Hamlet Commentary #1

I have never read Hamlet. I have heard of its incredible influence and how elements of the play can be found everywhere in literature. For me, the movie was interesting to watch. I have only ever seen one play, but that was The Lion King. The movie impressed me, but at the same time, there were some times where I didn't know what was going on because of the language. The other main gripe I have was the bizarre mix of new and old. for example, the movie begins with the men holding up lanterns in a castle, at night. Clearly, then, electric lighting was not very common in the castle. And yet, there were scenes where Hamlet was wearing a t-shirt that looked like he bought it in 2015. The mixing between new and old did not go smoothly for me and as a result, it stuck out like a soar thumb. Things I enjoyed about the movie were many in number. I enjoyed the little things, like seeing Patrick Stewart act in a Shakespeare play. I have heard that he is very fond of theatre, but until we watched Hamlet in class, I had not actually seen him act. I also enjoyed the play that was put on at the end of the movie. I thought it was goofy at first, but I slowly saw how it was a satire on plays that were popular at the time. It was funny to see the nobles enjoying it, even though it was so bad it was hard to listen to. I am looking forward to reading the play, so that I can move at my own pace and take more time to think over the many soliloquies.