"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.