Shakespeare's Hamlet Prince of Denmark and William Shakespeare's Zeffirelli is probably one of the most studied pieces of fiction in history. It has become the pinnacle of literature, and despite the play's commonalities, many interpretations offer a different artistic interpretation. One rendition in particular is Franco Zeffirelli's 1990 film translation starring Mel Gibson as Hamlet. Shakespeare's original Hamlet follows the heartwarming life of young Hamlet in which he is often portrayed as a whiny young man who spends his time moping around the castle, on the verge of madness. Zeffirelli's deviation from the norm highlights another side of the character that is often overlooked in mainstream productions. The choice to create a visual Hamlet and a heavily cut-up text led to some interesting changes in the structure of the play. Franco Zeffirelli's film is very different from the play. For example, he added the funeral scene at the beginning. He uses a different order with scenes and parts of scenes, most of the long speeches are cut and sometimes gives lines from one character to another. While these changes might offend the dedicated Shakespearean scholar, they are primarily there to build up the action and reduce the plot. Theater is limited to geographic scope, while movement is the opposite. In cinema, the director has the freedom to shoot each scene at different locations and times, and then put them together for the final product. The result of the film is that the audience is easily able to recognize the time and place. Stage performances are less clear, and unless one is familiar with the play, one often simply has to wait for the actors to deduce where and when the scene is taking place...... middle of paper ...... y.Zeffirelli's Hamlet film obviously interprets the original play, especially considering Mel Gibson's performance, making it easy for audiences to understand the Shakespearean dialect. Shakespeare's Hamlet is a man with friends who turns out to be much more reserved and manipulative than we might imagine today. His hamlet is considerate in his plans, but tactless in his interpersonal relationships. Zeffirelli's audience must focus on the troubles and character of Hamlet, who is non-stop and hostile, but a sensitive loner when the time is right. Zeffirelli achieves this mix while staying true to his starting point and maintaining a solid storyline with a constant flow supporting his own vision of the story. In summary, Zeffirelli's Hamlet is both a free and faithful understanding of its source, which is, for today's viewer, a Hamlet in its own right..