1. Setting
1.1. Mood
1.1.1. happy, celebratory
1.1.1.1. "CLAUDIUS How is it that the clouds still hang on you? HAMLET Not so, my lord. I am too much i' the sun." (1, 2, 66-67)
1.2. Exterior/Interior
1.2.1. vibrant
1.2.2. only Hamlet wears black while the rest is colourful
1.2.2.1. 18th century Denmark with Victorian era clothing and etiquette
1.3. Atmosphere
1.3.1. mysterious, secretive
1.3.1.1. "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." (1,4, 95)
2. Themes
2.1. Mortality
2.1.1. Hamlet reflects on mortality
2.1.1.1. "To be or not to be—that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And, by opposing, end them" (3,1,64-68)
2.1.2. Deaths of multiple characters
2.2. Madness
2.2.1. Hamlet descends into madness
2.2.1.1. "How strange or odd some'er I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic disposition on)" (1, 5,190-192)
2.2.2. Ophelia becomes mad after her father's death
2.3. Depression/Grief
2.3.1. Hamlet's grief over his father's death
2.3.2. Depression and suicide of characters
2.3.2.1. "Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God, God!" (1, 2, 129-132)
3. Character
3.1. Motivation
3.1.1. Hamlet wishes to avenge his father and get revenge on Claudius
3.1.1.1. "Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift As meditation or the thoughts of love, May sweep to my revenge. " (1,5, 31-37)
3.2. Goals
3.2.1. To expose the corruption in Denmark
3.2.2. Branagh portrays Hamlet as a depressed and mourning young man who wishes to die
3.2.2.1. Portrayed as a madman, cunning
3.2.2.1.1. "your noble son is mad: / Mad call I it; for, to define true madness, / What is't but to be nothing else but mad? (2.2.92-94)
4. Intention
4.1. What is included
4.1.1. Word for word, Shakespeare's dialogue is entirely included to ensure character and motifs were present in the film
4.1.2. A visual representation of the play, filled with flashbacks and scenes that were off-stage
4.1.2.1. flashbacks of Hamlet Sr.'s death, Hamlet and Ophelia together in bed