Hamlet Tonal Analysis
One of the most well know of all literary works, Shakespeare's Hamlet has been interpreted in any and all ways imaginable. One way the play has been presented is through the use of film. The audiovisual appeal of film gives a new edge to play. Much of what defines a movie are the tones a director uses in any given scene. The most recent portrayal of Hamlet is directed by Michael Almereyda and stars Ethan Hawke as Prince Hamlet. This interpretation is unique because it is set in the year 2000, and instead of Denmark being a state it is a corporation fighting for financial superiority. The setting creates some fantastic situations for tonal analysis, or analysis of how a particular situation is perceived by the senses of the audience. One particular scene that appeals the senses is the scene in which Hamlet presents his play, or as in the movie, his film, called Mousetrap. Although the scene as a whole is very serious, the first part of it shows Hamlet preparing for the showing of his film by putting on his sunglasses out of view of his audience. By putting on sunglasses Hamlet is able to give his audience the impression that he is cool and calm, when in reality he is anxious to see his uncle's reaction to th
e film. Also one can notice Hamlet is being very laid back and playful. He jokes with Ophelia, while joking his mother laughs in the background showing the viewer that his true intentions are unnoticeable, and just by the way Hamlet sits in his chair he is able to give off that "cool" vibe he was going for with the sunglasses. The director does a fabulous job with this particular part of the scene. The fact that the tone at this point is playful the director is able to show that Hamlet is not letting his true colors shine through. The majority of the scene is dominated by Hamlet's film Mousetrap. Before the film begins the scene cuts to a picture of the projector being used to show Hamlet's film. The projector is simply red, green, and blue lights used together to form the shots for the film. The purpose of this shot being that the actual film may seem simple, just like the projector, but the truth of the matter is that it is anything but simply, again just like the projector. The main tone of the scene is obvious to any viewer, the tone being one of grief and sadness, but to truly comprehend what the director is trying to do, one must look deeper into the actual film. Mousetrap begins with the title credits, but it is not simply the title credits, it is a well thought out use of background and text color. The background is red and the text is white, this use of color gives the audience an eerie sensation; after Hamlet'
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 965
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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