatness,” in my personal opinion.
An orchestral background that enters the scene halfway through, as if to add emphasis to the point that Hamlet was driving toward, cheapens the scene even more. David Tennant’s approach to the scene is the opposite of the Branagh interpretation. Tennant’s Hamlet in a manner in which he is isolated and the only audio that the audience hears is the actor’s voice, in addition to a slow, detached speech pattern during the recital of the lines that Branagh seemingly sped through without necessary pause. Tennant’s version connects with the audience in a more real way, making the onlooker feel as if he or she could be in Hamlet’s position and the weight that he feels in that moment.
The difference between the setting shows how modern the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet is compared to the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet. One of the difference between the two films is the setting and time period. Mel Gibson version of Hamlet is set in a dark and medieval time castle during the 19th century. Kenneth Branagh's movie of Hamlet was set in 19th century making the setting of the castle more of a luxurious modern palace. For instance, In Act 4 Scene 4 during Hamlet’s soliloquy, Hamlet is seen in a setting full of snow in which he emphasize his anger towards the world and Claudius, “How all occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge! What is a man if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.”(4.4. 31-34). The lighting of the movie plays a major role in the production of the film because it demonstrates emotions and feelings from the characters. For instance, in Hamlet starring Mel Gibson the lighting was adjusted to make the scenes darker to show sadness and grief. However in the Branagh version of hamlet the lighting was fairly bri...
In the beginning of the play, the title character himself, Hamlet, experiences devastation after devastation. His father, the former king of Denmark, had perished unexpectedly. Following the death of his father, his uncle, had claimed the throne and arranged to marry his brother’s wife, Gertrude. All in which took Hamlet on a whirlwind of saddened emotions, which had led up to his selfish thoughts of committing suicide. Everyone in the palace is blinded by the celebrations of a new King to take notice of Hamlet. Therefore, he finds himself secluded and hostile wandering through the palace mindlessly. “Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of the outrageous failure or to take claims against a sea of troubles, and by opposing them?” ( 3.1.58-60). Hamlet asks himself whether or not it is better to push through the
Different adaptations of William Shakespeare’s works have taken various forms. Through the creative license that artists, directors, and actors take, diverse incarnations of his classic works continue to arise. Gregory Doran’s Hamlet and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet bring William Shakespeare’s work by the same title to the screen. These two film adaptations take different approaches in presenting the turmoil of Hamlet. From the diverging takes on atmosphere to the characterization of the characters themselves, the many possible readings of Hamlet create the ability for the modification of the presentation and the meaning of the play itself. Doran presents David Tenant as Hamlet in a dark, eerie, and minimal setting; his direction highlighting the
...ent techniques and styles that help audiences understand. Hamlet is play of one man?s apparent uncertainty and exposure to a number of dissolutions and distractions that prevent him from giving peace to his father?s ghost and peace to his own mind state. He uses the madness that he has, as a way to distract and trick his enemies into doing as he pleases. The film version attempts to show this, but in an environment that is very much different than the middle ages. Just as in most film adaptations, Hamlet on screen is mostly vague, but with enough substance to be mildly entertaining, and a good start for individuals who want to start reading Shakespeare, but are afraid that they won?t understand, or will be caught off guard by the language. This is why the modern version of Hamlet is a very appropriate film for students and children, alike. (apart from the violence)
Hamlet and The Lion King shared majority of the themes that were found in each story. A theme of revenge was prominent in both the film and the original play as Simba and Prince Hamlet worked towards avenging their fathers throughout the story. Politics can also be seen in both as the stories explain to the viewer/reader that a bad king can mean a corrupt and equally bad kingdom (murders committed by the new kings). Although some harsh themes, family also seems to be mutual in both tales, more so seen in The Lion King. Shakespeare was able to show the reader the importance of family throughout Hamlet, when there is a power-hungry family member, and the rest of the family must stick together to overcome the struggle. The producers of The Lion King do a similar job as they explain the same thing, however also digging into the loyalty of Sarabi for Mufasa. The reason for a greater theme of positivity in the newer film is due to the demographics. The Lion King was primarily a children’s film, thus it required a simpler and happier tone. This also changes the overall plot by reducing the number of deaths and ruling out madness. This tone also affects the number of comic relief moments in the story. In Hamlet, there were only a few moments in which Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were able to lighten the mood of the play by offering comedic anecdotes. In The Lion
William Shakespeare was a very famous English poet, playwright, and actor. One of the famous plays that he wrote was “Hamlet”. Hamlet is a very famous play and many play writers or directors interpret Shakespeare’s play differently. A Great scene to compares is Act5 scene 2. The two films that will be compared are “Hamlet” from 1996 directed by Kenneth Branagh and “Hamlet” from 2009 directed by Gregory Doran. The two different directors took the same play and made it reflect their own interpretation. The films are very different, but similar in many ways. “Hamlet” from 1996 directed by Kenneth Branagh and “Hamlet” from 2009 directed by Gregory Doran both use the theme guilt. The theme of guilt will be explain through the comparison of how Gertrude
The actions of Hamlet have changed up to the performance. Hamlet's behavior of being mad and depressed changed with the players because they are not involved with his "real" life and feels at ease and at his best, a prince reminding artists of the ideals their art is meant to uphold. The meanings of words have also changed. The meaning of "acting" plays a great role in the performance, not only by the observation of the entire audience, but by a more private and personal meaning or understanding of the play by Hamlet and the King.
Hamlet can be seen as a play about obligations, in particularly Hamlet’s struggle with his duty to his father: Hamlet must “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” The appearance of Old Hamlet’s ghost not only sets the plot, but also helps in destroying Hamlet’s illusion about his parents’ relationship as his mother committed adultery with Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. This marks one of many points where Hamlet losses parts of his life structure. Furthermore a theme of appearance versus reality surrounds Hamlet due to the fact that the characters portray a different outward appearance compared to what they are on the inside. In the play, Claudius displays an appearance of kindness and sensitivity, but in truth, he uses this false, caring persona as a mask to cover up his selfishness and evil personali...
Macbeth and Hamlet both start out the same with supernatural occurrences and end the same with a lot of blood and death. They have many things in common such as all of the bloodshed and craziness, but the main characters have different purposes. Hamlet killed for revenge while Macbeth only killed for power and greed. Both Macbeth and Claudius killed a king because of their greed but they both end up dying at the end of each play. Malcolm and Hamlet complete their goals of seeking revenge, but Hamlet ends up dying as well. The plays involve much of the same themes and tragedies; however the main purposes are distinctive.
Keys to Interpretation of Hamlet & nbsp; William Shakespeare's Hamlet is, at heart, a play about suicide. Though it is surrounded by a fairly standard revenge plot, the play's core is an intense psychodrama about a prince gone mad from the pressures of his station and his unrequited love for Ophelia. He longs for the ultimate release of killing himself - but why? In this respect, Hamlet is equivocal - he gives several different motives depending on the situation. But we learn to trust his soliloquies - his thoughts - more than his actions.