Hamlet Movie Scene Analysis

English Literature

19 June 2009

Hamlet Scene Analysis

When reviewing this weeks research question it was easy for me to choose a version and scene for viewing Hamlet simply because my mind has such vivid imagery of Ophelia's madness. When I reviewed the actresses who have portrayed Ophelia, Kenneth Branagh's 1996 version starring Kate Winslet provided the perfect match for the role established in my mind; beautiful, soft, pensive, yet silently strong. Also, Branagh's Hamlet is easily accessible on YouTube which made viewing an infinite possiblity. YouTube allowed me the opportunity to watch Hamlet at work, at ballet class, at gymnastics class, and of course, at home. I found myself fully submersed in Ophelia's madness while appearing scholarly at Starbucks with my laptop and a peppermint mocha latte, blended twice, non-fat, no whip. Viewing the movie element was the perfect end to the overwhelming task of tackling Hamlet.

Viewing Kate Winslet's performance as the mad Ophelia left me with a similar impression of the character image I had created in my mind. Winslet dramatized an even stronger Ophelia than I had intended which I found favorable. Her demonstration of madness left me truly convinced of her insanity. Based on the nature of Elizabethan society I had an image of Ophelia going 'politely' insane. Therefore, Winslet's strong body language and expression took me pleasantly by surprise. After she laments on her Valentine speech,????????.I was shocked to watch her fall to the ground mocking a powerful image of sexual seduction. When Ophelia says, "???.Quoth???..she is literally and figuratively expressing her anguish of lost innocence and vulnerability being fooled into a trap of seduction and abandonment with Hamlet. When she exits the room her exaggerated goodbyes caught me off guard at first, but after viewing the clip again it reminded me of a mockery to the queen who always has sweet good nights since her life is not significantly altered by any...