Ophelia’s use of handing out flowers is symbolic of her deep grief and sorrow of her father’s passing. This is an indirect way to express her feelings, which is safer than stating her opinions to the Court. Ophelia pleads for her brother to remember and accuses the King and Queen of adultery and faithlessness by the flowers she chooses to talk about. The major theme for this clip is the descent into madness that Ophelia is expressing, but it is also that last hurrah that she manages to get. She has one last bit of courage to tell the King and Queen she knows exactly what is going on and in her own way she pleads with her brother to also find the truth. The production makes good use of light and dark, as if Ophelia can speak what’s in her heart in the light, but once the dark appears she closes her heart to everyone.
Theme 2: David Tennant and Forewarning
One of the major themes of this clip is forewarning. The Ghost of King Hamlet appears amidst darkness. This allows the audience to feel that something ominous is about to happen. In this clip, Marcellus utters, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” It is hear that the audience understands that the characters know something is wrong in their country. It is as if they feel it in their bones; a chill that does not go away. The general tone of conversation in the clip is urgent, but between Hamlet and his dead Father the tone is morose and leads Hamlet on his path to revenge. The production makes good use of darkness and smoke to make the scenes appear almost otherworldly.
This is the famous “To be or Not to be,” scene that concludes with Hamlet’s mistreatment of Ophelia. The major theme for this clip is indecision. Hamlet’s speech is about whether or not he should commit suicide. Hamlet feels betrayed and lost and wonders whether killing himself is the best way out, for it seems he cannot deal with what life is throwing his way. One of the other themes is betrayal. Ophelia, who claims to love Hamlet, is actually betraying his trust by teaming up with Claudius and Polonius. She may not know it, but later in the play, we see that Ophelia did have misgivings about Claudius and should have known better. This production, which has Kevin Kline as Hamlet, does well in this scene. Kline plays Hamlet in this scene as slightly lost and regretful, showing a humble side to Hamlet.
Theme 4: Mel Gibson and Incest
There could be quite a number of themes intertwining throughout this scene, but the one that speaks the loudest is incest. This movie version of the play goes quite a bit further than most productions, with Gertrude actually kissing her son and Hamlet bucking against his mother while they practically scream in each other’s face. The scene is reminiscent of the story of Oedipus in that it brings together a tale of murder, revenge, incest, and betrayal all in one scene! Mel Gibson, as Hamlet, plays the beginning of this scene (quite perfectly) as a maniacal farce. Contrasted against Glenn Close’s very dramatic but naïve Gertrude, it works well for the upcoming bed scene as Hamlet loses control and Gertrude breaks down all her defenses.
Reference
Bevington, D. (Ed.). (2009). The Necessary Shakespeare (3rd ed.). New York: Pearson/Longman.
Eriksson, K. (n.d.). Ophelia's flowers and their symbolic meaning. Retrieved from http://www.huntingtonbotanical.org/Shakespeare/ophelia.htm
I watched Mel Gibson's Hamlet a number of times and believed that he fully captured Hamlet as Shakespeare had intended. His blue eyes blaze in his Yoric speech bringing intensity to his words. The scene between Hamlet and his mother was disturbing and shocking but necessary to convey to the viewer Hamlets madness.
ReplyDelete