Hamlet

Plot synopsis:
=== Act I ===
The protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet, and nephew of King Claudius, his father's brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King Hamlet's widow, Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and took the throne for himself. Denmark has a long-standing feud with neighboring Norway, which culminated when King Hamlet slew King Fortinbras of Norway in a battle years ago. Although Denmark defeated Norway, and the Norwegian throne fell to King Fortinbras's infirm brother, Denmark fears that an invasion led by the dead Norwegian king's son, Prince Fortinbras, is imminent.
On a cold night on the ramparts of Elsinore, the Danish royal castle, the sentries Bernardo and Marcellus and Hamlet's friend Horatio encounter a ghost that looks like the late King Hamlet. They vow to tell Prince Hamlet what they have witnessed.
As the court gathers the next day, while King Claudius and Queen Gertrude discuss affairs of state with their elderly adviser Polonius, Hamlet looks on glumly. After the court exits, Hamlet despairs of his father's death and his mother's hasty remarriage. Learning of the ghost from Horatio, Hamlet resolves to see it himself.
As Polonius's son Laertes prepares to depart for a visit to France, Polonius gives him contradictory advice that culminates in the ironic maxim "to thine own self be true". Polonius's daughter, Ophelia, admits her interest in Hamlet, but both Polonius and Laertes warn her against seeking the prince's attention. That night on the rampart, the ghost appears to Hamlet, telling the prince that he was murdered by Claudius and demanding that Hamlet avenge him. Hamlet agrees and the ghost vanishes. The prince confides to Horatio and the sentries that from now on he plans to "put an antic disposition on" and forces them to swear to keep his plans for revenge secret. Privately, however, he remains uncertain of the ghost's reliability.
=== Act II ===
Soon thereafter, Ophelia rushes to her father, telling him that Hamlet arrived at her door the prior night half-undressed and behaving crazily. Polonius blames love for Hamlet's madness and resolves to inform Claudius and Gertrude. As he enters to do so, the king and queen finish welcoming Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two student acquaintances of Hamlet, to Elsinore. The royal couple has requested that the students investigate the cause of Hamlet's mood and behavior. Additional news requires that Polonius wait to be heard: messengers from Norway inform Claudius that the King of Norway has rebuked Prince Fortinbras for attempting to re-fight his father's battles. The forces that Fortinbras conscripted to march against Denmark will instead be sent against Poland, though they will pass through a portion of Denmark to get there.
Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude his theory regarding Hamlet's behavior, and speaks to Hamlet in a hall of the castle to try to uncover more information. Hamlet feigns madness but subtly insults Polonius all the while. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, Hamlet greets his friends warmly, but quickly discerns that they are spies. Hamlet becomes bitter, admitting that he is upset at his situation but refusing to give the true reason why, instead commenting on "what a piece of work" humanity is. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Hamlet that they have brought along a troupe of actors that they met while traveling to Elsinore. Hamlet, after welcoming the actors and dismissing his friends-turned-spies, plots to stage a play featuring a death in the style of his father's murder, thereby determining the truth of the ghost's story, as well as Claudius's guilt or innocence, by studying Claudius's reaction.
=== Act III ===
Polonius forces Ophelia to return Hamlet's love letters and tokens of affection to the prince while he and Claudius watch from afar to evaluate Hamlet's reaction. Hamlet is walking alone in the hall as the King and Polonius await Ophelia's entrance, musing whether "to be or not to be". When Ophelia enters and tries to return Hamlet's things, Hamlet accuses her of immodesty and cries "get thee to a nunnery," though it is unclear whether this, too, is a show of madness or genuine distress. His reaction convinces Claudius that Hamlet is not mad for love. Shortly thereafter, the court assembles to watch the play Hamlet has commissioned. After seeing the Player King murdered by his rival pouring poison in his ear, Claudius abruptly rises and runs from the room: proof positive for Hamlet of his uncle's guilt.
Gertrude summons Hamlet to her room to demand an explanation. Meanwhile, Claudius talks to himself about the impossibility of repenting, since he still has possession of his ill-gotten goods: his brother's crown and wife. He sinks to his knees. Hamlet, on his way to visit his mother, sneaks up behind him, but does not kill him, reasoning that killing Claudius while he is praying will send him straight to heaven while his father's ghost is stuck in purgatory. In the queen's bedchamber, Hamlet and Gertrude fight bitterly. Polonius, spying on the conversation from behind a tapestry, makes a noise.
Hamlet, believing it is Claudius, stabs wildly, killing Polonius, but pulls aside the curtain and sees his mistake. In a rage, Hamlet brutally insults his mother for her apparent ignorance of Claudius's villainy, but the ghost enters and reprimands Hamlet for his inaction and harsh words. Unable to see or hear the ghost herself, Gertrude takes Hamlet's conversation with it as further evidence of madness. After begging the queen to stop sleeping with Claudius, Hamlet leaves, dragging Polonius's corpse away.
=== Act IV ===
Hamlet jokes with Claudius about where he has hidden Polonius's body, and the king, fearing for his life, sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England with a sealed letter to the English king requesting that Hamlet be executed immediately.
Demented by grief at Polonius's death, Ophelia wanders Elsinore. Laertes arrives back from France, enraged by his father's death and his sister's madness. Claudius convinces Laertes that Hamlet is solely responsible, but a letter soon arrives indicating that Hamlet has returned to Denmark, foiling Claudius's plan. Claudius switches tactics, proposing a fencing match between Laertes and Hamlet to settle their differences. Laertes will be given a poison-tipped foil, and Claudius will offer Hamlet poisoned wine as a congratulation if that fails. Gertrude interrupts to report that Ophelia has drowned, though it is unclear whether it was suicide or an accident exacerbated by her madness.
=== Act V ===
Horatio has received a letter from Hamlet, explaining that the prince escaped by negotiating with pirates who attempted to attack his England-bound ship, and the friends reunite offstage. Two gravediggers discuss Ophelia's apparent suicide while digging her grave. Hamlet arrives with Horatio and banters with one of the gravediggers, who unearths the skull of a jester from Hamlet's childhood, Yorick. Hamlet picks up the skull, saying "alas, poor Yorick" as he contemplates mortality. Ophelia's funeral procession approaches, led by Laertes. Hamlet and Horatio initially hide, but when Hamlet realizes that Ophelia is the one being buried, he reveals himself, proclaiming his love for her. Laertes and Hamlet fight by Ophelia's graveside, but the brawl is broken up.
Back at Elsinore, Hamlet explains to Horatio that he had discovered Claudius's letter with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's belongings and replaced it with a forged copy indicating that his former friends should be killed instead. A foppish courtier, Osric, interrupts the conversation to deliver the fencing challenge to Hamlet. Hamlet, despite Horatio's pleas, accepts it. Hamlet does well at first, leading the match by two hits to none, and Gertrude raises a toast to him using the poisoned glass of wine Claudius had set aside for Hamlet. Claudius tries to stop her, but is too late: she drinks, and Laertes realizes the plot will be revealed. Laertes slashes Hamlet with his poisoned blade. In the ensuing scuffle, they switch weapons and Hamlet wounds Laertes with his own poisoned sword. Gertrude collapses and, claiming she has been poisoned, dies. In his dying moments, Laertes reconciles with Hamlet and reveals Claudius's plan. Hamlet rushes at Claudius and kills him. As the poison takes effect, Hamlet, hearing that Fortinbras is marching through the area, names the Norwegian prince as his successor. Horatio, distraught at the thought of being the last survivor and living whilst Hamlet does not, says he will commit suicide by drinking the dregs of Gertrude's poisoned wine, but Hamlet begs him to live on and tell his story. Hamlet dies in Horatio's arms, proclaiming "the rest is silence". Fortinbras, who was ostensibly marching towards Poland with his army, arrives at the palace, along with an English ambassador bringing news of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's deaths. Horatio promises to recount the full story of what happened, and Fortinbras, seeing the entire Danish royal family dead, takes the crown for himself.

Tags: murder, violence, good versus evil, insanity, tragedy, revenge

Review:
With his stunning new vision of the most revered of Shakespeare's plays, director Michael Almereyda has effectively transposed many of the enduring themes of that classic work to our contemporary hi-tech era.
Even if you are not very familiar with Shakespeare's plays or have always been confounded by his verse, one can still appreciate this film for the tremendously inventive ways by which Almereyda has interpreted the core scenes of Hamlet in the context of corporate America.
His visually striking translation of scenes like Ophelia's drowning and Hamlet's famous `to be or not to be' soliloquy are a delight and true brain candy.
The cast is all around superb, with the classically delivered lines from actors Liev Schreiber (Laertes) and Sam Shepard (Ghost) nicely counterbalancing the very contemporary style of delivery from Ethan Hawk (Hamlet), Bill Murray (Polonius), and Julia Stiles (Ophelia).There will no doubt be much comparison between this film and Baz Luhrmann's flashy modern remake of Romeo and Juliet.
However, whereas Luhrmann's film ultimately fails in going beyond the boundaries of its visually striking presentation, Almereyda's Hamlet proves to be far more than a mere spectacle for the senses.
By setting the film deep in the heart of a very real and very modern steel and concrete American jungle like New York City, which is infused with the relics of the mass media and cold capitalistic consumerism, Almereyda powerfully enhances for the audience the sense of the desolation of his characters that results from urban isolation.
I especially enjoyed Bill Murray as Polonius: his performance was all the more delightful because of the necessity of restraining his comic genius here; he appears always on the edge of cracking a joke, and of course doesn't, adding even more tension to an already extremely taught production.But what I loved most about this movie was how it departed from the usual staging conventions (medieval costume, stone castles) to get at the heart of what the play is really about: a kid coming home on a college break and discovering that his uncle has murdered his father and is having sex with his mother.
(Or when the goals are exceedingly simple as in `American Beauty.') But it is an honest attempt to cast the reflexive depth of the play in cinematic terms.Sam Shepard is the best King Hamlet's ghost I have ever seen.
any movie that attempts to bring the Shakespeare canon to a new audience has to be allowed fairly wide latitude...so in the age of "Clerks", only right and fitting that we get a taste of Hamlet as a Kevin Smith-type community college slacker...filming from a severely truncated version of the play, this "Hamlet" still manages to provide some clever moments of originality...the "to be or not to be" monologue set in the "action" section of Blockbuster; an Ophelia who betrays Hamlet; the use of speakerphones and faxes to deliver dialog, in lieu of actors on screen...yeah, it's gimmicky...but if this is what it takes to get the Bard to the x and y-genners, then so be it...Joseph Papp would have approved...that said, there's some interesting takes by Julia Stiles (Ophelia), Diana Venora (the Queen) and Bill Murray (Polonius) on their respective characters...it ain't all style over substance...so come on, folks...you gave Mel a shot at this, didn't ya?
Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Shepard, Diane Venora, Bill Murray, Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, Karl Geary; directed by Michael Almereyda, loosely based on the play by the Immortal William Shakespeare This is not your father's Hamlet, and really not your Hamlet either.Set in modern day New York City, this adaptation by director Michael Almereyda attempts to blend the all time classic with a modern day lifestyle, while retaining the traditional speech and lines of the play.
Unintentionally comical for those familiar with the piece, it actually is able to combine the two worlds of twentieth century New York and sixteenth century Denmark quite well.However this is also the movies downfall, as only with a working knowledge of the classic are you able to understand the modern work, otherwise it is completely incoherent, with vital cogs of the plot missing.Denmark is no longer a country but now a corporation, Cladius (MacLachlan) not a King, but now a CEO.
With Hamlet (Hawke) and Ophelia (Stiles) being constantly watched in a city such as New York, i thought I was observing a Mafia film, as indeed that is what the Denmark corporation felt like, killing of Old Hamlet and all.
The murder of Polonius in the laundromat, Old Hamlet being seen on a security camera, and Ophelia committing suicide in a Guggenheim fountain just does not have the same feel, something is definitely missing.In all this film likely misses both it's core audience and lacks the mass-market appeal that it was trying for.
Here is the first film version of Hamlet to come along in modern New York.
As a Shakespeare scholar, I find it admirable trying to bring Hamlet into contemporary times, since it is a very complicated play.To be fair, this adaptation does have some strengths.
The modern feel works surprisingly well (although it *does* occassionally jar), and throws up a lot of the themes in Hamlet as being particularly relevant today.The acting is all okay, with a few amazing exceptions -- Liev Schrieber as Laertes really stands out, and Julia Stiles is good too.
Kyle Maclachlan makes a very sinister Claudius, and Ethan Hawke is okay, although I couldn't work out whether his Hamlet was pretending to be mad or really was, but this film really belongs to the supporting cast who are all pretty sound.Good, if you're in the mood for it.
If you can't bear the thought of anything being cut or "reinterpreted" in a hit-and-miss way then avoid like the plague!8 stars (if you like this kind of new Shakespeare) 2 stars (if you believe Hamlet should be done formally, lengthily and in tights).
Hawke especially seemed bored with his character and does nothing to convince us that Hamlet was tortured with his father's death, his mother's remarriage, his love for Ophelia (which is never explained), and his own mortality.
(Also, Shakespeare shouldn't be performed over a speakerphone.) Give this film a try if you're a fan of the bard who wants to see an interesting interpretation, but be ready to provide your own enthusiasm motivation for the characters who won't do it for you.
Unless I missed it during my intermittent naps during the first part of the film I don't even think Hamlet talked about putting on a mask as to appear mad to the others like he does in the original work.
Instead he is just a depressed, whining, toque wearing movie junkie that is a complete bore.Liev Schieber in his limited time on screen was dynamite and I was hoping to see that kind of fire out of Hamlet instead of the hum drum attitude that he possessed in the time I wasted on this film.To give you an idea of how bad this film was....I actually said to myself less then half way through: "Turn it off, this is painful to watch"  and 30 minutes later that's just what I did.
I only liked two things about this film: 1) The performance by Kyle McLachlan as Claudius and 2) The play within the play.But first, let me say from the outset that on the whole, this version of Hamlet was flat and uninspired.
We rarely get to see his anger or his confusion or his sharp intellect which was the essence of Hamlet, instead we get this grunge brooding portrait ala Reality Bites type character.Kudos should go to Kyle McLachlan for not falling into the trap of delivering his lines without meaning - he delivered every line flawlessly and made it sound so convincing in a modern setting.
The Elizabethan English with American accents and cadence seemed more natural to the ear than the bold theatrical speak that most Shakespearian films seem to think is a requisite.I think the people who take their literature like medicine because it is good for them will be sorely dissapointed by how enjoyable this movie is but in my opinion it is an excellent balance between the beauty of Shakespeare's text as text and the exciting story contained within..
I would have loved to seen Ethan hawke play a more enraged hamlet, which would have made the film more exciting to watch, and the other characters too.
New York, 2000, and Polonius telling his daughter Ophelia that Hamlet istoo princely for her, while Laertes goes on about her 'chaste treasure'?Far better to have set it in the real Denmark, say 20 years or more ago.Still, Maclachnan, Venora & Shepard acquit themselves well and JuliaStiles is an extraordinarily moving Ophelia (and I've seen dozens).
The casting wasn't that good either, Ethan Hawke as Hamlet; Bill Murray as Polonius?
This could be the fault of some mediocre editing which has some flashbacks or visions that don't really add to the film at all.This is one of the shorter Hamlet movies to get released just running less than 2 hours which is definitely useful if you wanted a quick summary of the story.
The visuals of Hamlet making his film, and the idea of having Ophelia spiral into madness in the Gugliheim are engenius but everything else seemed a bit flat.To Be or Not to Be in Blockbuster?
At least Romeo + Juliet had some kind of emotion behind it; this version is altogether too detached to care about its characters and too clueless to remember that the story just doesn't work if we don't care.Good points: Bill Murray as Polonius, and Kyle Maclachlan's Claudius, apparently digitally superimposed from another, better movie..
I think that this is the worst version of Hamlet that I've seen.The script for a modern "Hamlet" is really bad and the entire movie is extremely boring.
Do yourself a favour and just bypass this one, unless you feel like a good laugh (in all the wrong places).If you really want to see it on film, then try Hamlet (1996) Directed by Kenneth Branagh.
But don't do him well and you are left with something that is almost painful to watch.The idea of this version of "Hamlet" is interesting: Transport the story to modern day New York City.
The end result looks and feels at times as if it were a Saturday Night Live comedy sketch, not a genuine attempt attempt at Shakespeare.Ethan Hawke is okay as Hamlet.
Not a very good version of Hamlet - yet certainly one of the most fascinating I've seen in a while.The inspiration of the film is actually a Finnish version of the play that has become notorious among fans of Shakespeare films, for being a post-modern black-comedy (Hamlet's family runs a rubber-duck factory).
Carter Burwell, who composed the music for AND THE BAND PLAYED ON and GODS AND MONSTERS, gives us a meditative score that underlines Hamlet's inability to jump from thought to action -- a fact that is amusingly symbolized in the "To be or not to be" speech which takes place as Hamlet meanders through the ACTION section of a video store.I liked the translation of Shakespeare's durable tale from monarchy to corporate America.
Death and uncertainty are heavily explored in Almereyda's version set in modern-day New York, bringing the Bard's work into the 21st century.Hamlet (Ethan Hawke) experienced a vision before he returned to New York after the death of his father, CEO of Denmark Corporation.
But if person is going to watch another person's interpretation of a play, then the viewer must be willing to accept that there might be a difference of opinion 'twixt themselves and the director.I wasn't entirely happy with some of the decisions made when it came to cutting the text and presenting certain scenes - I'll agree with some other users' comments that the final scene, in particular, seems careless and rushed - but it's an unfortunate truth that to keep Shakespeare accessible to modern audiences, some cuts have to be made.
I would first like to applaud director Michael Almereyda,  producer Amy Hobby and actor Ethan Hawke for being possibly the first people to make a film inspired by a Birthday Party song.
HAMLET (12) Director: Michael Almereyda Starring: Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Bill Murray, Julia Stiles *** (three stars)`New York City, 2000'.
At 111 minutes, this has to be one of the shortest Hamlet's ever, but the basic story does at least remain intact: following the death of his father (the CEO of the corporation), amateur filmmaker Hamlet (Ethan Hawke) is visited in his apartment by the ghost of his father (Sam Shepard) and told of the `murder most foul' committed by his Uncle Claudius (Kyle Maclachlan).
Maclachlan makes a suitably sleazy Claudius, though, and Julia Stiles (most famous for '10 Things I Hate About You', a far looser but more charming Shakespeare adaptation) a fine Ophelia.With the shadow of Baz Luhrman's superb 'Romeo + Juliet' (1996) hanging over him like the Empire State, Almereyda rejects Luhrman's sheer cinematic punch for a flatter, more traditional style of cinema.
Michael Almereyda, the director, makes a smart choice in allowing us to see Ophelia's suicidal thoughts develop as her father betrays her to the king for his own ends: first she begins to walk along the edge of a pool, then sees herself jumping in and, once underwater, covers her face in shame.Liev Schreiber didn't work for me because Laertes' misguided passion, a vital counterpoint to Hamlet's considered inaction, was not ultimately tragic.
Ethan Hawke and Julia Stiles were great in their roles as Hamlet and Ophelia.
(Perhaps so many of Hamlet's self-referential lines are cut because they don't refer to the debased character portrayed.)The film takes itself, plot-wise, much too seriously to be enjoyed.As another reviewer noted, the New York corporate setting has SO MUCH potential!
But what else can you say about a movie with such obvious product placement?The burden of the play falls upon whomever plays Hamlet, and Ethan Hawke just isn't up to the role.
But this is obviously meant to be a showcase for Hawke, and he just doesn't have the power of most of the earlier Hamlets, including Branaugh.Anyone remotely familiar with the original stage play (or even most screen versions) will wonder at the absence of whole scenes and hunks of dialogue.
The cuts, and the director's interpretation, leave us with not much more than a basic revenge play, eliminating the subtleties that make HAMLET such a magnificent work.The audience (an older crowd) snickered when The Ghost exited via a Pepsi One machine, so we got some pleasure out of the movie.
Denmark is a corporation that is facing a hostile takeover by Fortinbras after the death of its CEO, Hamlet's father.I have seen two other modernizations of Shakespeare, the first being Ian McKellen's fantastic version of Richard III, which was set in 1940's fascist Britain.
Julia Stiles' Ophelia is better when she goes insane, and Bill Murray (Polonius) proves that he's a much better actor than everyone gives him credit for.All in all, Hamlet (2000) is interesting.
While this latest version of Hamlet features some fine performances by supporting players and the modern setting creates some inspired moments, the film fails in my estimation in one main area - Ethan Hawke's monotonous performance.
Ethan Hawke and Kyle MacLachlan are both very good, but unfortunately Julia Stiles destroys her scenes, with her flat and inexpressive appearence.Still it's an interesting watch, but only if you're a big fan of someone involved in this picture.
One of Shakespeare's greatest plays gets modernized and transported to New York City in the year 2000, with Ethan Hawke taking on the role of the brooding Prince of Denmark.
And by the end we realize, too, that not all actors-- even good ones-- are cut out to play Shakespeare.Hamlet's father, the King/CEO of the Denmark Corp.
In the final analysis, this was a project perhaps too ambitious for Almereyda at this point in time; knowing what `happens' in the story is not the same as knowing what it's `about,' and in some of the choices the director makes, it's obvious that the `essence' of the play has simply eluded him, much to the detriment of the overall film.As far as performances go, they range from outstanding to the downright laughable, which is disappointing but not surprising, considering the eclectic nature of the cast.
Sure, Branagh's Hamlet was a brilliant and accurate adaptation of the play, but it was missing one very important element:  The Moviephone guy.But I get ahead of myself.In Michael Almereyda's update of this Shakespeare classic, the trials and tribulations of a young prince bent on revenge are transplanted from Denmark of old to modern New York.
Our hero Hamlet is portrayed by Ethan Hawke who, thanks to exciting technological advancements, doesn't talk or change facial expressions at any time during the film.
This version of Shakespeare's Hamlet has one of the better ensemble casts I have seen...Kyle McLachlan, Ethan Hawke, Julie Stiles, Bill Murray and Sam Sheppard all provide excellent performances.The update on the story was fantastic...the dialogue was kept exact to the original play but the trappings were transposed to the 21st Century.Hopefully, this film will be a vanguard for similar retellings of classic English literature.I highly recommend this film..
This movie was view by me on 4/26/2001- There are only a few good things I can say about this version of Hamlet.
Let's just say it's fitting that Hamlet is an amateur filmmaker.I don't believe that Shakespeare's plays were meant for film.
I enjoyed Ethan Hawke's sincerity and confusion as Hamlet, but felt that there were really extraordinary performances by Julia Stiles as Ophelia, Kyle McClachlan as Claudius, and Bill Murray as Polonius.
Hamlet is one of my favorite literary works, and as such, I've seen many versions of the film.
I've read many reviews which are critical of the film's choice to adapt the story to modern day and the exclusion of some of the play's scenes, but overall, I feel that this version captures the emotional feel of the play the best, not to mention it is absolutely visually stunning.Ethan Hawke's performance as Hamlet is excellent.