| This thesis, employing approaches of film study and the methods of close reading, examines the three main characters in Sherwood Hu’s film adaption, Prince of the Himalayas and their counterparts in its source play Shakespeare’s Hamlet.Chapter One examines Hamlet’s character with an objective attitude, and then demonstrates how Sherwood Hu reconstructs this character into Lhamoklodan, a prince of the Himalayas, in his film. The prince in Hu’s film is not an egoist anymore, but a prince who has more humanistic thoughts. He has the courage to challenge Buddhist asceticism, pursuing the earthly love and feeling guilty for his misconduct.Chapter Two analyzes the Kings in Hamlet and Hu’s film. It tries to prove that Hamlet’s and some critics’ criticism of Claudius as an infamous satyr and villain is biased and unreliable. Based on the close reading of the original play, we find that, if Claudius did not commit fratricide, he would have been a very good king with many virtues. He is strong-minded, capable, intelligent and considerate. Sherwood Hu depicts Kulo-ngam not only as a brilliant, courteous and dignified King, but also a good husband and kind father as well.Chapter Three discusses the Queens. Through close reading, the thesis illustrates that Gertrude is not a weak, sensual and deceitful woman at all, but a dignified queen, an innocent wife and a gracious mother. In the film, absorbing and magnifying Gertrude’s good qualities, Hu portrays Nanm as the central and dominant character who is vital to the action of the plot. Besides, Nanm’s self-consciousness is awakened and she becomes a Tibetan angel as her name signifies.Through analyzing the above characters, this paper demonstrates that Hu reconstructs Shakespeare’s Hamlet with a deep concern of humanism in a special context of Tibetan Buddhist culture. With his constructive adaptation, Hu brings the source play Hamlet to a larger and more diversified audience. Hu’s Prince of the Himalayas successfully achieves Hamlet’s dramatic effect of arousing pity and fear and purgation, laying an emphasis on the theme of forgiveness, love and the rebirth of life. |
