Zeffirelli's Hamlet

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, an age-old play that has been recounted and enjoyed for hundreds of years, is a classic revenge tragedy that follows the set guidelines for such an act. However, the complexity with which Shakespeare wrote about the trials and tribulations of his main character often causes different people to interpret certain scenes and actions in very different ways. In modern times, Hamlet has taken to the big screen several times, and each time the viewer is given an almost alternative illustration as to what happens throughout the course of the play. In the 1990 movie, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and in which Mel Gibson plays Hamlet, the approach that was taken to correctly illustrate a number of scenes was particularly interesting. Chief among these were the scene that the ghost of Hamlet’s father first materializes, the final duel scene and just the extremely elaborate set that was employed throughout the whole of the film. Portrayals of these key elements of the play are always quite interesting to see, and Franco’s take on these scenes from Hamlet provides a noteworthy viewing experience for all those who watch it. While other films have portrayed the scene in which Hamlet first encounters the ghost of his father in a very supernatural and …show more content…
Producers of films are no different, and over the years Hamlet has been produced in many different viewpoints and in various settings. This version of Hamlet, with Mel Gibson playing the main character, provided new incite to several scenes of the play. Hamlet’s encounter with the ghost of his father, his final duel with Laertes and simply the set as a whole were areas in which this play distinguished itself from other films. It is always interesting to hear or see another human’s reaction to an event or a story, and this is a key element of how society functions on a day-to-day