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A short summary of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Hamlet.
- Hamlet, 1948. Director: Laurence Olivier. Notable cast: Laurence Olivier. Olivier is widely considered the greatest Shakespearean actor and director of the twentieth century, and his movie adaptation of Hamlet is still regarded as one of the most successful.
- Hamlet, 1969. Director: Tony Richardson. Notable cast: Nicol Williamson, Marianne Faithfull, Anthony Hopkins. Richardson’s movie was based on his stage production of Hamlet, and it has a more theatrical feel than the other adaptations.
- Hamlet, 1990. Director: Franco Zeffirelli. Notable cast: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Helena Bonham-Carter. Zeffirelli heavily cut Shakespeare’s text and cast Gibson, who was best known at the time for the Lethal Weapon series, to highlight Hamlet’s inability to be an “action hero.”
- Hamlet, 1996. Director: Kenneth Branagh. Notable cast: Kenneth Branagh, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie. Branagh’s Hamlet uses Shakespeare’s full text, and even adds in several flashbacks that don’t appear in the original play.
Hamlet is a reflection of the anxieties and complexities of the Elizabethan era, mirroring the political intrigue and power struggles of the royal court. The play is part of Shakespeare’s tragic canon, alongside other notable tragedies like Macbeth, Othello, and King Lear. Hamlet showcases Shakespeare’s versatility, seamlessly blending ...
- Claudius asks Gertrude where Hamlet is. She tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius.
- Gentlemen ask Hamlet where he has put Polonius' body. Hamlet replies in a way they cannot understand.
- Claudius asks Hamlet where Polonius' body is. Claudius tells Hamlet that he is being sent to England.
- Hamlet comes across the army of Fortinbras as he marches to attack Poland. Hamlet questions the point of the war.
- Late at night, guards on the battlements of Denmark's Elsinore castle are met by Horatio, Prince Hamlet's friend from school. The guards describe a ghost they have seen that resembles Hamlet's father, the recently-deceased king.
- According to his plan, Hamlet begins to act strangely. He rejects Ophelia, while Claudius and Polonius, the royal attendant, spy on him. They had hoped to find the reason for Hamlet's sudden change in behaviour but could not.
- At the performance, Hamlet watches Claudius closely to see how he reacts. The play provokes Claudius, and he interrupts the action by storming out.
- Hamlet is sent to England, supposedly as an ambassador, just as King Fortinbras of Norway crosses Denmark with an army to attack Poland. During his journey, Hamlet discovers Claudius has a plan to have him killed once he arrives.
In making a complete version of ‘Hamlet’ the play into a film, Branagh and his script adviser Russell Jackson have taken two different texts of the play and merged them together. When Shakespeare was writing ‘Hamlet’, he undoubtedly had certain actors in mind for each
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