How does Olivier present the characters of Gertrude and Ophelia?

Authors Avatar

How does Olivier present the characters of Gertrude and Ophelia?

Laurence Olivier directed, and starred in, a film version of William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, which was made in 1948.  This epic production is very stage-like, with huge entrances, theatrical blocking, canons, trumpets and beautiful period costumes.  The actors annunciate their words perfectly in a very grand manner, and some of the characters are rather stereotypical and exaggerated.

This film version concentrates specifically on Hamlet’s state of mind and his growing madness. It also concerns some of Freud’s ideas, particularly the Oedipus complex.  As this production revolves almost entirely around the lead, Hamlet, the other characters are used principally to offer reasons for Hamlet’s anger and confusion, and to demonstrate his insanity, and the effects of it, to the audience.

Laurence Olivier’s very first image related to Gertrude is her bed, helping the audience to establish an understanding of how Gertrude is going to be portrayed instantly. At first appearances Gertrude looks drugged and sensually abandoned. She is portrayed in a very sexual way, doting on Claudius. There is a catastrophic relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude, kissing, fondling and devouring. Olivier confirms the sexual nature of Gertrude, focusing on the lighted arches at the end of the tunnel representing female genital architecture with Gertrude’s bed at the centre. So instantly the audience is presented with a very sexually abandoned portrayal of Gertrude. 

        However, Gertrude establishes quite a cold side to her personality, when she is angry at Claudius’s outburst, during the play ‘within a play.’ She seems genuinely shocked by the play, which would imply that, like Zeffirelli’s portrayal of Gertrude, she is also inert.

        During the closet scene, Gertrude throws her arms around Hamlet and he throws her onto the bed. He almost rapes her, threatening her with a dagger and disarraying her clothes. However, Gertrude clings to Hamlet, although his impulse is not dissimilar to hers; Hamlet however is somewhat indignant. Gertrude also kisses Hamlet on the lips and repeats this several times. This an extremely Oedipal construct, Gertrude is dishevelled and bound up with very little control. This is quite revealing for a 1940’s production, with explicit depicts of a sexual nature between the two.

Join now!

Olivier exposes Gertrude as a guilt ridden and self-contempt type character, however she abandons her grief and gets lost in physicality. Once again, very like Zeffierlli’s portrayal, Gertrude is a victim of her own appetite. Olivier’s adaptation is made believable by the intense overemphasise Hamlet puts on his mother’s actions, despite the ghosts commands. During this scene, Gertrude sees pictures of both her deceased husband and Claudius. Gertrude has Claudius’s picture clasped round her neck and Hamlet has his father’s picture around his, showing where each of their loyalties fall.    

        Olivier’s portrayal of Gertrude and ...

This is a preview of the whole essay