Cinematic depictions of the classic tragedy allow the viewer to experience and explore nuances of the drama that are more difficult to communicate onstage. One of the most striking elements of the Hamlet film adaptations is their treatment of Ophelia and her descent into madness. Three of the most notable Hamlet films—those directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh, and Michael Almereyda—all present a unique and dramatically viable interpretation of Ophelia.
Helena Bonham Carter: Ophelia in Action
Zeffirelli’s film, starring Mel Gibson as Hamlet and Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia, features themes of secrets and espionage. The only film of the three to set the play in Shakespeare’s time, this Hamlet presents the viewer with sweeping castle visuals and elaborate set pieces. Zeffirelli’s designs are wide open but closely concerned with detail.
There are many hiding spaces for characters; often, the individuals watching a scene are just as important as the participants. Mel Gibson’s Hamlet is an investigator seeking evidence to condemn his uncle, hard truth to break his paranoia. In this film, Ophelia is a character who has known—and seen—too much. Her madness is an active rebellion against the political, almost Machiavellian world with which she has been forced to interact. This is evident in her interaction with a castle guard in Act 4, Scene 5. During her song, Carter’s Ophelia grabs the guard’s belt and presses herself against him.
Ophelia’s madness is expressed physically again when Carter hands out flowers to the members of the court. Zeffirelli chooses to have Ophelia distribute actual flowers. Carter’s Ophelia has a madness that is real and tangible—a shock reaction to a truth she cannot entirely handle.
Kate Winslet: Ophelia in Crisis
In Branagh’s film, which stars Branagh as Hamlet and Kate Winslet as Ophelia, the circumstances are much different. This film’s world is similarly political but also more openly theatrical. The setting, chronologically later than Zeffirelli’s film, lends opulence to the proceedings, and Branagh’s Hamlet clearly styles himself a hero. Kate Winslet’s Ophelia, then, is more of a passive victim, shoved aside and ignored by the larger players in the court’s political game.
In Branagh’s Act 4, Scene 5, which omits none of Shakespeare’s original dialogue, Winslet takes a vastly different position while reciting the song, retreating to her knees in a gesture of submission. Later, the film depicts Ophelia being treated for her madness with a blast from a water hose—an eerie hint toward her eventual demise. Carter’s Ophelia is driven mad when she peels back the curtain of secrecy and sees the evils of Elsinore for herself. Winslet’s character, by contrast, has had these evils thrust upon her. Her madness is more clearly someone else’s fault—and no one can escape blame when Winslet hands out her imaginary bouquet.
Julia Stiles: Ophelia in Apathy
Almereyda’s film, starring Ethan Hawke and Julia Stiles and set in the modern day, challenges much of Shakespeare’s text. Almereyda’s decisions as a director help emphasize the desensitizing effects of the modern media. In this version, Hamlet’s “Mousetrap” is a grotesque and offensive collection of explicit images and ideas. In response, Stiles portrays an Ophelia who has more or less shut down. The world that Almereyda creates is truly maddening, and Ophelia shows its effects in subtle ways. When Ophelia passes the threshold into insanity, she changes her nail polish to black.
Each film presents an individual depiction of Ophelia’s compelling mental breakdown. Carter, Winslet and Stiles all perform the role admirably and with sensitivity to the text. Together, their interpretations constitute a complete, living character.
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