Aspen Kozak–Act V Scene 1

The PDF by Crowl begins by describing differences between Olivier’s Hamlet and Branagh’s Hamlet. Oliver trimmed the text to focus on the individual phyche. In contrast, Branagh did not adjust the text. He not only uses every word, but fills in the gap with visuals. Crowl links this desire to flesh out a realistic story by filling in the gaps to the rise of novels. He then goes on to discuss Branagh’s setting, film score, character, and camera. Below is a picture of my notes on the first couple pages of the PDF file.

At Ophelia’s grave Branagh’s Hamlet screams the lines “Forty thousand brothers/could not with all their quality of love/Make up my sum” (5.1.249-251). As he yells this with his face full of emotion, Horatio and a courtier restrain him so he does not attack Laertes. This choice emphasis how improper it is to fight Ophelia’s brother in his grief. The treatment of these lines immediately following “I loved Ophelia” (5.1.249) expands the misogynistic theme in Hamlet by focusing on directly putting a man, Laertes, down instead of expanding his thoughts of his woman, Ophelia. When reading the text, I read brother to be a more arbitrary and thus Hamlet is more loving than Branagh suggests.