“The Sacred Theater of Knowing: The Epistemologies of Hamlet on Film” – Monique Pittman
Date: February 22, 2014
Speaker: Dr. Monique Pittman
Position: Director of Honors & Professor of English at Andrews University
Topic: “The Sacred Theater of Knowing: The Epistemologies of Hamlet on Film”
Venue: Chan Shun Hall
Attendance: 42
Presentation: After providing background information on the English Reformation under Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I (1530s-1603), Pittman explained how Shakespeare’s play Hamlet treats issues related to guilt & innocence, good & evil, human effort in salvation, Purgatory, how to know Truth & gain moral certainty. She closely examined Laurence Olivier’s 1948 & Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 interpretations of these themes in Hamlet through camera angles, lighting, close in & long shots, tilt shots, and quick cuts with PowerPoint slides & biblical quotes (such as Matt. 10:29-32) from the contemporary Geneva Bible, illustrating divine providence in human affairs.