Seeing and Being Seen: The Hierarchy of Sight in Act 3 Scene 1 of Hamlet Movie Adaptations

This paper examines how the hierarchy of seeing and seen is portrayed in Act 3, Scene 1 of two movie adaptations of "Hamlet", namely the 1948 version by Laurence Olivier and the 1996 version by Kenneth Branagh. Through a close reading of the original text and detailed cinematic analysis, the essay compares the different portrayals of Hamlet's psychological journey and the varied interpretations of his character in the two adaptations. In the Olivier film, Hamlet is presented as an ineffectual gazer whose intellectualism fetters his ability to act, while in the Branagh film, the same character becomes a clairvoyant executor whose inner thoughts reinforce his determination. It argues that the different positions of Hamlet in the hierarchy of seeing and being seen reflect broader thematic concerns of the directors – personal paralysis for Olivier and existential predicament for Branagh, which are likely rooted in the directors' specific target audiences, as well as their understanding of the evolving relationship between classical literature and modern cinema.