Marinda Hsu
2016.09.10
Ms. Guarino
Lit & performance
The Darkness Beforehand
King Claudius is overall an antagonist in the story Hamlet. During the movie we watched on Hamlet, the first scene started on the day and ceremony of King Hamlet's funeral. First of all, the lighting was dark under a cellar, which have created a feeling of conspiracy and darkness. In my opinion, it is also showing that something is hidden and not pure. A close-up shot was filmed towards Kind Claudius' face, his face was serious, evil and with unkempt facial hair. Shadows were filling up his face, he's quite just like Hamlet but not quite within the emotion of sadness, instead, the audience couldn't tell what exactly was going on in his mind in that specific scene. During the funeral, the queen was crying desperately over her husband's death but the new king—Claudius did not try to comfort her neither did show obvious emotion towards his own brother's death. According to these actions being showed, it tells the cruelty and cold-blooded personality in King Claudius. The actors have achieved the goal foreshadowing that the death of King Hamlet isn't simple. The background music also sounded heavy and suspenseful.
This first scene of the movie Hamlet and the first appearance of King Claudius is important due to the image the director wanted to show his audience. Through out a specific scene's color tone, actors' body movement and the background music, the audience could interpret a lot of ideas that are helpful and logically suspending to the events happening later on in the plot. For example, another more modern movie we watched in class, Ophelia have been showing her rebellious attitude towards her elders especially when they mentioned how her relationship with Hamlet was fake and won't work out. Ophelia was also imagining how she jumps into the water when she felt embarrassed and upset about his father's conversation with Hamlet's mother and step father. This is a clear foreshadow to Ophelia's death that have occurred in the story. On the other hand, the first appearance of King Claudius in the movie, have gave him a dark, mysterious impression for the audience that will help create the big picture of him in the whole story as an antagonist. The first impression is important as we watch a movie or play, it creates a different point of view and perspective on the specific character when we judges his every single movements being made during the story according to his overall image.
According to what we have learned in class, a play or a plot most likely would contain its given circumstances, objectives/motivations, obstacles and a resolution in the end. The first scene of the movie have listed out the given circumstances including the setting, the immediate past on the death of King Hamlet, and a few relationships. The potential future could be told through out subtle observations on King Claudius's mysterious facial impression and Hamlet's face showing how it was unbelievable for him to accept his father's death. Back to King Claudius, his objectives are shown in this first scene of the movie. We as an audience could tell clearly that he is an evil man with lots of negative thoughts going on comparing to the other movie where King Claudius was more of a hypocrite that was wearing warm colors and smiling to crowds in a resplendent castle. In my opinion, the director have successfully show the audience in the first scene each character's objectives, potential future and questionable relations ship.
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