Adaptations
Note: to see annotations of the videos, click the "Annotations" link in the top right-hand corner of the video (where applicable). If any of the video windows are blank, click "details" and the pop-up should contain the video (it seems to be a technical error that I don't know how to fix).
In spite of, or maybe even because of, its "high culture" status, Shakespeare's Hamlet has sparked many parodies. These parodies reference the famous plot of Hamlet, as well as the cultural tropes surrounding its interpretation (e.g. the Oedipal undertones or the fact that popular audiences may find it "boring" (see South Park)).
Famous Last Nerds: "Hamlet in One Minute"
Film Adaptations
Hamlet (2009)
This version, a TV movie, is directed by Gregory Doran and stars David Tennant as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as Claudius (Internet Movie Database)
Hamlet (1990)
A film adaptation directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Mel Gibson as Hamlet, Glenn Close as Gertrude, and Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia (Internet Movie Database).
Hamlet (1996)
A very over-the-top (to put it mildly) scene from Kenneth Branagh's 1996 film adaptation of Hamlet (Internet Movie Database).
Dramatic Adaptations
"Richard Burton's Hamlet" (dir. John Gielgud), 1964
According to the video description, this was the longest running "Hamlet" in Broadway history. The director described it as "acted in rehearsal clothes, stripped of all extraneous trappings, unencumbered by a reconstruction of any particular Historical Period. This performance is conceived as a final run-through, as actors call it. When a play has been thoroughly prepared, there is always a full final rehearsal of the text and action played straight through without interruption from the director" (Internet Broadway Database).
BLC Theatre presents Hamlet by William Shakespeare
A production by Bethany Lutheran College (the audio is quiet). To skip directly to the duel scene (2:31:53), click the "Annotations" link at the top right corner of the video and click the first annotation, "Start of the duel."
Parodies
The Simpsons (Season 13 Episode 14): "Tales from the Public Domain"
This Simpsons episode contains a skit on Hamlet, which starts at 16:14, featuring Bart as Hamlet, Moe as Claudius, Marge as Gertrude, and Ralph as Laertes. The duel scene starts at 20:07. As expected, The Simpsons' take is humorous and makes fun of Claudius' and Laertes' failed attempts to kill Hamlet.
South Park: "Canadian Hamlet"
This parody follows Q2 almost exactly. Characters almost recite rather than deliver their lines. Perhaps the main characters would be more interested if they were watching a Q1 version?
Famous Last Nerds: "Hamlet in One Minute"
A comedy sketch in which actors are forced to condense Hamlet into a one-minute rap.
A "supercut" of 198 references to Hamlet in various media shows how pervasive the play is.
Discussion of "Adaptations"
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