VCCS Litonline Introduction to Literature
English 112 (English Composition II)

The Hamlet Site

Student Essays on the Staging of Zeffirelli's Hamlet

Objective for this Page: To provide a sample essay that a student has written about the play.

Camera Work in Hamlet

The three-dimensional camera work of Zeffirelli in Hamlet emphasizes the surveillance methods and intrigues carried out by the forces of good and of evil.

In the opening scene, Elsinore Castle looms over the soldiers and people standing outside. The camera angle forces one to look up at the dark castle; then the camera surveys the people, revealing that the evil from witnhin the castle is not self-contained but looms over and affects everyone in Denmark.

Inside the castle during the funeral, Claudius, the man who exemplifies evil, is focused on several times by the camera. The first picture of him is from a short distance, minimizing his presence. As the funeral proceeds, however, the follow 3 closeups make him appear more evil for there is no sorrow in his face, only a scheming, hawklike look as he watches every movement of Gertrude and Hamlet. The closeups also bring him from a distant observer to one that is in control, having taken the place of King by ruline over his dead brother.

As the King and Queen are sitting on the throne announcing their marriage, the camera gives a distant, roaming observer view by circling the room while continually having them, especially Claudius, as the focal point. This emphasizes once again that his evil ways are spread throughout the kingdom and aren't easily contained in one person or one location.

There are several times in the movie when the camera shows surveillance done by Hamlet, who represents good, of those who are opposed to him. The action of focusing on Hamlet from his vantage point also emphasizes that he's one step ahead of everyone else because of his insight, and this also helps him in his cause.

For example, when Hamlet is feeling that things aren't right in the kingdom during his first soliloquy, there is a closeup of him while he looks down and sees his mother and the king kiss and ride off together on their horses. The closeup of him shows that he will be the one to help make things right because he is in a position to see the things that are wrong.

Hamlet is again given the vantage point over those who seek to slander him when the camera looks up at him and then down at Ophelia and her father below in III, i. The camera then gives a very distinct distant show of Ophelia and her father from the view of Hamlet, revealing that he is aware of what is taking place and that nothing is hidden from his view. He will not be deceived. In the next instance, the camera moves back to where Hamlet was, as Polonius looks up; Hamlet, however, has disappeared, and Polonius is none the wiser.

In an earlier scene, Hamlet is on top of the castle, looking down through what appears to be a vent hole in the ceiling, at Claudius's dinner. The camera focuses close on Hamlet and then down on the scene that he is looking at--a feast where the "smiling villain" and his queen are having a good time. This occurrence before Hamlet sees the ghost shows that he is appalled at the drunken revel. Similar shots are shown again after he has learned the truth about his father's death. A closeup of Claudius shows that he is able to have a merry time without any pangs of guilt over having killed his own brother. While the camera looks down from Hamlet's viewpoint, it appears that all the merriment is captured in a small, deep pit. This shot and the red clothes of many of the revelers point to Claudius's hellishness.

Just before his encounter with Ophelia, when Hamlet is in the library, the camera looks up to Hamlet and directly down on Polonius from Hamlet's view. This helps to keep Polonius in perspective as one that is not to be trusted for he is on the king's side; the camera angle and his confusion make him look like a small man, while the eye-level closeups on Polonius's face during his asides show his insight, although he is not quite seeing through Hamlet.

After Ophelia lies to Hamlet, he carries on like a mad man. The camera follows his face around unsteadily, which adds to the sensation that he really is crazy. The force he projects as the camera follows him reveals that he is not the one who is going to be jerked around, but he instead is the one controlling the action. This, however, does not seem to be the case to Polonius and Claudius, who are observing him from the shadows.

It is during a conversation with his school acquaintances, Rosencranz and Guildenstern, that their deceit is revealed to Hamlet as the camera catches them guiltily looking at each other when Hamlet asks them if they had been sent for by the king and queen. Hamlet is later seen watching from a darkened doorway as his friends report to the king.

During the "dumbshow," Hamlet and Claudius are talking about what is taking place in the drama, The Murder of Gonzago. While the camera clearly focuses on Hamlet, Claudius in the foreground appears blurry. Hamlet is clear about his purpose, yet the king had been dulled by his evil deeds and doesn't know he's about to be caught in Hamlet's "Mousetrap." The evil deed he did of killing his brother is confirmed by the closeup of Claudius which shows stunned disbelief and horror as he sees his crimes acted out for all to see, especially for Hamlet and Horatio, who are keeping a close eye on him.

When Hamlet is about to leave for England, accompanied by his "friends," he is talking to the queen while a closeup, as he glances back over his shoulder at them, reveals that he knows Rosencranz and Guildenstern are taking him to be killed. Since he has them in his view, things are in his control--just as he earlier overheard Claudius resolve that he would be sent to England even before he had killed Polonius.

In Act V, the camera looks up at Hamlet as he is at the top of his stairs talking to Osric, the king's messenger, about the sword-fighting competition that the king has arranged. Unlike other times, however, the camera continues to focus on Hamlet as he walks down the stairs to face Osric directly. This will be the final test in the war between good and evil, though Hamlet doesn't have the advantage this time of knowing the depth of the plot, despite his suspicions.

After the fatally wounded Laertes points the finger at the king, Claudius, who has been a silent observer to Laertes' confession, backs up, trying to distance himself from being the focal point responsible for the evil that has taken place. However, he is unsuccessful, as a raging Hamlet follows him. The closeup of Hamlet killing the king twice amplifies his triumph.

After the final closeup on Hamlet lying in Horatio's arms, the camera draws back to include the whole company of people looking on what has just taken place. The viewpoint might be seen as that of heaven, emphasizing that though in the beginning evil had loomed over the kingdom, now righteousness has been restored in Denmark.

Assessment: After reading this essay several times, analyze the quality of the student’s writing about the play, listing its strengths and weaknesses.

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