Author(s)

Xiaoyu Liu ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Foreign Studies, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210023, China

Corresponding Author

Xiaoyu Liu

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how the hierarchy of seeing and seen is portrayed in Act 3, Scene 1 of two movie adaptations of "Hamlet", namely the 1948 version by Laurence Olivier and the 1996 version by Kenneth Branagh. Through a close reading of the original text and detailed cinematic analysis, the essay compares the different portrayals of Hamlet's psychological journey and the varied interpretations of his character in the two adaptations. In the Olivier film, Hamlet is presented as an ineffectual gazer whose intellectualism fetters his ability to act, while in the Branagh film, the same character becomes a clairvoyant executor whose inner thoughts reinforce his determination. It argues that the different positions of Hamlet in the hierarchy of seeing and being seen reflect broader thematic concerns of the directors – personal paralysis for Olivier and existential predicament for Branagh, which are likely rooted in the directors' specific target audiences, as well as their understanding of the evolving relationship between classical literature and modern cinema.

KEYWORDS

Movie Adaptations; Hamlet; Hierarchy of Sight

CITE THIS PAPER

Xiaoyu Liu, Seeing and Being Seen: The Hierarchy of Sight in Act 3 Scene 1 of Hamlet Movie Adaptations. Lecture Notes on Language and Literature (2025) Vol. 8: 70-74. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/langl.2025.080411.

REFERENCES

[1] Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Bloomsbury, 2014. P32, P81-83, P345-347.
[2] Charry, Brinda. The Arden Guide to Renaissance Drama: An Introduction with Primary Sources.Bloomsbury, 2017. P200-201.
[3] Olivier, Laurence, director. Hamlet. Two Cities Films, 1948.[z] 
[4] Coleridge, S. T. Coleridge: Lectures on Shakespeare (1811-1819).Edinburgh University Press, 2016. P142-143.
[5] Branagh, Kenneth, director. Hamlet. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1996.[z]
[6] Bradley, A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth..Macmillan Education, 1992. P91,P107.
[7] Dowden, Edward. Shakespeare: A Critical Study of His Mind and Heart. Cambridge University Press, 2009. P88.

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