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Kasey Nuss Mrs. Manley ELA 12 16 January 2015 Hamlet Comparison/Contrast Essay Kenneth Branuagh and Mel Gibson have two different takes on the film Hamlet. While there are not so many similarities, there are many differences. Because both films take different takes of the text I believe both films are effective in their own way. The two films many be very different but the have some similarities, the setting, plot and little things like Hamlet wears black clothes in both or Ophelia sings after she goes insane. The setting is the same in both films because for most of the movie everything takes place in the
Kingdom and it takes place in the same time period. The plot is the same, Hamlet is waiting for the right time to kill Claudius, Claudius wants to kill Hamlet, Laertes wants to kill Hamlet because of his father,and in both films everything gets taken care of in the duel between Hamlet and Laertes. Lastly, little parts of the movie, Hamley wears all black clothing, Ophelia sings to
Gertrude about her dead father after shes gone insane, the film shows Ophelias both in the river, and Hamlet still acts the same way when he gets questioned about Polonius’s body by not telling where is it, “He’s at dinner”. Overall both films had the same details of the story.
Branaugh’s and Gibson’s versions of Hamlet have many differences. In Branuagh version the setting is Winter in Gibsons it is Summer or Spring. When looking for Polonius's body and Hamlet soldiers rush into to Ophelias room, wake her up and check her bed in
Branaugh’s version. When Ophelia goes insane the films depict it very differently, Branuagh has her in a room with a straight jacket on and soon after she gets sprayed with a water hose,

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Gibson has she wandering around the kingdom acting crazy. Branuagh’s take is more modern while Gibson’s is more accurate to the time period. During the duel when Claudius dies he gets hit with a chandler, stabbed and hamlet makes him drink the rest of the poison