Free Laurence Olivier Essays and Papers

Hamlet, has had his famous soliloquy, “To be or not to be”(III.i.56), reproduced in a variety of tones throughout history. Specifically, there have been three persistent tones that have been in the majority of the soliloquy’s vast interpretations. In Laurence Olivier’s, Hamlet (1948), Hamlet is portrayed as a confused, lost character that ponders some of life’s toughest questions. Mel Gibson’s 1990 version of Hamlet depicts Hamlet as a dark, reticent character who only speaks in a dismal way. Finally

Comparing the Presentation of War in the Oliver and Branagh Film Versions of Henry the Fifth Many films have been made of Shakespeare’s play, “Henry V”. The two I am analysing are by Laurence Olivier (1944) and Kenneth Branagh (1988). They are made for very different audiences with different aims. Although they seem very different, in some ways, Branagh’s version used many techniques of Olivier’s. Both productions were performed to communicate the director’s feelings on war to the audience

just what that entails changes over time. The way the play is presented and how Henry is characterized and portrayed has also changed over time. Nowhere are these changes more visibly present than in the three best known adaptations of the play, Laurence Olivier’s 1944 film Henry V, Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 film Henry V, and the 2012 version of Henry V that was featured as the final part of the BBC miniseries known as The Hollow Crown, with the Henry V episode being directed by theatre director Thea

Sir Laurence Olivier's Richard III versus Ian McKellan's Richard III INTRODUCTION It seems that modern Hollywood filmmakers are as much in love with Shakespeare's plays as were the 16th century audiences who first enjoyed them. Recent updates of Hamlet (1996) and Romeo and Juliet (1996), both highly successful movies, bear this out, as well as the two best film versions of Richard III; Sir Laurence Olivier's 1954 "period piece", and Ian McKellan's more modern interpretation (1995). In McKellan's

versions of the Merchant of Venice which I have watched are: 1. Channel 4 television version for their Schools Broadcasting Programmes 2. Trevor Nunn's version 3. National Theatre Company version directed by Jonathan Miller and starring Laurence Olivier as Shylock Act IV scene 1 is an intense scene in the play where we see many of the play's main themes such as justice and mercy, money and status, revenge, loyalty, love and prejudice and tolerance. Shakespeare presents a harsh character

Olivier shows nobles being hoisted onto their steads with a crane-like apparatus. This is quite honestly ridiculous. Men at arms would have been useless in a fight if they had so little range of motion or if their armor was so heavy as to require a crane. At most, a man at arms might have needed a step stool or a leg up from a squire, but nothing so drastic. Sir James Mann told Olivier that the crane was historically inaccurate and asked Olivier to not use a crane in the

Although labeled as a history, the strength of Shakespeare's Henry V lies not in the events that occur in the play, but in the delicate portrayal of the characters involved. Shakespeare's audience would have already known the story of Henry V's campaign on France and thus would have had no reason to watch a play that simply re-enacted past events. Therefore, the appeal of such a play, as well as the themes and the content, would have been dependent largely on the characters themselves. It is obvious

Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye From the first moment Holden Caulfield speaks in The Catcher in the Rye, he makes his personality obvious. While he is witty, passionate and honest, he is also troubled and lonely. Holden longs to find his place in the world and connect with other people. Ironically, however, his search for belonging leaves him more confused than ever. Consequently, he develops a psychological condition that can easily be considered a result of his fear and critique

Shakespeare's Hamlet the Film The film of Hamlet has become one of Shakespeare's most famous works. Many different directors have each given their own interpretation of Hamlet. We have looked at three different film versions. Kenneth Brannagh, Lawrence Olivier and Franco Zefirelli. The part of the play I am going to look at is Hamlets monologue; "To be, or not to be" I have chosen this monologue because it is the section of the play which most people remember. It is also a very strong powerful

A movie or book is often considered a classic if it has been able to withstand time and remain an interest to others even if it was produced or written decades before one’s birth. Overall, there are many books and movies that are considered classics and have been enjoyed throughout the years. Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is no exception to this rule. Over many years, there have been several versions of this book made into film. However, the first account of this movie was made in 1939 as a black-and-white

One theme developed in Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is that bonds to our family is one of the most important factors in life. This is evident throughout the book since Holden spends so much of his time thinking about, and striving to be with his brothers and sister. Each one of Holden’s siblings plays an important role in helping him cope with his life in school and the many questions that he faces in his everyday life. Aswell as give him a positive thought when he was down. Looking at his

The Character of Falstaff in Henry IV Part I In Henry IV Part I, Shakespeare presents a collection of traditional heroes. Hotspur’s laudable valor, King Henry’s militaristic reign, and Hal’s princely transformation echo the socially extolled values of the Elizabethean male. Molding themselves after societal standards, these flat characters contrast Sir John Falstaff’s round, spirited personality. Through Falstaff’s unorthodox behavior and flagrant disregard for cultural traditions, Shakespeare

Macbeth: How Money Killed Many of our friends at Wall Street have serious heart problems; some of them even die years before they should because of the stress that is brought on by the money and greed of Wall Street.  Money is also evident as a health risk in Macbeth and The Merchant of Venice, both written by William Shakespeare.  On Wall Street people are driven by the greed of the people they represent, their own greed, and a general atmosphere of greed.  In Macbeth, Macbeth is driven

Moments of 'Emotional outpouring ' (cathartic moments) are crucial to both tragedies because they communicate to an audience 's feelings of emotion and of sympathy for Shakespeare 's character. The become an Humanizing moments, when the protagonist is not seen as emotional but rather just a flaw that is moving the on until that cathartic moment. Initially, King Lear appears to be a strong ruler, a monarch who has decided to divide kingdom. This is crucial because this would make the audience perceive

Cinderella in a Black Dress Goneril is not one of the evil stepsisters from Cinderella. Her many faces, in fact, stem from the same source and are not as different as one may conceive. The truth lies in one of her lines in Act 1, Scene 1. “There is further compliment of leave-taking between France and him [Lear]. Pray you let’s hit together. If our father carry authority with such disposition as he bears, this last surrender of his will but offend us” (I, i, 331-4). The statement can be viewed as

Vast numbers of Shakespeare’s works allude to a common theme of either love or lust. These themes, conveyed in the stories, are either ambiguous or blatant. Shakespeare presents such themes in countless works to generate a connection with his audience who have experienced what it means to love and to lust. Nevertheless, some plays epitomize these themes better than others do. Shakespeare’s Othello and The Merchant of Venice both provide comprehensive and flawless evidence of the themes of love and

The men and women presented in Shakespeare’s plays King Lear and Othello both differ and are similar in various ways. Shakespeare adheres to many contemporary stereotypes of how men and women should or should not have acted in the Jacobean era. Gender is of great significance in his plays as the society of the Jacobean era was patriarchal, therefore it comes as no surprise that men and women are presented differently. Women have often been associated with weakness or inferior intelligence. According

William Shakespeare uses language as the subject and medium of his plays. One truly sees the power of words and their delivery, along with the tremendous effect that they can have on people within the plays Othello and Henry V. Shakespeare’s characters, Iago and King Henry, use rhetoric devices to stimulate the other characters and shape the plot of the play. King Henry, who acts as the protagonist of the play, adjusts his feelings and speech patterns to increase the level of receptiveness from his

Just like Cordelia in King Lear, there is a sense that forces in the play conspire against Desdemona, so that her death becomes an inevitable outcome of momentum of the play. Othello speaks ‘the plague [of] great ones’ (3.3.314) which seems to pertain to great Shakespearean protagonists: ’Tis destiny unshunnable, like death. Even then this forked plague is fated to us When we do quicken (3.3.316). Here, Othello seems to perceive the impetus of the play driving forward to its climax and end – one

Identify and discuss the two issues with which you feel William Shakespeare is asking his audience to wrestle with most in Henry IV, Part I. As you develop this response, comment on Shakespeare’s refusal to match any of his questions with essay answers. Comment also on the immediate relevance of these issues to those of our own day. One of the great issues of Henry IV, Part I is summed up, but hardly concluded, by Sir John Falstaff at the end of the first scene in Act V. Falstaff, fearful of the