Hamlet

First Ideas

From reading Hamlet I knew straight away that I wanted my set design to include water and earthly elements.

I researched the Kornberg castle and Denmark's city's streets to see if I could include the main featured buildings within the back drop or main construction .

I then looked at a range of images of nature and went to many woods to find strange and wonderful creations of trees and plants.

I also stuck to the water idea to which I looked at how certain plays like 'The Tempest' and 'Water by the spoonful' have used a watered stage in their design and what the implications of this was.

The Oak Tree

Looking at the nature side of things I then researched a lot on the OAK tree. I found many different beliefs and mythological stories on the oak tree.

From this I focused my design on the Celtic stories of how the oak tree was a portal to other dimensions and reality's while Nymphs guarded the doorway.

The oak tree was going o be the main feature of my set design and the inspiration to my costumes designs as I wanted them to connect.

Because the oak tree is also seen as the tree of life and family I connected the branches to each characters death so when a character dies the branches will fall of as it is connected to a manual mechanism which will highlight how the tree is dying with the storyline.

At the end of the play the tree will have no braches left and then it will lit up in flames to show how all the main characters are now dead.

After this the whole stage will be filled with blood from a blood rain which will put out the flames and the blood will drip onto the flower bed and down the stage front. This would be the ned to the play Hamlet.

Finished Costume Ideas

I wanted to connect the costumes to the set however I did start by researching tribal mask and changing the characters into animals to show their true natures. I didn't go with this idea as I went with nature, mostly ivy growing and pushing its way out of the characters skin .

Hamlet starts of as a normal prince in royal clothing but throughout the play her changes in to a devil like creature to symbolises his mind going insane.

As Nymphs guards the oak tree and Ophelia falls of one I have made her nymph which will also highlight her natural beauty. Her dress is heavy and flows to the ground while she has tree roots growing out of her head.

I kept the design of the ghost true to the story by designing him in armour clothing and a crown. He also has long grey flowing hair with a rough long beard as described in the book. To still connect him to nature he has the ivy growing out of differing parts of his skin.

To show how evil and disgusting King Claudius is I have mad his character into an largely bodied unattractive ogre. He has tree stump arms and legs with dirty clothing and dying skin.

The grave yard digger was used as a role in the play within the play made by hamlet. People such as him were the start to the word 'jester' so I have designed his clothes to suit this. However his face is completely eaten by the ivy as well as some parts of his body.

Finished Model Box

Fire scene shown by lighting.

Blood rain covering the entier stage.

Chandelier lit up within Hamlets first main speech.

Blue cold lighting for the saden scenes.

Ophelia's death scene showing dramatic lit lighting and her body covered in the water and flower bed.

AutoCAD Drawings