Blog Assignment #4

In this famous soliloquy by Hamlet the main question that he’s considering is revealed in the first six words when he says, “To be, or not to be,” (3.1.64).  What this means is that Hamlet is trying to figure out whether or not he wants to continue living.  He fully explores his options when it comes to this question by making several references to death.  He first talks about how easy it would be to just die and then sleep forevermore and “end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to,” (3.1.69-71).  He continues on this thought until he stops to think about what the afterlife would be like, wondering if it might be better to just put up with all the “ills we have than fly to others that we know not of,” (3.1.89-90).

 Throughout this soliloquy Hamlet uses several different literary devices to get his point across.  One of the main devices that he uses is the metaphor.  When describing how unfair life seems to be Hamlet says, “For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,” (3.1.78).  Also, when describing fortune he says, “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” (3.1.65-66).

 In the excerpt featuring Kenneth Branagh the filmmakers decided to have the scene in the throne room of the castle in Elsinore.  They then show Hamlet facing one of the mirrored doors that are all around the room.  This effectively shows those watching that Hamlet is contemplating something that seems very important to him and it also shows that Hamlet is trying to reach deep within himself for these answers.   Hamlet then brings out a dagger when he describes the afterlife as “…the dread of something after death, the undiscover’d country from whose bourn no traveller returns,” (3.1.86-88).  There fact that there was no music to go along with Hamlet’s speech helped convey that these were his inner thoughts.  Another thing that I think helped portray Hamlet’s inner thoughts is the choice in costume and makeup.  He was dressed in all black, which helped show that he’s still depressed over his father’s death, and they used makeup to give him bags under his eyes, something that helps contribute to the “crazy” persona that he’s been acting out these past few days.  The use of different camera angles also helps show that his speech is going from a more broad kind of thinking to a conclusion of some sort.  It’s starts off as a full body view of Hamlet, which goes along with him proposing his initial question, “To be, or not to be,” (3.1.64), then to a close up of his face when he realizes that he hasn’t taken his revenge on Claudius yet because he’s been thinking too much.

 The filmmakers who put together the excerpt with Laurence Olivier took an interesting take on this scene.  They started off with a lot of crazy shots of the stairs leading up to the cliff that Hamlet is on, showing how far away from everyone else he is.  This shows that Hamlet feels that he’s far enough away that he doesn’t have to be afraid to think about what’s really troubling him.  He’s trying to figure out whether he wants to live or die, by his own hand, and he feels that this is the only safe place to ponder these thoughts.  To go along with all of these angles is music that makes you feel frantic and all of the ascending notes give you get the feeling that Hamlet is really high up in the castle.  While the setting gives off the feeling that Hamlet is contemplating whether he should live or die, the use of the dagger makes his thoughts seem even more real.  The fact that he brings the dagger out while saying, “To die,” (3.1.68) really makes it clear that he’s being very serious and that these thoughts aren’t just passing through his mind.  While the setting and the use of the dagger make it obvious to he’s actually considering killing himself, the custom he’s wearing doesn’t really seem to say much.  Yes he’s wearing black pants and a black vest, but his shirt is white and it doesn’t really doesn’t seem all that depressing.

 The setting of the tomb in the excerpt featuring Mel Gibson surprised me was a unique way of coming straight out and showing that Hamlet was thinking about death and possibly killing himself.  Also, the lack of music as Hamlet is entering the tomb helps emphasize the fact that he’s alone and is aided by his footsteps, which are easily heard.  While the fact that he’s wearing dark clothing helps show that he’s in a depressed mood, the darkness around him in the tombs shows that he feels that he’s suffocating in darkness and that’s why he’s thinking about his life and all the troubles that come along with living.  The changes in Gibson’s voice made it easy to identify when he moved from one thought to the next and when he felt strongly about what he was saying versus when he was just voicing thoughts that passed through his mind.  It was full of emotion when he talked about the unfairness of life, saying, “For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, the oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, the pangs of despised love…” (3.1.78-80) showing that this is something that he really thinks and is angry that all of this is allowed to take place.  The camera angles also helped me differentiate important ideas from those that were just passing thoughts because whenever Hamlet reached something significant thought there would be a close up on his face and when he was just walking around the tomb he was just having transitory thoughts that would lead to bigger ideas latter on.

 The filmmakers responsible for the excerpt featuring Ethan Hawke chose to have Hamlet deliver his soliloquy in an empty video store.  They also chose to start out the soliloquy as a voice over, showing that these are Hamlet’s inner thoughts and that he’s been thinking about this long enough that he needs to get it all out once and for all and fully explore all of his options.  His costume also contributes to the idea that death is something he’s been thinking about because the black clothes help show that he’s depressed and depression is usually linked with thoughts about death.  In this excerpt there doesn’t really seem to be much of a change in the camera angle, except for when he says, “To die: to sleep; to sleep: perchance to dream,” (3.1.72-73) when they switch from a close up view of Hamlet to a close up three TV’s showing destruction.  This shows that Hamlet is thinking that death seems appealing because at least then he won’t have to see the death and destruction that goes on in this world.

 In my opinion the person that’s most effective in delivering this soliloquy is Kenneth Branagh.  I feel that he did a good job in capturing the way my son has been acting these past few days.  From what Claudius told me Branagh was able to show madness that seems to have overcome my dear son without overdoing like some others that I’ve seen.  The circles under his eyes showing how the thoughts of death have been circling around in his mind for some time now, keeping him from enjoying the things that he used to.  He still let Hamlet’s madness show though when he pulled out his dagger and started gesturing with it.  I was told that at one point he even touched his face with it!  I feel that more than anything convinces me that not all is right with my dear Hamlet.  Never before has he entertained the thought of death so much that he felt comfortable with the blade of a dagger on his face!  I also think that the use of the mirrors in the excerpt help show that Hamlet is in fact thinking out loud and that he’s actively trying to figure out what it is that he wants to do. 

 If I had had the chance to create my own excerpt for this scene I would have had it take place in the throne room because that’s where it seems to occur in the book.  Having it in the throne room also gives Claudius and Polonius the chance to eavesdrop on what Hamlet is saying.  In three of the four excerpts Hamlet was off by himself while delivering this soliloquy and I think that it’s important that Claudius and Polonius hear it.  The fact that he’s trying to decide if he wants to live or die plays important role in Hamlet’s “antic disposition” (1.5.192).  This fact along with the way Hamlet treated Ophelia in their meeting also give Claudius a reason for wanting to send Hamlet to England.  Next, I would have had Hamlet pull out the dagger when he first mentions dying, like in the excerpt with Laurence Olivier.  The act of pulling out the dagger puts even more emphasis on death and helps the audience understand that Hamlet is seriously thinking about suicide.