Hamlet (DVD)

Sarah Frankcom and Margaret Williams direct this adaptation of Hamlet featuring Maxine Peake in the title role. Embittered by the death of his father the King, and subsequent marriage of his mother Gertrude (Barbara Marten) to his uncle, Claudius (John Shrapnel), Prince Hamlet (Peake) is further discomfited when he encounters the ghost of his late father on the castle battlements. The ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, and must be avenged. Hamlet promises to bring his uncle to justice, but his efforts are continually thwarted by his own indecision, leading to madness and death for those around him.