A modernized rendition of Shakespeare’s classic play, Hamlet, the 2009 film starring David Tennant, makes use of various film techniques to create mood, develop characters, and expose themes, as is seen in Act Three, Scene Four – a scene of crisis. An atmosphere of foreboding and gradually increasing horror is created through the clever staging and usage of props; the bedroom, conflicted in its marriage between antique furniture and modern decorations, is very dim and sombre, with only the bed receiving significant illumination. The setting mirrors Hamlet’s and Gertrude’s inner conflicts, both of which are revealed in the scene. The mirror, fragmented after Hamlet’s impulsive shooting of Polonius, heightens this ambience as a permanent symbol
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His greeting and parting exclamations are vastly exaggerated, probably as the face of his mask of madness. His early retorts to Gertrude’s harsh words, are also exaggerated in the meaning, yet chiding in tone – a warning of the anger that is to come, as well as a demonstration of the hidden existence of his sanity. Nonetheless, his erratic behaviour and mood swings seem to indicate a mental disorder. His rant towards Gertrude is marked by conspicuous actions, like jumping onto the bed to emphasize his point and pulling the sheets off the bed, as well as his intense emotions of reverence and rage towards his father and uncle respectively. The appearance of the ghost stirs another drastic change in Hamlet, who falls to the ground begging and pleading. The apparition would seem to be a figment of Hamlet’s hallucinations, based on his attempts to touch it, and his tortured moans during its presence in the room. He is convinced of the fiend’s existence, and it seems that he had anticipated it to call on him. Their interaction greatly bemuses Gertrude, who sees, hears, and understands nothing of the ghost. Hamlet’s changes in mood and emotion are denoted by close up shots taken at key moments, such as the zenith of his charged rant towards his mother and his chastising by the ghost of his father. The troubled prince of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s rendition of Hamlet is
His greeting and parting exclamations are vastly exaggerated, probably as the face of his mask of madness. His early retorts to Gertrude’s harsh words, are also exaggerated in the meaning, yet chiding in tone – a warning of the anger that is to come, as well as a demonstration of the hidden existence of his sanity. Nonetheless, his erratic behaviour and mood swings seem to indicate a mental disorder. His rant towards Gertrude is marked by conspicuous actions, like jumping onto the bed to emphasize his point and pulling the sheets off the bed, as well as his intense emotions of reverence and rage towards his father and uncle respectively. The appearance of the ghost stirs another drastic change in Hamlet, who falls to the ground begging and pleading. The apparition would seem to be a figment of Hamlet’s hallucinations, based on his attempts to touch it, and his tortured moans during its presence in the room. He is convinced of the fiend’s existence, and it seems that he had anticipated it to call on him. Their interaction greatly bemuses Gertrude, who sees, hears, and understands nothing of the ghost. Hamlet’s changes in mood and emotion are denoted by close up shots taken at key moments, such as the zenith of his charged rant towards his mother and his chastising by the ghost of his father. The troubled prince of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s rendition of Hamlet is