Claudius' Soliloquy + Hamlet's Dilemma | Video Project

Ophelia

Ophelia, the once fair Ophelia. She was pretty up until the end. We are gathered here today to honor our dear Ophelia, now departed. Ophelia was always singing, she was a true lady. Ophelia was a good, loving daughter. She always listened to her father Polonius, rest his soul. The words of her brother Laertes were equally as important to her. Ophelia was the ideal woman; she was kind, caring, and sweet at heart. She spent a good portion of her time picking flowers, and sewing. Ophelia would have made a good wife and an even better mother. However, Ophelia has left us now, much to our despair.

Ophelia was driven mad by the conflict inside her. She loved lord Hamlet, and believed he loved her. However the words of her father brought her to have to give her love up. Our dear Ophelia was faced with the decision follow her heart, or listen to those who raised her. This conflict of interest drove her into madness and when her father saw the light, it only helped to further her disparity. Ophelia could not handle the expectations of those around her; she could not find a balance in her life. Bless her. She was so strong, she had the will to break her own heart but this really put her over the edge. She was always a resilient girl, but the demands of her, the death of her father, and the madness and loss of her lover were too much for her.

Our lovely Ophelia was fair even in the end. Although she was driven mad by recent events, she was still beautiful and sweet in our hearts. She always will be remembered in our hearts this way. Such a shame, that our beautiful friend and sister fell into the madness that she did. This very madness being what led her to her demise. Ophelia had been in a tree, picking flowers, when the branch the supported her gave out. She plunged into the brook below her. Knowing our Ophelia, she probably gave the water a good fight and tried to swim out of the water, but she was pulled down by her garments.  Her recently tragic life was accompanied by a tragic accident. However, let this not be our memory of Ophelia. Ophelia will always be our darling girl. 

Rest In Peace

Fair Ophelia.

Hamlet's Dilemma

In act 3, scene 3 Hamlet is faced with a tough decision, when to kill Claudius. Hamlet decided to wait because Claudius was praying at the time and he would go to heaven. Hamlet is waiting for a more sinful time to kill Claudius. This enables him to send the murderer to hell and make him suffer, as he deserves for murdering the king. 

Hamlet's hesitation was good, you should never do any big decisions like that without assessing the situation first. If the world worked by people blindly killing others, then we certainly wouldn't have a world. Your judgments stop you or, for the criminals out there, make them wait for a time that they won't get caught. Hamlet waits for a time that he can make Claudius pay for his actions. This demonstrates that Hamlet has a lot of will power and can think crucially even during high intensity moments. He's not as impulsive as he may seem. 

If Hamlet did kill Claudius while he was praying, he may never forgive himself for not revenging his father properly. He already lost his father, mother, and girlfriend. If he lost his drive and his newfound purpose he would have nothing left for him except a self appointed spot next to his father. Hamlet did the right thing and waited. 

To Be Or Not To Be

                Hamlet’s famous “To be or Not to Be” has many film interpretations, so how do they compare? Olivier’s version had a very dull approach to this scene. The speech was slowly paced and monotone. Hamlet was also portrayed partly as thinking, and partly as speaking. This makes hamlet seem more authentic, but it is a bit disorienting for viewers. I do like how hamlet appears to get close to sticking the dagger in his chest, then the music gets intense and he has second thoughts. This provided a very good visual representation of Hamlet’s internal conflict. However the shot was simply him sitting on a rock in front of the sea, while surrounded by fog and storms. It was a very boring shot and while combined with the monotone it is almost unbearable.

                The Zeffirelli version of the scene was my personal favorite. This version involves hamlet in a dark tomb or grave. This allows the speech to connect to the death around in the graves. It provides insight into the fact that Hamlet is really debating whether or not he wants to join the dead. The acting itself was visually emotional; Hamlet paces and buries his head in his arms. This makes the internal conflict within hamlet very convincing. The speech really did justice to the internal warfare that hamlet was enduring, it sounded unsure and aggravated. Hamlet also looks to the sky as well as acts as though he is praying, which reflects to his desire to potentially kill himself and join the non-living. As good as this version’s visual portrayal was, this version skips a good portion of the script making it not as detailed as it could have been.

                Branaugh had a very different approach with his scene. Hamlet appears in front of a mirror, and while staring into his own eyes he talks to himself and contemplates his suicide. The music is very quiet, which accompanies Hamlet’s hushed voice. This provides a sense that Hamlet does not anyone to overhear him, and considering the scene is set indoors it would be very easy to overhear his sinful debate. The speech was fast paced, which I personally did not enjoy, I find that fast speech is unrealistic when having a thoughtful and contradictory argument. As much as I don’t like the use of the mirror, it reflects Hamlet’s self-reflection (Puns intended). I also liked that Hamlet runs the dagger blade over his head, which really shows he is seriously considering using it against himself.

                Almereyda’s modern interpretation of the scene was yet again my least favorite of the bunch. However that being said, it was also the most remarkable in subtleties. In this version, hamlet is walking through blockbuster, more specifically the action isle. This directly relates to his indecision to take action on his life. Hamlet’s speech was rather emotionless and depressed, which is what one would sound like when deciding to end one’s life. Eventually Hamlet talks nonsensically and swings his voice in a fashion that makes him appear as though he no longer cares what happens to him. The pace is slow and authentic. The scene is also complete with a television in the background which is flickering, which I take to be in relation to his flickering between the decision of life or death. 

The Ghost Scene

                After watching the 3 different renditions of the ghost scene in Act 1, there were several characteristics that stood out from each one. In the Zeffirelli version, there was a sense of minimalism. Zeffirelli stripped the script down to its bare essentials, meaning most of the detail was removed leaving the basic content needed to understand the overall plot. This version was also not very dramatic, we see 2 main camera angles of Zeffirelli as Hamlet, as well as the ghost; neither shot has much movement. Zeffirelli included no special effects, music, or complex scenery. Zeffirelli focused mainly on the characters emotions; for example, the ghost’s despair, and hamlet’s motivation.

            The Almereyda version was my least preferred rendition of this scene. I didn’t enjoy how the ghost and hamlet were portrayed in a very casual form.  Sam Shepard (Ghost) is seen outside of Ethan Hawke’s (Hamlet) window, who nonchalantly walks in and behaves much in the same way a human would. It completely broke the conception of talking to a ghost. This version follows the script more closely than Zeffirelli’s and is accompanied by sad music, which did not merge well with the original tone of this scene.

            The last and personally more preferred version of the ghost scene is Branagh’s rendition.  The dialogue was extremely fast paced, which at first I did not like, however after a few lines it implied a sense of impulsiveness from hamlet’s character. This version also follows the script more closely than the others. Branagh heavily infused this rendition with special effects and video effects, the earth boils and ripples, the area is foggy, the ghost is ominous and deathly. All of this combined leads to a much more convincing supernatural event. Branagh also decided to show flashbacks to the king’s murder, which was a nice touch to aid in the understanding of what Shakespeare’s language meant. All of these things combined with intense music and strong, believable dialogue sets this version apart from the rest and makes it the best in my opinion.