Shakespeare's Hamlet is an interesting play in many ways. The character of Hamlet is particularly intriguing in regards to his fatal flaw. Hamlet's fatal flaw is a specific trait that forces him to put off killing the king and it is this trait that drives Hamlet mad (Shakespeare 1.4.23-38). This Shakespearean tragedy is open to many interpretations of Hamlet's fatal flaw. Two recent film productions of the play, Kenneth Branaugh's Hamlet and Zeffirelli's Hamlet, each show a different fatal flaw in Hamlet. Branaugh shows that his fatal flaw is that Hamlet thinks of everything. Zeffirelli accentuates the Oepipus complex in Hamlet, which means that Hamlet is jealous of his mother. Branaugh and Zeffirelli both use different methods to illustrate their interpretations. There are many opinions about what Hamlet's fatal flaw is. One opinion is that Hamlet is that Hamlet thinks of everything. This is readily apparent and evidence to support this can be found in several places. The issue of the ghost's appearance is extremely disturbing to Hamlet who is still mourning the loss of his father (Shakespeare 1.2.170-258). Hamlet and Horatio, the wise man figure in the play, fear that the ghost may indeed be an evil spirit sent to tempt or kill Hamlet (Shakespeare 1.4.39-92). In an attempt to understand everything, Hamlet says that “conscience makes cowards of us all” (Shakespeare 3.1.83). Another view is the Oedipus complex where Hamlet is mainly concerned with his mother's infidelity, for example he mentions his mother's adultery before his father's murder (Shakespeare 1.4.105-106). Ophelia's rejection of him seems to mirror her mother's rejection of her father and is what ultimately drives him mad (Shakespeare 3. 1. 88-164). Ah......middle of paper......Culture 29.2 (June 1968): 142-149. Rpt. in Shakespearean criticism. Ed. Dana Ramel Barnes. vol. 35. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Literature Resource Center. Network. January 11, 2011. Foster, Edward E. “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” Main plots. Rev. 2nd ed. Salem Press, 1996. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Network. January 11, 2011.Hamlet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. 1990. Warner Brothers, 2004. DVD.Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark with new and updated critical essays and a revised bibliography. Ed. Silvano Barnet. New York: Signet Classics, 1998. Print.Sloboda, Noel. "Visions and revisions of Laurence Olivier in Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet films." Studies in the Humanities 27.2 (2000): 140+. Literary Resource Center. Network. 11 January 2011. Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Director Kenneth Branagh. 1996. Warner Brothers, 2007. DVD.