William Shakespeare's Hamlet addresses the theme of fate and revenge while explaining the situations that Hamlet goes through to avenge the death of his father. The play was written during the Elizabethan era to convey the social norms of the time. Michael Almereyda's 2000 version of Hamlet features drastic changes to the play in hopes of appealing to a more modern audience, while still depicting the play's storyline. Although there are obvious changes between the two storylines, Almereyda's attempts to include 21st century Elizabethan English add authenticity to this film. In this modern interpretation of Hamlet, we see the story set in a bustling New York where the atmosphere and beliefs of the characters are taken into account, allowing the audience to better identify with Shakespeare's original play . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the Elizabethan era, women were looked down upon and men controlled their lives. William depicts Gertrude and Ophelia as weak in the play to reflect their role in society at the time since we expected them to obey the opposite sex. Although there are some similarities, this is not the case in the film as there were scenes where Ophelia ignored orders from Polonius and Laertes to stop seeing Hamlet. Additionally, as Polonius attempts to spy on Hamlet through Ophelia by placing a wire on her, Ophelia cries but does not stop him. Her resistance shows that women now have more control over their own lives and no longer need their parents' blessing; however, this still shows that she is not in complete control. Likewise, women are still fighting for equal rights today. To properly illustrate Shakespeare's story, the director chooses her resistance as one of the reasons why she breaks down and ultimately commits suicide, apart from her father's death. Gertrude in the film plays the role of a “perfect” wife for Claudius. They describe her as a powerful and intelligent woman, which is not a word that typically describes women of the Elizabethan era. It was after the death of Polonius that she turned to drink, making us discover a new side of her. Perhaps this shows how women in our society are under constant pressure to play this role of “strong” to ensure that we don’t view them as weak or emotional. However, Gertrude was unable to retain this image. Almereyda's portrayal of Gertrude and Ophelia not only creates characters that female audiences can relate to, but also offers a realistic interpretation of women in the year 2000. Michael incorporated technology into the film to show the effect it has on today's society; however, in doing so, the audience may perceive Hamlet differently. In Shakespeare's play, we identify Hamlet as mad; however, his lack of initiative to seek revenge in the film portrays a more depressed character. Hamlet often isolates himself and turns to his video diaries where he can reflect on his thoughts and stay sane. This clearly shows that he feels comfortable with his videos, but it also makes the audience wonder if he will ever commit to his projects. To further appeal to audiences, the film discusses how our access to technology can isolate us, even though its purpose is to facilitate connection with others. Rather than confront someone face to face, Hamlet prefers to call or email the person, which can be seen as a weakness since it depends on the.