Hamlet and Facebook

Even Hamlet appears to have found a small niche in Facebook’s popularizing social network. Though there weren’t many results after querying ‘hamlet’ into the Facebook search bar, what I did find [some] gives insight on highschool/college students’ reception of the play.

There are at least a dozen groups with Hamlet in the title, but most were created to review/advertise a specific modern [play] adaption of the story. Only two groups are oriented toward discussion: Hamlet = <3, which has 526 members, and Hamlet: The Elizabethan Emo, which has 292. From these small numbers, one could derive that students don’t discuss Hamlet outside of class, or just not over Facebook. After browsing through both groups’ discussion board, it seems that members of the groups (students) enjoyed reading the play for its humor, rather than Hamlet’s angst nature, which some say (teachers) they will relate to. Well maybe on a subconscious level, as Hamlet’s angst is what they find funny:

I was reading the line from Hamlet describing his misery and laughing at how poetically Bill was describing the Prince of Denmark's emo qualities, and I decided to point it out to the world through a Facebook group.

I've been advocating a reading of the play with Hamlet the angsty teenager who feels OMG so misunderstood 'cause his mum's remarried and his girlfriend hates him.

I thought it was funny

As for reception of modern adaptions, there seems to be a 50/50 split between Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal of Hamlet, and Mel Gibson’s.

Here is one person’s review of all the adaptions they’ve watched:

Mel Gibson:
Hated it. Too much of an Oedipan approach and too much skipping of important scenes. This movie dates from his action-hero-era and I think it shows. He's too aggressive, not at all troubled or brooding.

Derek Jacobi:
Didn't like it too much. I liked Gertrude a lot, but Ophelia was a bit TOO frail, and Derek Jacobi overdid it.

Kenneth Branagh:
I loved him. The mirroring of him to Claudius(Derek Jacobi, who I DID adore in this film) was very smart and the entire movie has this complete and grand feel to it. Kate Winslet as Ophelia was a stroke of genius. Also the rest of the cast is very convincing.

Ethan Hawke:
Very convincing in the 2000 Michael Almereyda film. The play is moved to our own era, consumer society, and Denmark becomes the Denmark Corporation.
A lot of cutting, that much is true, but a very very clever approach. Hawke is brilliant, as is Julia Stiles (Ophelia) and Bill Murray (Polonius).

Richard Burton:
Watching that one now, and I think this Hamlet will be my favourite!