Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the most famous plays written in the history of English literature. This is partly because its central characters and thematic concerns still resonate with readers today. Due to the polysemous nature of the play, its ideas can be interpreted in a myriad of ways, and there is no single meaning. Readers bring their personal experiences, cultures, and beliefs to their reading of the play. I will explore the notion of privacy in Hamlet and its rarity. There were also some cinematic interpretations that influenced my judgment of the play. Additionally, I will examine how Hamlet is relevant to me personally and to the 21st century, 400 years after the original writing of the play. I felt like I could relate to Ophelia in the scene where her brother and father interfere with her. love and therefore privacy. In this scene, Ophélie is not only stripped of her privacy, but also of her assertive power as a girl. This is demonstrated by the way Laertes lovingly reminds Ophelia to guard her "chaste treasure" (I, III, 34), which is an embarrassing subject for a brother to discuss with his sister. Polonius, however, insults his daughter and calls her a "green girl" (I, III, 106), meaning that she is naive and immature. He further asserts his paternal power by “ordering” him “not to believe in his wishes” (I, III, 128ff) and by forbidding him from seeing Hamlet again. In Kenneth Branagh's film version, Polonius is portrayed as an aggressive father, pushing Ophelia against a wall and demanding that she reveal what she is hiding, which constitutes a real invasion of her privacy. Ophelia's lack of privacy as others control how she handles her love life, ...... middle of paper ...... regarding not only what they do in public, but also in private. In summary, privacy is an important theme throughout the play. From Hamlet, I learned that true intimacy is not only very rare, but also something you can never be sure of having. This becomes evident in several instances in the play where Hamlet and Ophelia's private lives are abused. My own reading has been influenced not only by cinematic interpretations, but also by my personal experiences and attitudes. The continued interest and relevance of the play that, surprisingly, still exists today is in part due to the many ways in which the play can be read, giving it personal meaning to each reader each time they read it. Through this brilliant play, modern audiences are reminded of the inevitability of loss of privacy, which is becoming more and more pronounced with the rapid advancement of technology around the world..