Sabrina Scott: Act 4, Scene 5

The following is my “film diary” entry for watching Hamlet which was directed by Kenneth Branagh. Along with that are my screenshot of the screen I watched the film on, as well as a picture of some of the notes that I took in my Robert Miola’s Norton edition of Hamlet while watching the film.

After initially reading Hamlet I did not realize how crazy Ophelia had become. During Kenneth Branagh’s interpretation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, I realized that she was really off her rocker. Hearing her burst into random tunes, and constantly fiddling with something in her hands was unsettling to watch. We had seen Ophelia before, completely sane and able to function like a normal human being, however later we see her trapped in a basement with a straight jacket throwing herself against the walls. When Ophelia said “I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died.” (4.5.177-178) in the movie  you can see her expression to be of a tormented soul. During this line in the film the audience can see an expression on Ophelia’s face that seems to look like a cheerful outer mask that is covering up the grief that is inside her. Being able to act that mix of emotions is one of the key aspects of acting someone that has gone insane. People insane are unsettling as they seem to be experiencing many emotions all at once, and other around them have a difficult time understanding their true feelings.

This movie was well executed and fairly easy to sit through an watch, even with it being incredibly long. The excellent acting and the vivid settings used were helpful in staying entertained by this film.