Ophelia

Two years ago I had some seniors who loved the play Hamlet more than any other other group I've ever taught.  We had some amazing discussions, most of which centered on whether or not Gertrude was complicit in the king's death and whether or not Ophelia deserved her cruel fate.  Because they were so interested, I brought my copy of Ophelia by Lisa Klein to class to see if anyone was interested in reading the story of Hamlet told from Ophelia's perspective and it was so popular that I eventually bought several more copies to keep up with the demand (one student asked for her own copy of it for Christmas).  When I got the information for the Sundance Film Festival that year, I was thrilled to see that an adaptation of Klein's novel had been made and that it was one of the films available for a student screening. So many students wanted to see this film that I eventually had to request more tickets and I even had to turn some of them away.  The students absolutely loved this film and cheered out loud at its conclusion!  It was so much fun for me to see their enthusiasm.  I enjoyed it as well so I was very excited to see it again last night now that it is in wide release.  In this version of Shakespeare's classic tale, Ophelia (Daisy Ridley) is an independent young woman who is ultimately able to triumph over what is rotten in Denmark.  I think this version of the story is entirely plausible with, as my students pointed out to me after our first viewing, lots of textual evidence to support it.  I especially enjoyed the characterizations of Hamlet (George MacKay), Gertrude (Naomi Watts), Claudius (Clive Owen), and especially Ophelia.  Hamlet is usually portrayed by an older actor with the gravitas to pull off such a demanding role but, according to the text, he is a young university student who is highly emotional over his father's death and his mother's remarriage.  McKay is the first age-appropriate actor I've seen in the role and I liked his melodramatic take.  Gertrude is one of the most enigmatic characters in literature (I've told my students that when I retire I want to write the story of Hamlet from Gertrude's perspective) and her motivation in this adaptation, namely that her fear of losing her youth and beauty is what makes her susceptible to Claudius' charms, really rings true.  Watts does a good job of showing her desperation and vanity.  There are hints in the text that Claudius is a duplicitous character even before the death of the king and Owen's portrayal is so menacing.  Ophelia is a pawn used by Polonius, Claudius, and Hamlet for their own ends in the play but there is a brief spark of rebellion when Laertes gives her advice about her relationship with Hamlet and she calls him a hypocrite for his own unscrupulous behavior towards women.  This rebellious spirit is emphasized in Ridley’s nuanced portrayal.  Many of Ophelia's most pivotal scenes in the play take on a new meaning and make more sense, most notably in the "get thee to a nunnery" scene and Ophelia's mad scene.  Finally, this movie is beautiful with visuals that evoke the classic painting of the drowned Ophelia by John Millais.  If you are a fan of Hamlet, I am sure you will find this movie quite intriguing and I recommend it.