Ophelia - "So Much To Take In..."

As the lover of a "mad man", Ophelia had to be feeling such an impervious pressure when her father died and what the characters have been going through. In the beginning of the play Ophelia seemed very innocent, but now as Hamlet became mad, she had the impression of being mad too. With her father dead and her ex-boyfriend crazy, Ophelia has no one to look after her. She had no one to go to for guidance and now she was confused. I couldn't blame her for going mad since I would probably go more insane if I was in the same situation.
Although, I do feel sorry for her. Ophelia was such an innocent woman until all this drama happened in Denmark. Everyone is breaking down in Denmark so obviously she would be one of the people to break down the most too. It is really sad to see her go crazy though. She doesn't deserve the death of her father and the current situation she's in. With all the madness that has happened, I feel very sorry for Ophelia.
If I was to direct the play, I would go with a somewhat different approach in relevance to a somewhat similar approach to Branaugh's version of Hamlet. At first she would break down in tears because she lost the one person who was still in her family. But, she would soon go crazy with the next level of depression.

"To Be Or Not To Be . . ."

In Olivier's version of Hamlet, there was a variety of descriptions for effects and the overall acting of Olivier. First of all, the setting was on top of Hamlet's Castle probably while on the edge facing the ocean. If he would to fall, it would be a painful death. With the technology they had in the late 1940's, I wouldn't expect much out of the film, but it did impress me. There wasn't much of an overdose of generic special effects and Olivier seemed to play Hamlet really well. He gave the mood of whether he was to decide if he wanted to go on in life or not, which is what Shakespeare meant to write in Hamlet's soliloquy. Also, there was a bit of music, but it was cut off within the first half of the scene. If the music was added throughout the scene, I believe it would've been more of a deep feeling that is expressed throughout the scene. A dagger is used as a prop which is dropped into the ocean. That shows Hamlet is conflicted still whether fighting all this off is worth it still.

Zeffirelli's version is the best by far. The choice of choosing Mel Gibson as Hamlet fits perfectly (disregarding Gibson's troubled past of course). The emotion Mel Gibson portrays throughout the scene is so depressing that I can interpret more of what the soliloquy means with the scene compared to reading. Although, I was quite disappointed that there was no music. A choice of quiet ominous music would of fit perfectly with the setting of the catacombs. In addition, the catacombs were as very good choice for the setting. It fits in with what Shakespeare originally intended the scene to be as Hamlet is depressed and conflicted with so many problems.

In Branagh's version of the scene, I was a little bit confused for a while. It was odd to notice how angry he was while he was facing the mirror. Also, the addition of handling the dagger in such a fashion lead more onto the fact that he's angry rather than depressed. In a way, I can see how Branagh wanted to use a different tone for the scene, but compared to all the other versions with depressing tones, this was the most opposite. But, I felt the very low music wasn't really a good addition for the scene. It didn't affect the mood at all since we were already convinced that Hamlet is angry rather than depressed (which the music portrays as depressed).

In Almereyda's version of Hamlet, the setting is a movie store. Almereyda's approach for a setting was definitely a surprise compared to the other version's choice of setting. But, one thing Almereyda is known for is the fire that is shown on T.V.'s which is displayed in this scene. It shows the resemblance to the depths of hell. Also, the choice of walking down the "Action" isle in the store showed the conflict of Hamlet walking down the path whether to fight back or not. I thought that was a very good addition. But, the music didn't fit well with the setting. Why would you play very depressing music in a movie store?

Overall, the decision of how to portray Hamlet's soliloquy is always different. No version will be the same since every person has a different opinion on it.

The Ghost Scene [Hamlet]

The Zeffirelli version of the ghost scene seems to be the best one in my opinion. Mel Gibson played Hamlet just as I imagined Hamlet would be. At first when he met the ghost, Gibson was terrified, but he was infatuated with anger when he realized that his father was killed by his uncle. The ominous music in the background fit the scene perfectly with King Hamlet's character and it really made the scene one to remember. Since the two characters were on top of a building at night, there was no need for lighting so Zeffirelli was spot on. Also, special effects were not needed so once again the director did an amazing job. In addition, the scenery fit the "dark" tone of King Hamlet's ghost perfectly. I wouldn't say there would be any way to change the scene since Zeffirelli did an amazing job on it.

The Branagh version of the Ghost Scene was not appealing. The director decided to use too much effects which ruined the whole scene. The ghost reminded me of a "demon" figure, yet he is Hamlet's father, not one to be afraid of. His eyes were a key figure in the creepiness added into the scene. But, I noticed King Hamlet's ghost was dressed in black armor compared to the white armor the ghost war in the original version by Shakespeare. It was a good contrast that seemed to be needed with all the dark lighting and horrifying background the forest seemed to play as. Branagh used visual elements such as flash blacks to which he was poisoned by Hamlet's uncle. I thought that gave a better sense to the viewer to what actually happened since the dialogue was hard to comprehend.

The last version was directed by Almereyda. As a modern scene for the ghost scene, the props and background was a good touch. Also, the fire playing on the television added a good sense of doom or despair. Ethan Hawke (Hamlet) seemed to be afraid of the ghost throughout the whole scene which was good, but I didn't like the ghost because I'm stuck on the fact that King Hamlet's ghost is supposed to be dressed in black/white armor. Although, the modern interpretation of an all-black-suit was a very good replacement. No visual elements were added that were an appeal to me, but the music in the background was a good add.

With what I saw in these different versions, I would make the scene to be on top of a castle in which only the ghost and Hamlet could appear, as in Zeffirelli's version. Also, Hamlet would be in fear until the ghost would tell him that his uncle killed his father which would enrage Hamlet into swearing revenge onto him. The most important thing to do in this certain scene is to have the perfect portrayal of the ghost. I thought Zeffirelli did the best, but Branagh exaggerated too much when it came to special effects and lighting. Which would be one thing that I would not succumb to.

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

“The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children, and the children yet unborn.”

Serling has a lot of meaning in this statement and it makes complete sense. Every generation has that group of bad people who have these "thoughts" that another group of people are bad or even they mix and trick people into thinking that it's so. For example, Hitler was a dictator in Germany. He brainwashed his country into thinking that they are the dominant race and everyone else deserved lesser than them. As a result, millions of people died. It was an epidemic, yet there were many other incidents such as the Salem Witch Trials. A group of girls turned their whole community against each other and innocent people suffered the consequences. But I guess that's how our world works. While there's the "Yin", such as the bad, there is the "Yang", such as the good, who have no desire less than to stop the bad. Even so, that's how the world goes 'round. It seems that's what Serling is trying to convey.

Good Night and Good Luck

Murrow was a huge influence on television today. He fought with a weapon, his opinion and he wouldn't stop till what he knew was right, was heard. And to that extent, I agree with what he is trying to say in his speech. TV should be used to report news to the public and show the good and bad to us, and on the other side, just for fun. He would be proud of television today. Murrow would see that everyday news is reported to us so we could see what's happening in the outside world and what's beyond our reach as citizens.

11.16.10

This is a little bit early. but I wanted to post it so I wouldn't have to worry within this week :).

Herrick: He [Hale] goes among them that will hang, sir. And he prays with them . . . (pg.1320)

At the end of Act III, Hale knew this was madness. He's the only person with professional affiliation with God who is on the other side of the conflict . . . The side that isn't accusing without evidence. But it's good though. Worst comes to worst, Danforth will arrest him too. But I'm glad someone came to their senses to notice that Salem is out of control and this entire fiasco needed to end.

10.28.10

Proctor: Pontius Pilate! . . . (pg. 1285)

Proctor makes a reference from the Roman leader who condemned Jesus to be crucified. So in fact, he compares Hale to Pilate. Hale was being irrational against Elizabeth and knew his opinion to take her away even though he had no proof she was a witch. Also, this would be an allusion.