Hamlet Film Activities: Select one to complete. This is a classwork assignment.
Choice #1Use either the Royal Shakespeare Company (BBC, 2009) or Kenneth Branagh (1996) version.
You could also use the Ethan Hawke version. These are questions every director considers when
making a film. Use them to produce director’s notes to “sell” your version, using the one you
watched for comparison purposes.
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What do you notice about the setting? Why change the time period?
Why is the film so much longer than a stage performance would be?
How has the meaning of certain scenes/lines changed from when you read it to
how it is performed in the film?
What would you change if you were to direct a version of the movie?
How does the ending differ?
What do you notice about stage directions in the play versus the action found in
the film?
If you were to direct your own film version today, who would you cast in each
part?
Have you seen any other versions of Hamlet either on film or on stage? How did
that performance differ? Which did you prefer and why?
Choice #2
Discussing different lenses within both the film and play- select one perspective and
write a two-three page paper, analyzing the film from that perspective. Here are some
questions from each perspective to consider, though they do not have to be utilized.
Feminist lens- How are Ophelia and Gertrude different or alike?
Are they strong or weak characters?
Why does Ophelia kill herself?
How is Gertrude’s character portrayed in the film?
Marxist lens- Who has power in the play?
Students will fill out a chart, placing each character on a hierarchy, then
justify their responses.
Reader Response- What connections to your life can you make?
What other can you think of where most of the characters die?
What would you have done if you were Hamlet?
Historical lens-How historically accurate do you think the film or the play are?
What might be the importance of it not being accurate?
Choice #3
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Students can review specific scenes from the play and then watch other film versions of
that scene, such as the famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy from Act III, Scene i
(Laurence Olivier, Ethan Hawke, David Tennant, Kenneth Branagh, Mel Gibson, to name
a few)
After watching these versions in class, students are encouraged to search the web at
home for other versions, including many on YouTube by smaller theater companies,
amateurs, or films we didn’t watch in class.
Then write a contrast piece describing the effective and ineffective aspects of each
scene or performance from at least three versions. Be sure to select which is the most
effective version of the scene and explain why. This is probably two-three pages. Be sure
to provide a works cited of the video versions that were watched in order to write this
piece.
Choice #4
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Compare and contrast Disney with another film version. Things to consider:
1. audience
2. character choices
3. language
4. animation vs. live action
5. music
6. animals vs. humans
7. Endings/outcomes
Make a character chart identifying people in The Lion King and discuss.
Students will watch the Disney animal version. While watching, the students should fill
out a character chart, matching those from The Lion King with those from Hamlet. Are
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are represented by the hyenas or by Timon and Pumba?
This will echo the debate on whether Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are conscious of
their role or just pawns? Some differences to consider are that the death of Mufasa is
shown, the Fortinbras subplot is missing, and the ending is happy, among many other
changes.
Write a three-four page, detailed comparison-contrast essay. Be sure to use dialogue
and specific scenes to discuss both versions. Generalities about The Lion King, as well as
stating the obvious (One has music, one does not. Duh.), will earn a grade no higher
than a “D.”
Film analysis is a serious topic, and I expect it to be treated as such in this assignment.