Exploring the Depths of Hamlet's Character

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Recommended: The importance of Prince Hamlet's character to the Elizabethans

Introduction Hamlet’s madness, authentic? This question has been debated by scholars and professors throughout the ages. This lecture will explore the depths of Prince Hamlet’s character in Shakespeare’s original play, as well as Michael Almereyda’s modern interpretation of this tragedy. / Through the use of cinematic tools and critical literacy, the Bard and Almereyda both equally portray the theme of madness, in their respective media. Shakespeare and Almereyda carefully constructed their representations of the Prince based on the surrounding cultural and religious attitudes, values and beliefs of the eras they lived in. / Shakespeare portrays Hamlet’s madness as spurious with purpose towards the deception of the king; in contrast to Almereyda’s version in which the Prince’s thirst for revenge genuinely drives him to the brink of insanity. / Shakespeare creates his representation of Hamlet through the use of a mix of Elizabethan cultural and religious attitudes, values and beliefs. This allowed the Bard to deliver a strong understanding and appeal to his Elizabethan audience. / On the other hand, Almereyda takes a different approach in which he portrays Hamlet’s madness as genuine. Almereyda cunningly massages modern day attitudes, values and beliefs into the precise construction of Hamlet in order to maximise his appeal to a modern audience. Body Let’s start with Shakespeare’s representation of the prince. Shakespeare portrays Hamlet as a tragic hero, a man of radical contradictions. In the play, the Prince meets his father’s death with a strong sense of mourning, one which quickly turns to a lust for revenge when he finds out that his father was murdered by his uncle. Gertrude at this point notices Ham... ... middle of paper ... ...it in with the colour and mood of the rest of the photo. The camera moves backwards following Hamlet’s movement and creates a strong sense of loneliness and isolation with no others in the store. Throughout the movie, Almereyda manipulates Shakespeare’s representation of the Prince and allows modern attitudes, values and beliefs like urban isolation and consumerism to shine through. Conclusion Both Shakespeare and Almereyda offer appealing media to their respective eras by creating representations of the characters which reflect their attitudes, values and beliefs. In conclusion, the effective manipulation of Modern and Elizabethan CAVBs allows Almereyda to appeal to a modern audience in order to bridge Shakespeare’s representation of Prince Hamlet into a modern representation of Prince Hamlet. Alas, your verdict – Was Prince Hamlet madness authentic?

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