Thinking Activity On Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet

# Thinking activity on Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet#
   

  Hello Readers,

        I am the student of english language and literature. Recently we have  an academic movie screening on Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, this is only full version movie, which has no editing or cutting of dialogue. This thinking activity is given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir to students during the screening of this academic movie.

These are the questions, which we have to answer after watching the film.


# Post-viewing Tasks #

• How faithful is the movie to the original play? 

  As we know that any movie, which is adapted from any literary works is never exactly  as a original literary work, there are some changes, adding, cutting , but not exactly at all. Here Kenneth Branagh's movie Hamlet based on Shakespeare's play Hamlet, but it is very faithful to original play ,but still Kenneth Branagh's film version of Hamlet is sightly different from the original play. In the first act when king Claudius and  Gertrude entered in the Hall after they were wed. Claudius was supposed to address Hamlet first before he speaks to the Lord Attendants and before he gives leave to Laertes to go to France. 

  In Branagh's version the king addresses the  Lord Attendant First and send the off to Norway after he addresses Laertes. 

• After watching the movie, have your perception about play, character or situations change.  
• Perception of something is the way that you think about it or the impression  of things using your senses, especially the sense of sight, In my sight or perception about Hamlet movie is totally change after watching the movie, because, I believe that this movie will be boring and can not  understandable and very law perception about character , But after watching the movie my perception would be change. The character Hamlet has very strong willpower than my perception and the whole movie is well presented than my perception.

Do you feel 'catharsis' while or after watching movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If no can you explain with reason. 

Yes, I  felt catharsis at the very starting of the movie, when Hamlet's mother's marriage with his uncle Claudius  whiout a tear of his mother's eyes for the death of her husband. Whole empire celebrate, only Hamlet feels pain and was herted. Second time, when the ghost of king Hamlet described his intriguing death by poison on his ear and how he feels at that time I feels catharsis on him. 

• Does screening of movie help you in better understanding of the play? 

Yes, of course, the movie screening help me a lot in the better understanding of the play because before this movie screening, I have not proper concept and deep understanding about this play and also I recognized and understand the character Hamlet properly, his hamartia, his thinking,  decision level, and his soliloquies from the movie. And also known that what is play about in deeply. So, this movie screening helps me a lot to understand the Shakespear's play. 

• Was there any particular scene or moment in the movie that you cherish lifetime.  

Yes, there is one scene, which I will cherish lifetime is in the very starting of the movie, when Hamlet's mother marriage  with his uncle Claudius without any sad feeling and tear of death of his husband king Hamlet, and when both king Claudius and queen Gertrude at the centre  of Hall with cherish and Hamlet stood between two chair of stage and see that scene with feelinghert hert  that scene or moment in movie that I will cherish lifetime. 

•  If you are director, what changes would you like to make in the remarking of movie on Shakespeare's  'Hamlet'. 

I would like to do, If I am director of this film Hamlet. First of all I would like to do some changes on the main character of Hamlet, I would never make that type of  too much thinking or no action, in stead of that I would like to make him strong in mind level by that he is able to realize and feeling reapent of her mother  for second marriage and  realize king Hamlet's too much love as well as able to stood  against Claudius for his  crime as a murderer of his father , and able gave punished him in front of public. 

• In the beginning of the movie, camera rolls over the statue of king Hamlet out  side the Elsinore castle. The movie ends  with the similar sequence wherein the  statue of king Hamlet is hammered down to the dust. What sort of symbolism do you read in this. 

In the beginning of the movie, camera rolls over the statue of king Hamlet out side the Elsinore castle symbolise that king Hamlet is now not ruled  over Elsinore but still after his death he is something, somewhere related with this empire. The movie ends with the similar sequence wherein the statue of king Hamlet is hammered down to the dust, that symbolsed the king Hamlet's desire of take revenge is fulfilled at the end of the play that's why he take a rest, but it also symbolize the fallen down of whole empire. 

• While studing the play through movie, which approach do you find more applicable to the play? Why? Give reason  with illustrations. 

While studying the play through movie, I find one approach which is more applicable to the play is soliloquiz and moral aspects .the whole play goes through the soliloquiz of Hamlet and his moral  aspects that's make him too thinking what is true and what is wrong. In his room he speaks himself for what is right and what is wrong for that he arange one play to recognize. We can see moral aspects in Hamlet he can not kill Claudius because of having moral views.