Ophelia's Journal

I love my Hamlet so much. He's amazing and everytime I see him, my heart melts. The letters he writes me makes it easier to not miss him so much. But I'll never forget the time he came into my room. He grabbed me and shook me. That's what really scared me the most. I never thought he would ever get like that. I know he did not mean to hurt me, he didn't. I did not know what was going on through his head. I want to help him, but I'm not sure how.
I can't believe my father thinks Hamlets love is not real. It is! It isn't like fashion. The love I have for Hamlet will last a lifetime. I'm pretty sure Hamlet loves me the same. It's not like a toy in blood. The metaphors my father use make me sick! All my father cares about is his reputation.
Now the king and queen want me to lure Hamlet. I can't believe they're using me to see if he's crazy because of me. How can they even start to blame me? I know it's their son, but they should give him breathing space. If he's going mad, it isn't because of me.
It's hard for me to say this, but I think my father was right. Just like a toy in blood and just like fashion. Hamlet hath betrayed me. He told me to go to the nunnery. He thinks I'm unfaithful and a whore. I've remained devouted to him while he's been away. I can't bear the pain of knowing he doesn't love me. I wish I had the power to just not care, but it's so hard. Losing the one you love is jabbing one-hundred figurative knives in someones heart.

Almereyda's Hamlet

In my opinion, Almereyda put a creative and modern spin on a classic piece of literature. Ben Johnson was right when he said Shakespear was "not for age, but for all time". It takes a widespread imagination to take something so old and make it twenty first century. The actor who portrayed Hamlet actually looked like it should be Hamlet. The way that Hamlet acted made it more realistic, but in the other film versions, he looked too old. Also, the way Almereyda transformed a dynasty in a big corporation. That was genuis, from Elsinore Castle to Elsinore Co. Also, Almereyda put the location in the city than a country. He also kept true to the language, which made it like a blast from the past.
The differences from the play and Almereyda's version of Hamlet are obvious. He makes a castle into a corporation. Back then, there was no such thing as corporations and CEOs. The similarities are also obvious. This also goes back to the essential question of why we have to study Shakespear 400 years later. The themes are universal and will always happen. Betrayal of a brother and plotting revenge is something that has happened to the best of us. As easy as it seems to pick what's similar and what's different, it's also that hard because you can tell right away.
As I said before, Hamlet was portrayed well. But I feel that Claudius was portrayed extremely well. When you see him at the desk and toasting with Gertrude, you just feel disgusted by him, well at least I did. He looks like the lustrous pig that Shakespear makes him out to be. To answer the last question, I don't think I'd change anything. It was something that caught my attention when I first viewed it.