I have never heard someone talk so cheerfully about Hamlet! Oh dear, I really dislike this. The simplifying and video game-ifying of such a play as Hamlet is something that I really don't agree with in principle. And what of the kids that get their idea of what Hamlet is about from THIS video? Hamlet's got "daddy issues"?! And I'm not even talking about the language they use, it's just really pointless. Because of this stuff people go around and say "Shakespeare's silly." NO, THIS is silly. Shakespeare is never about just the plot -- how is one meant to appreciate the beauty of the language Shakespeare uses through such a thing as this?
I'm aware that this is meant to be a sort of aid for people to understand Hamlet better, but let's face it, there are loads of people who'd watch this, NOT read the play, and claim that they know what Hamlet is about. And that's really not good.
Anyhow. Sorry about the rant. It's just that Hamlet is my favourite play and I tend to get needlessly passionate about things that devaluate good literature. Phew!
This video doesn't insult Shakespeare or his plays. It is just a video like the other videos of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello or Romeo and Juliet. Hamlet is a tragedy but it shows the tragedy in a different way. If children watch this, they will have a specific knowledge of the play, because for them it is easier to understand. For adults who watch it, it is just a video. I am sure that people who do not want to read the plays of Shakespeare would not be ever interested on these videos too, that's why they would not watch it. We can not relate the book to a video, it is impossible. Of course, there must be a difference between them. Hamlet is one of my favorite play too but this video does not change my view looking at Hamlet. Tragedy is not always shown as a "tragedy". This video is different than the other videos and it has a different type of talking and showing it. Anyway, thanks for commenting it :) Burcu
True, it would not change the views of someone who's already familiar with Shakespeare -- but what about students that use Sparknotes or other websites of that sort instead of reading the actual thing? That's what I find worrying, that there will be a massive percentage of people whose knowledge of literature is derived from summaries and whatnot.
Yes, you are right, people who have a little knowledge about Shakespeare or people who just use Sparknotes or the other web stuff to learn something can misunderstand this video. Videos or the summaries can never give the same emotion as the original text :)
Burcu I love your video that was great fun:) Yes it shows the tragedy in a different way but I found it entertaining:) As we are all shakespearen students of course we are aware of the reality of it:)) thank you for sharing it:))
Well, watching it is easier even than reading Cliff's notes. Not easy to summarize a 4-hour play in 7:52. The antidote? See Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. Actually there's lots of interesting Hamlets on You Tube. Browse around a few of them and see what you think. Especially compare Olivier's with Branagh's, and their Ophelias too. There's a later one also, with H. in bluejeans. Check it out.
I watched Branagh's Hamlet a while ago, I didn't like it all that much -- the acting, but especially Branagh's acting is really over the top at times, but I liked the fact that they performed the entire play rather than cutting bits out. I've yet to watch the Lawrance Oliver verison.
'Hamlet in bluejeans' is Royal Shakespeare Company's 2008 version I think -- they toured it around England for about a year, I couldn't catch it at the theatre but I've got a DVD of it, maybe we could look at it in class. I really like their version, it's modern dress, they keep the dialogue as it is but stop short at the end (which works in its own way, because the last line that's uttered on stage is "The rest is silence.") The thing I like most is that they perform the "funny" parts of the play just as well as the "serious" parts.
I have never heard someone talk so cheerfully about Hamlet! Oh dear, I really dislike this. The simplifying and video game-ifying of such a play as Hamlet is something that I really don't agree with in principle. And what of the kids that get their idea of what Hamlet is about from THIS video? Hamlet's got "daddy issues"?! And I'm not even talking about the language they use, it's just really pointless. Because of this stuff people go around and say "Shakespeare's silly." NO, THIS is silly. Shakespeare is never about just the plot -- how is one meant to appreciate the beauty of the language Shakespeare uses through such a thing as this?
ReplyDeleteI'm aware that this is meant to be a sort of aid for people to understand Hamlet better, but let's face it, there are loads of people who'd watch this, NOT read the play, and claim that they know what Hamlet is about. And that's really not good.
Anyhow. Sorry about the rant. It's just that Hamlet is my favourite play and I tend to get needlessly passionate about things that devaluate good literature. Phew!
--Idil
This video doesn't insult Shakespeare or his plays. It is just a video like the other videos of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello or Romeo and Juliet. Hamlet is a tragedy but it shows the tragedy in a different way. If children watch this, they will have a specific knowledge of the play, because for them it is easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteFor adults who watch it, it is just a video. I am sure that people who do not want to read the plays of Shakespeare would not be ever interested on these videos too, that's why they would not watch it. We can not relate the book to a video, it is impossible. Of course, there must be a difference between them. Hamlet is one of my favorite play too but this video does not change my view looking at Hamlet. Tragedy is not always shown as a "tragedy". This video is different than the other videos and it has a different type of talking and showing it. Anyway, thanks for commenting it :)
Burcu
True, it would not change the views of someone who's already familiar with Shakespeare -- but what about students that use Sparknotes or other websites of that sort instead of reading the actual thing? That's what I find worrying, that there will be a massive percentage of people whose knowledge of literature is derived from summaries and whatnot.
ReplyDeleteAh well. It takes all kinds, I guess. :)
-- Idil
Yes, you are right, people who have a little knowledge about Shakespeare or people who just use Sparknotes or the other web stuff to learn something can misunderstand this video. Videos or the summaries can never give the same emotion as the original text :)
ReplyDeleteBurcu
Burcu I love your video that was great fun:) Yes it shows the tragedy in a different way but I found it entertaining:) As we are all shakespearen students of course we are aware of the reality of it:)) thank you for sharing it:))
ReplyDeleteFüsun
Well, watching it is easier even than reading Cliff's notes. Not easy to summarize a 4-hour play in 7:52. The antidote? See Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. Actually there's lots of interesting Hamlets on You Tube. Browse around a few of them and see what you think. Especially compare Olivier's with Branagh's, and their Ophelias too. There's a later one also, with H. in bluejeans. Check it out.
ReplyDelete--the real Cliff
I watched Branagh's Hamlet a while ago, I didn't like it all that much -- the acting, but especially Branagh's acting is really over the top at times, but I liked the fact that they performed the entire play rather than cutting bits out. I've yet to watch the Lawrance Oliver verison.
ReplyDelete'Hamlet in bluejeans' is Royal Shakespeare Company's 2008 version I think -- they toured it around England for about a year, I couldn't catch it at the theatre but I've got a DVD of it, maybe we could look at it in class. I really like their version, it's modern dress, they keep the dialogue as it is but stop short at the end (which works in its own way, because the last line that's uttered on stage is "The rest is silence.") The thing I like most is that they perform the "funny" parts of the play just as well as the "serious" parts.
-- Idil