Laertes in the Play and Movie Version of Hamlet Essay

Laertes in the Play and Movie Version of Hamletnbsp;nbsp; In the 1990 version of Hamlet starring Mel Gibson, Laertes is portrayed in a very poor light. He seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. At certain points during the written play, Laertess actions may be taken entirely differently than they are conveyed in the movie. In the film version of Hamlet, all of Laertess negative aspects are much more pronounced. As presented in the movie, Laertes is a sore loser. The text version of the play has Laertes simply say No after Hamlet scores his first hit. In the movie, Laertes shows much more emotion. His anger at Hamlet is obvious, and his frustration at being hit is evident, as he screams in protest to the mediators†¦show more content†¦However, in the movie, Laertes struck Hamlet during a break when Hamlet neither expected it nor could defend himself from it. In this way, the movie version of the play makes Laertes out to be more cowardly than the text. Further, the text does not designate how Laertes wounds Hamlet, so from only reading the text one could presume that Laertes wounded Hamlet severely as an extension of the strength of his anger. But, the film version has Laertes inflict what looks like only a superficial or minor cut on Hamlets arm – a far cry from a mortal wound. In this instance, Laertes is made out to be even more of a coward in the movie because he counts o n the poison to kill Hamlet rather than depending on himself, his strength, to produce a wound on his own that is severe enough to kill Hamlet. Another difference between the text and movie versions of the play which make Laertes appear more villainous in the movie is his unwillingness to accept blame for his wrongdoing. In the text, Laertes asks forgiveness after he has blamed Claudius for everything, and after Hamlet has killed Claudius. In contrast, in the film version Laertes reveals Claudiuss plan to Hamlet right after the queen dies. 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