Kenneth Branaghs Hamlet Essay Example

“Whither wilt thou lead me? Speak!I’ll go no further” (Shakespeare Scene 5) more meaningful and more accentuated.

These added lines and the more accentuated line of Hamlet condition the mind of the viewer as to what will occur next which is the appearance and the monologue of the ghost which will eventually lead to the creation of Hamlet’s revenge. However, all this put together makes Hamlet’s madness more comprehensible by the viewer. Branagh also added lines to Hamlet in the scene prior to Claudius’ monologue.Hamlet’s short speech, which is not in Shakespeare’s original play, again prepares the viewer’s mind to Claudius’ remorse making Hamlet’s play appear more successful as far as Hamlet’s purpose for the play is concerned. Finally, Branagh’s interpretation of Hamlet’s and Ophelia’s madness are more modern day which fits his presentation of the play which he dated somewhere in the 19th century as compared to Shakespeare’s initial late 16th to 17th century setting.

There is no doubt that Shakespeare intended to make Hamlet look schizophrenic.His “hallucinations” and detachment to reality are characteristic of schizophrenia. However, most portrayals, and definitely the way Shakespeare intended it to be, is the paranoid kind of schizophrenia where behavior and thought processes are dysfunctional and what could be seen is truly what people would call mad. Branagh’s interpretation is still schizophrenia since Shakespeare made it so. However, it is a schizophrenia which is more characterized with depression and lack of motivation.

This is usually referred to as a social/occupational dysfunction of schizophrenia. We do not see Branagh, as Hamlet, going helter skelter but instead we see a lucid man who goes on mood swings as well as hallucinations, disorganized thought

processes and detachment to reality, representative of a social/occupational dysfunction. Ophelia’s madness Branagh has kept true to Shakespeare’s work, which is post traumatic stress. Kate Winslet’s portrayal is perfect for a woman who has gone mad because of a traumatic event, the death of her father, Polonius.