Compare the different portrayals of Hamlet's famous "to be or not to be" speech. Which one is better? How do the directors' interpretations of Hamlet's character differ?
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
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In the first video, the director portrays Hamlet as a sad man, Kline cries as he recites the soliloquy. In the second clip, which I feel is the best, shows a distraught, angry Hamlet. I feel that it is the best clip because the director has Hamlet speaking into a mirror. Since Hamlet has a lot of rage throughout the play, I feel that the second clip portrayed that better than the other two. In the final and the oldest clip, Hamlet does not seem very convincing to me. The other two Hamlets had more emotion than the third, and I did not like how the director put him on the top of the castle.
I agree with Nicole that the last Hamlet lacked enough emocion. He was too monotoned, and the setting was off. He lacked conviction or any sense or realization. In the first Hamlet is portrayed as a wary, unsure, knowledgal, but deppressed man. I think this was the better of the three because I feel Hamlets character to be more of sad and weak with inaction than angry at this point in the play. The second Hamlet made for a much better show, but it is not as true to Shakespeares character than number one.
Hillary
In the third video, the actor took on a melancholy and almost bland Hamlet. He didn't have very much expression and didn't do much more than sit on a rock and recite the lines. Overall, it was very boring.
In the second, Halmet was seen as angry and spiteful. The angle of the scene, shot from behind the actor as he looks in the mirror, made it a little more interesting to watch. The actor had more emotion than the first and moved around a little more, but the entire soliloquoy was whispered in nearly the same tone.
In the first video, which I thought was best, Hamlet is distraught and emotional. The actor had many facial expressions doesn't read the lines in a monotonous tone. I liked it because he expressed each line and made it feel more realistic.
I agree with nicole and believe the second clip of Hamlet was the best portrayl. Throughout the scene, the actor (Branaugh?), seems mentally disturbed as he watches himself in the mirror. The Kevin Kline clip was, in my opinion, terrible. It was a bit monotone and boring. The final clip was an interesting interpretation. At first, I thought it was suggesting Hamlet was suicidal. And then he started relaxing on top of the castle, which I found a bit strange. In my opinion, the second clip best demonstrates the emotions and craze that I interpret from the silolquy.
I'd have to agree with Mike and Nicole on this one...while the first clip, with Hamlet crying, is well-acted (his crying is pretty believable), this is not how I interpreted the soliloquy. I believe the second clip conveys that sort of "antic disposition" Hamlet tries to possess. I feel as if he knows Claudius is watching him in this portrayal, and I believe this to be how Shakespeare intended it, as Hamlet seems to know exactly what to say to prove Polonius wrong.
The third clip is rather poorly acted, but the older quality explains that--actors were less believable in earlier films in general...just a matter of style. However, as Nicole said, it doesn't make much sense to place Hamlet atop the castle.
WORD.
Personally, I'm going to have to agree with nicole and mike for this one because i felt that the second video was the best portrayal of hamlet. That video clearly shows the sense of self loathing that hamlet develops as the play progresses, as well as the fact that hamlets former antic disposition is now becoming his personality. His general hatred - for his uncle, his mother, and most of all his own slow acting self - is apparent in that video. I thought that the Kline video was really boring and showed hamlet as more sad and less crazy and the really old version of hamlet was just completely wrong. The setting was weird, and the almost nonchalante (or however you spell it) attitude of the actor didnt really fit the emotional words he was saying.
I have to disagree with everyone here, I liked the third Hamlet the best. I thought the second one way over acted and he seemed more crazy than angry. The first one was just weird because he spoke so slowly (almost like he had practiced that speech)and what was with ocean?? I don't remember that being in the book. I think the first director wanted to portray Hamlet as pensive and undecided about his actions, the second made Hamlet out to be blind with anger. The third director wanted him to be sad and confused, which makes the most sense because he's contemplating suicide, which I think would be something you do when you're sad, if he was talking about killing someone (other than himself) then it would make more sense for him to be angry.
Caroline
I agree with both Nicole and Mike that the second video was the best portrayal of Hamlet. The actor in the third clip, who was on top of the castle, lacked the emotion that the scene needed. The actor in the first clip had the emotion that was needed, but failed to make the scene interesting. I think it would be possible to portray Hamlet in a sad way, but the actor would need to vary his emotion in order to hold the interest of the audience. I think the actor in the second clip was the best because he showed enough emotion and kept the scene interesting to watch.
I slightly disagree with Kristina. I did like how that Hamlet showed more emotion for what he was reciting, however I feel he was a bit over dramatic in his soliloquy.
I completely agree with Mike and other people that the second one was the best. Simply because that is how I pictured Hamlet. Not as sad and crying, but as he states the famous soliloquy, he is disturbed alittle in the mind. The emotions that he feels are bottling up, but to the point of disturbance and anger, not tears.
-valentine
In the clip with Kline, Hamlet seems to be in shock, which depicts the more inactive and passive sides of Hamlet. In the second clip, Hamlet is sharp and calculating, and the director portrays him as dynamic and confident. The last Hamlet (Olivier) is thoughtful and collective, contemplative even while on the subject of death. Out of these three, my favorite one was the second one, because even though the setting was not appropriate for the time period, it was the most convincing one and the most interesting one to watch.
I agree with Kristina about the third Hamlet being very bland. I believe that Hamlet had more emotion during this soliloquy than expressed in the video. Being reclined on a rock made him seem quite composed, which is not usually characteristic of someone distraught with life. Also, often his pauses were out of place; they seemed to be added in just for the dramatic effect instead of for characterization purposes.
I too agree with Nicole, not only did he portray Hamlet closest to the text, but he also enunciated and spoke the best. Also the mirror and self-examination aspect was interesting. I didn't like Kevin Kline's very much, possible because i know who he is. Despite the 2nd being the best, my favorite is the b&w one. I loved the over dramatic speech, the waves crashing, and the camera shots. It felt film noir, or Hitchcock-ian. It was a little lame but i liked it and i thought the tone was off, but it worked.
I think the best one was the second one. I agree with Mike about the Kline clip--I found it to be monotone and I didn't understand where his emotions were coming from (plus, he stood still the ENTIRE TIME!). The third one was a bit fake for me because the setting was sort of fantastical and the performance was lacking in emotional connection. The second one had the interesting angle, like Kristina said, and I believe it captured the correct emotions without being over the top.
I agree with Nicole on the emotions in each clip. However, I liked the first clip better than the second because the actor in the first one showed more movement and facial expressions. The second was good, but I felt he didn't capture all of the emotion that Hamlet felt in the soliloquy.
I believe that the second clip was the most interesting to watch because it was shot at a different angle. This Hamlet also seems to be portrayed as much angrier than the others. This clip was the best to watch, but it was not the best portrayal of Hamlet.
To me, the first video seemed to be a bit overdone and way too dramatic. I agree with Mike that Hamlet sitting on top of the castle was very weird and awkward. I felt like this actor was just reciting the lines. It was very boring and monotoned.
The third video (Kline), portrayed a more Shakespearian Hamlet. I agree with Hillary that this Hamlet was more true to Shakespear than the others. This clip was not as interesting as the others because he did not move around at all. This clip could have used more movement and and a little less emotion. He seemed too depressed and and unsure of himself.
--Kristen
I actually disagree with almost everyone. I feel the third video to be the best because i really felt as if Hamlet was slowly sinking into insanity right before my eyes. Especially the part where he was no longer speaking the words, but just thinking them. He seemed restless and on the brink of losing it. The other two seemed boring I wasn't really convinced of their emotions as I watched.
-Calvin
I disagree with Nicole and everyone who agrees with her! Take that AP English! Just kidding. But seriously, I disagree. Though the third clip (that was the black and white one right?) was not particularly well acted, I thought the brooding, melancholy mood of the scene fit well with the content of the soliloquy. The Kevin Kline (not to be confused with Calvin Klein, the clothing designer)had a similar mood, but the crying was a bit over the top.
In the first video, the director portrays Hamlet as an emotional man. Kline cries while doing the soliloquy, and the scene itself is very intriguing.
In the second clip, the soliloquy is recited with anger. The mirrors in the scene allow the viewer to see Hamlet as he sees himself, which is an interesting choice on the behalf of the director.
The third clip was quite dry and boring. It did not do an adequate job in keeping the attention of the viewer.
I agree with Tim in that the second scene is the best example of the "antic disposition" that Hamlet tries to portray (and probably how Shakespeare intended it). However, in my opinion, the first clip is the best. It was the only one of the three that held my attention (without getting distracted) for the entire soliloquy, making it the best clip for me personally.
I pretty much agree with almost everyone, (Nicole, etc.) I liked the second clip the best because showing the actor speaking into a mirror made it a more interesting perspective. Also, it made sense that Hamlet would be angry and upset while saying his soliloquy. I didn't think the first video was horrible, but it wasn't very original or as interesting as the second video. The third video was extremely boring, and why was Hamlet on top of the castle?
Val
Olivier in the 3rd clip seemed the most sane-- almost too sane. It may have been a little more convincing if he wasn't laying down when he made his soliloquy.
In the second clip, Hamlet is portrayed as more intense, but I did not like his voice and how he whispered the entire time.
Kevin Kline did the best portrayal of Hamlet of the three. His voice is closest to what I'd always imagined Hamlet's voice to sound like, so that made it a bit more convincing. Also, the way Kline spoke gave viewers the sense that Hamlet was in another world, which is appropriate, sinc he is going crazy.
I agree with Kristina that the first clip (with Kline) was the best portrayal of Hamlet. Like Brenden said, the 3rd clip (with Olivier) portrayed Hamlet as too calm, while the 2nd clip, like Kristina said, featured the whispering that does not match the Hamlet that I imagined when I read the soliloquy.
I did not enjoy watching the Kevin Kline one. It was really corny and unbelievable. Like Nicole and several others, I liked the second one the best. It did the best job in capturing the intense anger Hamlet is feeling throughout his soliloquy.
As Sam said, the third clip was slightly amusing but really lame at the same time. I would deffinately stand by my decision of the second clip being the best.
The first movie has more of a depressed, anxious Hamlet, whereas the second has him as a more enraged and almost out of control. The Laurence Olivier Hamlet was the worst because he wasn't angry or sad, he was just kind of boring. It was a lot like what it would look like if some bad actor like me had been the one to play Hamlet in that scene when we reenacted it in class. I like the sad Hamlet better because the actor just seemed to be better at his job. Not that the second actor wasn't good, but the sad one just fekt more real to me. Naturally, the last one was awful.
I agre with Kristina Keating, the third Hamlet was laughably bad while the first was the best. I disagree on the effectiveness of the mirror however, because it felt to me more like a cheesy camera angle than anything else.
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