Analysis: The Ghost Scene

Personally, I preferred the second version of the Ghost Scene because I believe that Branagh portrayed the scene in a very intriguing manor. Branagh made sure that Hamlet was filled with rage in the beginning once he entered the woods. He was like a madman, screaming and shouting through the eerie, dark forest as he tried to find the ghost. The ghost was cold as ice, his eyes seemingly white, and a quiet muffled voice. Special effects such as fire spewing and fog rolling over the ground added to the slow orchestral music in the background. It created a beautiful, harsh setting that left me fascinated. The flashbacks were glaring, it was morning and a layer of snow was resting on the ground as the Claudius was poured poison into King Hamlet's ear. An interesting part of this version was the regret in the uncle’s eyes as he realized what he had done. Prince Hamlet’s face was saddened, possibly for the father. I enjoyed this version immensely compared to the other two which I felt did not reach their full potential. 

The third version was a bit too modern for my liking. Almereyda made the scene too uplifting and he made the ghost look like a normal guy. He had a warm face compared to the ghost that Brangh portrayed and the modern version that Almereyada represented lacked the intense drama. I feel like Almereyda could have added more effects and more emotion when it came to that scene. 

In the first version, Zeffirelli made the setting dark with an ominous wind that echoed in the background. Hamlet, played by Gibson, had crazy eyes that bulged in disbelief. You could tell that the ghost was mourning and frantic to give out two messages; 1) That he was murdered. 2) For Hamlet to avenge his death. Gibson characterized Hamlet as a frightened and shocked man who progressively gets angrier when he realizes what Claudius has done. As he plots his revenge on Claudius, you can almost feel the hatred emitting from him. 

I think perfecting the setting is extremely important. Having a mediocre setting would leave the reader feeling unfulfilled, therefore having something intense (like a dark, smoky, dreary forest) would help the reader settle in. I would want the flashback to be a vivid scene, leaving the reader feeling angry towards Claudius as well as feeling saddened for the helpless King Hamlet. I would want there to be a sense of despair on Claudius's face as he slips the poison into his brother's ear, but I would also want the reader to recognize how manipulative and selfish Claudius is.