The following questions refer to Mel Gibson (1991) and Kenneth Branagh's (1996) portrayals of Hamlet. Rather than try to compare and contrast every aspect of these two performances, students should focus on a single question or idea. Each of the following questions illustrate possible approaches that could be taken in a comparison/contrast essay of these two performances. You may use one of these or create a focus of your own.

1. What is the significance in Branagh's performance of

   • the use of black and white?
   • the numerous "secret" panels of which everyone is aware (walls/bookcases which are actually doors)?
   • setting the play in the early 19^th century?
   
   as opposed to Gibson's performance which uses a traditional medieval setting (particularly since Gibson's version makes so many other changes)?

2. Shakespeare apparently intended viewers to compare Hamlet as a leader with other characters in the play: Claudius, Polonius, Laertes, Fortinbras. How well do these two performances succeed in revealing Hamlet's leadership ability compared to the other male characters, and what importance does this issue have in each?

3. Why does Hamlet delay taking vengeance for his father's death? What motivations do these two performances offer as explanation, and how effective are they in persuading viewers?

4. Both Laertes and Hamlet swear to take vengeance for their fathers' murders. How is that dramatic conflict interpreted in these two performances; what significance does this issue play in each, and how are Laertes and Hamlet compared to each other in each performance?

5. How is Hamlet's relationship with Gertrude and Ophelia developed in each performance, and what significance do these relationships have to the central drama of the play?

6. A key issue in Hamlet is whether the ghost is an actual apparition of Hamlet's murdered father or a demonic spirit sent to tempt Hamlet. Each play presents these scenes (Act I, Scenes 4 & 5) differently. What are the implications for interpretation in the way in which these two performances are developed?

7. In Act III, Scene 1, Gibson's version moves the "To be or not to be" soliloquy after Hamlet's meeting with Ophelia and moves the "Get thee to a nunnery" lines to another scene. In addition, both scenes are staged quite differently, Branagh in the entry hall of the palace facing a mirror behind which Claudius and Polonius secretly observe him and Gibson in a passageway and in the family crypt. What implications do these changes and these different settings and situations have on how this scene is interpreted by viewers?

8. There are distinct differences between the performances of the play within the play in Act III, Scene 2 with regard to the sequence of lines, the presentation of lines privately or publicly, the attitudes and physical responses of the principal characters, and the performance of "The Mouse Trap." What effects do these different performances have on readers understanding and interpretation of this scene?

9. At issue in the play is Hamlet's mental state. After seeing the ghost, he pledges his companions not to reveal anything even though he may "put an antic disposition on" (Act I, Scene 5). He tells the queen "I essentially am not in madness,/ But mad in craft" (Act III, Scene 4). But prior to his combat with Laertes, he announces that his actions were the result of madness and no "purposed evil" (Act V, Scene 2). In what ways do these two performances reveal Hamlet's mental state at various moments within the play?

10. In Act IV, Scene 4, Hamlet sees Fortinbras' army and makes his "Let my thoughts be bloody" soliloquy. In Branagh's version, this scene appears immediately before the intermission, suggesting that this scene is the climax of the play. This scene does not appear in Gibson's version, which follows the traditional climax of the play following "The Mouse Trap." What do these decisions about the climax of the play reveal about how each performance is interpreting the play?

11. In the combat between Hamlet and Laertes and its aftermath (Act V, Scene 2), a number of differences exist between these two performances. What do these differences suggest to viewers about the character and motivations of the principal characters?