Transformation of Ophelia Representation in Film Adaptations and Multiplatform Projects as a Way of Updating "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark' by William Shakespeare"

This paper is dedicated to the topic of transformation of the image of Ophelia in film adaptations of ‘Hamlet’, as well as in multimedia projects based on the tragedy written by Shakespeare. At the beginning of the paper, the historical overview of the literary, philosophical, and psychological approaches to the analysis of the heroine is proposed. Then, the analysis of five film adaptations, that were shot between 1948 and 2018, is conducted. The results of this analysis state the following interpretations of Ophelia: the child of nature, the hostage of the situation, the voice of reason, and the main character whose store had not been told yet. The analysis of multimedia projects adds up to this list other interpretations such as Ophelia as an adolescent girl with mental health problems. In the last chapter of the paper, some assumptions on the future representations of Ophelia are made: the heroine might appear in VR and AR films, video games, and small screen films as a central character with a complex personality.