Hamlet (III. i. 64-96)
To be or not to be – that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And, by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep –
No more – and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to – `tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep –
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.
Below are four different interpretations of Hamlet's famous soliloquy from Act 3, scene 1.Please view all four clips in the following order:
1) 1948 - The timeless performance by Laurence Olivier.
2) 2000 - Ethan Hawke's Hamlet drifts into a Blockbuster video. Notice which section he walks through.
3) 1996 - Kenneth Brannah's Hamlet speaking a mirror image of himself (Note: Hamlet's Uncle Claudius and Polonius are hiding behind the glass).
4) 2009 - David Tennant's Hamlet - A more modern and nuanced performance.
At first I liked the 1996 Kenneth Brannah's hamlet the best because it was the most interesting to me, I felt that the others were pretty boring to watch and listen to. I really liked the concept of him talking to himself in the mirror like he was talking to another person. I also felt that having the people behind the glass watching him added good suspense, and how when he drew the knife you almost couldn't tell if he knew they were listening or not. After discussing the meaning behind the soliloquy in class, however, Mel Gibson's hamlet became my favorite. I felt that he really captured the emotional turmoil and the escalation of rage in the passage. He showed a greater range of emotions that I didn't really see in any of the other interpretations.
ReplyDelete-ali keamy
I enjoyed Kenneth Brannah's Hamlet speech the most because of the setting, and the idea that he was raising a knife to himself and to the people behind the mirror. His delivery of the speech was great, and the way it was filmed was done very well. The creepy music paired with his calm, whispering voice is what sold me on why this one was my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI think Mel Gibson did the best as Hamlet.I think he understood the passage very well and was able to speak it perfectly. In the other videos I felt that some lines from the speech were said in a wrong tone of voice and sometimes they didn't break between two lines that should have had a break between them. I think Mel Gibson had those errors under control and presented it very nicely. I agree with Ali in saying you can really hear his emotions and an escalation of anger throughout the speech.
ReplyDeleteOf all the videos, I liked Mel Gibson's performance the most. He captured the emotion and turmoil of Hamlet perfectly. The slow descend to the tombs was an eery and suitable setting. The shadows and faint light provided a dark scene for a dark speech. While he performed, it was very clear that he had analyzed and understood the passage. I felt like it was a good balance between the dramatic and dull performances from the other videos. However, Kenneth Brannah's was also well done. His performance was a little monotone, but it felt controlled instead of boring. I also thought Kenneth Brannah's Hamlet was lifted by the setting. When he slowly creeps towards the mirror with a knife in his hand, in my opinion, it was a very effective way to show the audience his intentions.
ReplyDeleteI personally prefer Kenneth Branagh's take on Prince Hamlet, as he expertly played both director and the titular role (doing both is a considerably difficult job to balance both director and main actor). Alongside Branagh features an A-list cast, with the likes of Derek Jacobi as King Claudius, Julie Christie as Queen Gertrude, Kate Winslet as Ophelia, Michael Maloney as Laertes, Richard Briers as Polonius, and Nicholas Farrell as Horatio. Others include Robin Williams, Gérard Depardieu, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal, Rufus Sewell, Charlton Heston, Richard Attenborough, Judi Dench, John Gielgud and Ken Dodd.
ReplyDeleteThe filmography from the language staying authentic to the era, the 1996 version was also the last major dramatic motion picture to be filmed entirely on 70 mm film (until 2012).
The dramatic pauses of the famous soliloquy catches the suspense of the present moment in [it's] hands, makes you pause and continues to grasp tightly the breath of the surrounding room. It is until you remind yourself to breathe [so that you don't go faint], do you hang on every line of Branagh's words-An expert job that makes time stop in mere minutes.
I really liked Kenneth Brannah's interpretation of Hamlet because you can feel the emotions he's feeling. It doesn't sound like he's reciting a monologue he memorized; instead it sounds like words coming out of his mouth. His take on Hamlet is so much more chilling and interesting in comparison to Laurence Olivier and Ethan Hawke's take. They solely relied on their facial expressions to convey their emotions, but Kenneth Brannah took the line and made it his own. You can feel the conflict and rage behind his voice. The dramatic music in the background also helped a lot by setting the tone of the scene. With Mel Gibson's interpretation of Hamlet, you can see his inner turmoil, his frustration. Similar to Brannah's version, you get drawn into his performance because it sounds like his words, instead of a long monologue he memorized.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the previous comments that Mel Gibson's and Kenneth Brannah's versions were the most emotionally appropriate portrayals of the scene. I liked that they emphasized different emotions with Mel Gibson's version being a sadder speech than Brannah's, who I thought gave a angrier and enraged performance. I also liked Ethan Hawke's version because the way he spoke the lines made it a much more bitter performance and made Hamlet seem resentful whilst the other performances made him out to be sorrowful, angry or just detached.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite performance of the soliloquy was Mel Gibson’s performance. His range of emotions and his inflection made it feel like he was actually thinking it out rather than reciting a memorized line. I also liked how he was in a tomb surrounded by dead people, it was almost like he was asking them for answers about what happens when you die. He seems like he is actually considering taking his life. I also liked Brannah's version of the soliloquy but I felt like Mel Gibson had more emotion and felt the words he was saying. Gibson’s was also better because it was all about Gibson, there was no background music just Gibson.
ReplyDelete-Conor Walsh
I personally liked the Ethan Hawke version of the soliloquy. It's such and intense passage with a lot of deep reasoning and meaning; having him recite it in such a casual setting like a blockbuster was interesting as well because it gives the watcher a strange perspective on the scene. Having him dressed like a regular guy just perusing a video store gives the appearance of an average night, while really this guy is contemplating whether or not its his last night. I feel like it brings the intensity of the scene down a bit and makes it more relatable for the audience.
ReplyDeleteWhen debating which was better, I think the type of performance and what the directer wanted to accomplish are key, for all of these performances do this differently, and focus on different aspects on how it effects hamlet. With that said however, overall I think Mel Gibson's performance was the best, followed shortly there after by Ethan Hawke's rendition. In Gibson's take on it, the setting was incorporated in the best way: It added to the whole dynamic of death or life and how they were being debated over in Hamlet's mind. The fact that Hamlet talks to himself as he is walking through a burial site, is more real and connectable. His setting spurred theses ideas, while in other renditions, the setting was merely the place the soliloquy happened to occur in. His performance was also the most riveting; He actually showed emotion in not only his thoughts, but his body language, and his constant pacing aswell. Ethan Hawke's performance on the other hand lacked the emotion Gibson's had, yet used and showed brilliantly the psychological effect the viewer has in a more cohesive way. Hamlet is portrayed as a very interesting man; he is dressed in a nice blazer, yet he is wearing a off color winter hat,which throws off the severity of his character quite a bit. Along with the strangeness of his being, he is also contemplating life or death in a Blockbuster. This setting and character portrayal adds so many questions to the scheme of things, but as he is walking down the isles of all the action movies, and with the explosions going on in the tv's behind him, it really shows the importance this decision has on his character, and how it is taking over his daily life. The severity of the situation combined with the lack there of in all aspects of his character and the scene presented really twists the mind in thinking about the performance as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI like the 1990s interpretation of he soliloquies because he seemed to thinking the most out of all the others in my opinion
ReplyDeleteI feel that the 1990s version of the Hamlet Soliloquy because for one thing I thought that the actor was a lot more immersive with the text than the others and he seemed to be more deep in thought than the others too. Another reason is that the camera shots of the 1990s version was also very good.
DeleteI agree with Vivian when she writes about Kenneth's interpretation of the piece. I felt much more connected to Hamlet than I did with the other versions. The intense music really made me feel more involved and less like I was just watching a performance. Adding music can have a huge impact. For example, if you are having an off day, music can change your mood. When the music started, I really became engaged. Personally, his acting was more my style compared to the acting interpretations in the other versions.
ReplyDelete-Kamillye Contreras
When i started the different versions of hamlet's to be or not to be, i thought i'd gravitate more to the modern version one but i came to like the mel gibson one more i liked a lot of mel gibsons movies (albeit he's a bit out there) anyways with hamlet he walks around a tomb an area that during these times were meant to be very important to their way of life (ironically it being a place for dead bodies) throughout every culture there is a way that the dead is treated with that cultures and beliefs and in the catholic religion your body was god's temple and when hamlet is considering ending his own life that would be destroying god's temple which obviously isn't considered a good thing and you'd be sent to hell but hamlet already considered the life he is living, hell so it becomes a complex on weather living or death is hell what if he kill himselves he'd be right at square one with his father killed and his mother remarry and his romantic partner leaving him he'd be in a consistent cycle of live, die and repeat so the cycle would have to be broken and so he comes to the conclusion that in order to break the hell cycle he must do as his father said and avenge him.mel gibson captures this well with him placing his head against the tomb and him looking up into the light for him the tomb would be his resting spot for his dead body however the light is keeping him awake and in order for it to be to sleep he must shut out the light however the light is the task his dead father assigned to him and the only way to be rid of the lights is to complete the mission -Brodie Turner
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the kenneth brannah version because of the creepy vibe and great cinematography with the knife and mirror. His tone of voice was quite and really added to the creepy mood of it all
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the 1996 version of the scene in Hamlet because he is talking to himself but behind the mirror was his uncle claudius and polonius. He was planning to kill his uncle so its frightening that he basically told his uncle his plan to kill him.
ReplyDelete-Andrew Nelson
On my opinion the best version is David Tannet's Hamlet, his long speech with pauses let you think dipper, also his speech was so clear that even I understand without any subtitles what he was saying. I liked atmoshpere around, black room, long speech, he was looking at the same place for the entire speech, it made him look creepy and at the same time make you watching it. I think I will watch this movie soon.
ReplyDeleteRoman Shepeliev
My favorite performance was Ethan Hawke's. I thought it was an interesting artistic decision to film in a blockbuster. I think it gives it a creepy edge to be filming in a public area while this dark monologue is going on. It reminds of the fact that murderers are all around us and we probably have accidentally talked to one in our day to day life. I liked that the tv was playing violent scene that correlated with Hamlet’s soliloquy.
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