Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Does Zeffirelli's Hamlet film (1990) lack any elements of a Shakespearean Tragedy? For example, a tragic hero (Hamlet) and supernatural elements (Ghost) are evident as Zeffirelli maintains the general story line of the original play. However, he removes Fortinbras, the conflict with Norway, and reduces Hamlet's interactions with Horatio. So, do Zeffirelli's cuts/edits change the Hamlet story line enough for it to not fulfill some of the elements of a Shakespearean Tragedy? Thank you for your help!

In my view, the film doesn't change the story line enough to disqualify it as a Shakespearean tragedy. Even with its omission of the Fortinbras subplot and Hamlet's abbreviated interactions with Horatio, the film still contains all of the elements of a Shakespearean tragedy: a tragic hero, a struggle between good and evil, a fatal character flaw of the tragic hero, the tragic destruction of the good along with the bad, plenty of both external and internal conflicts, supernatural elements, a lack of poetic justice, and some comic relief. While the irony of Young Fortinbras's ultimate taking of the Danish throne is missing entirely, the tragic elements inherent in the play remain intact in this adaptation (despite its many flaws as a film).
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Shakespearean-Tragedy-Definition-and-Characteristics-of-Shakespearean-Tragedy

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