Compare the experience of reading Hamlet with the experience of watching it performed.  Analyze how a director, an actor, a set designer, or other person involved in the production you watched interpreted Shakespeare's play and conveyed meaning through a dramatic device, such as lighting, gestures, or props.

 

I watched the old version of Hamlet. It was pictured in black and white so therefore it was hard adjusting to it at first.  However the movie helped me to understand the play because I followed along by reading. What I found different in the movie was the inability to use some of the characters lines.  Another thing that I noticed was the way the set designer interpreted Shakespeare's play.  The set designer conveyed meaning through several devices.  One device that I especially noticed was the lighting. For example in the scene where the ghost appears the lights would usually go dim.  Another device the designer used to convey meaning were props.  In the scene where Shakespeare uses a play within his play the designer uses a prop that appears to be a garden. This was used so the reader could associate the scene with the information Hamlet's father had given him. The actors in the movie also interpreted Shakespeare's play in an unusual way.  For instance in the scene where Ophelia is grieving over her father she expresses her grief through singing and acting drunk.  Also when ever Hamlet would get mad or in an argument he would usually talk very loud and fast.  One gesture that I remember in the movie was the facial expressions of the king during the play produced by Hamlet.  This expression allowed the reader to see the guiltness of the king. Overall I feel the director did a pretty good job putting the words of Shakespeare into action.  I wish I could actually see the play being performed one day.