Hamlet- interpretataions

Just for kicks and giggles I rented the Kenneth Branagh movie version of Hamlet from the library. I've been watching it little bits at a time. The characters in it are played a bit differently than I imagined. Polonius was presented as a well respected old man in the movie, whereas the play seemed to make him seem foolish. This is especially apparent in the scene where Polonius is confronting Hamlet about the book he is reading in attempts to find out if he is "mad" or it is his love of Ophelia that makes him act so distraughtly.

Speaking of Ophelia, the movie makes it clear that she had already given away her "chaste treasure" to Hamlet when Polonius spoke to her. Their relationship was definitely that of lovers. The book only implies that that may have been. All in all the most evidence in the book that their relationship was already sexual are the love letters Hamlet had written Ophelia. This is not solid evidence either. In my opinion it is more likely that through the two growing up in the royal household, Hamlet fell in love with Ophelia. Ophelia did not know how to react to him, so when Laertes and Polonius spoke to her she decided to take their advice. If they were already lovers I don’t believe she would have abandoned him so easily, especially after the death of his father.

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/01.23.97/gifs/hamlet-9704.jpg

While watching the movie is struck me how Laertes's death was just like the ironic death of Sykes in "Sweat."Both characters intended to harm another, (Laertes wanted to kill Hamlet, Sykes wanted to torment Delia), and in the end they died by the harm they meant for the other. Laertes was killed by the poisoned tip of the sword, and Sykes was killed by the rattlesnake. They both were aware of the fact as well. As Laertes dies he says, "I am justly kill'd with my own treachery". In "Sweat" the end say he "must know by now that she knew."