Foreshadowing In Hamlet

Mel Gibson Hamlet

Hamlet, is a dramatic story written by William Shakespeare back in 1600 A.D. The plot of the story revolves around a young prince of Denmark finding out that his father's death was not an accident but actually a murder. He then seeks out justice for his father and tries to figure out who had wronged him. Franco Zeffirelli soon decided to make Hamlet a movie starring Mel Gibson as Hamlet, and was finished and produced in 1990. One of the most famous scenes from the movie is when Hamlet performs “to be, or not to be” speech down in catacombs where his father lays deceased from the land of the living. The scenery and props are all interesting and foreshadowing to the story, the atmosphere depicts the feelings of Hamlet down in

During the first shot of the scene, the camera shows Hamlet walking down a staircase into catacombs, slightly depicting Hamlet’s slow descent into yearning for death over the course of the movie. Hamlet begins to question himself with “To be, or not to be, that is the question.” This then begins Hamlets questioning over what death would be like, “ For in that sleep of death what dreams may come”(line 11). Everytime Hamlet asks when death would be better for him, Mel Gibson gets closer to the tombs and stares at the corpses of what use to be of laughing people. The lighting of the scene also shows how deep and depressed Hamlet is. The only lighting provided throughout the scene is either on Hamlet’s face, from the trap door, or coming from stairway, while darkness consumes most of the area. The light represents the living world and living people in the world, and the darkness displays death and emptiness. Most of the props are bones shoved into the wall but the most important prop in the room is the sarcophagus. The Sarcophagus is beautiful and neatly carved, indicated wealth and power. Hamlet continues to lurk on the Sarcophagus and rather wants to look at the neatly decorated tomb instead of the row of skeletons shoved into the wall. This shows that Hamlet wants the death to be a magnificent thing and that all

For instance, when Hamlet enters down into the catacombs, he decides to wear black, a color showing signs of sadness and emptiness. The emptiness is also followed by silence for many parts of the scene. No music is playing and nobody is having conversations but it is just Hamlet in the catacombs, with his voice slightly echoing, with no response to his questions. The sound of silence takes control of many segments and lets the viewers feel the loneliness and sadness of Hamlet. Mel Gibson perfectly acts out the mystified and depressed character, Hamlet. Hamlet is shown multiple times putting his hands into his head and bunching up into a ball. This could technically be considered the fetal position. Usually, people enter a fetal position when they give up on something either to stressful for them or to problematic. Hamlet also starts to throw his hands and shout about the people who he blames for hi problems, “The insolence of office and the spurns that patient merit of the unworthy takes”(line 19). Hamlets motivations for his speech is him just venting off his frustrations and agony that has built up after his father's death. Mel Gibson also speaks as if he was simply questioning what he should do and begins to vocally express himself with rage and sadness which is also shown through the characters movement. Gibson’s movement is a slow and steady pace at the beginning but everytime Gibson’s