Did Hamlet Get It Right?

We all know that murder is wrong no matter how you decide to look at it. In Hamlet's defense, although it is wrong, if you were to murder for some reason it is best to make sure that the reason was truly the reason you committed the act and not a false accusation or rumor. In saying this, i believe Hamlet did the right thing by hesitating to kill Claudius. Yes, he had an obligation to his father to defend his honor and to make Claudius reap the consequences for murdering King Hamlet but if in any way what King Hamlet told Hamlet was not the truth Hamlet would have murdered for a false cause. He did the right thing in waiting it out. If Hamlet didn't wait, the outcome of the situation would have given Hamlet many more problems especially beings he was considered to be a psychopath by many people. He would have been persecuted by just about all of Denmark and probably betrayed by all of his companions and family members. Also, he probably would've face capital punishment which is a much less noble and honorable death than the one he died for defending his father's name. Waiting was most definitely the right thing to do.

The Ghost Scene

In class we have been watching various interpretations of Shakespeare’s Hamlet via movie. Each one of the movies interprets the play differently and depicts certain situations in very different ways. The scene we have focused on specifically was that of the scene when Hamlet first speaks with the ghost of his father. We have seen three movie interpretations so far. Emotions, visual effects, mood, and settings were all factors in the differences between the films. The first film was directed by Franco Zeffirelli, the second was directed by Kenneth Branagh and the final film was directed by Michael Almareyda.

The first film by Franco Zeffirelli seems to specifically emphasize and essentially overuse the dramatic theme of the scene.The setting of the scene really affected this dramatic use. The scene was set on a medieval castle. It was a dark and gloomy knight and little lighting gave the scene a dark and shady mood. The ghost was pale with a light ghastly glow radiating from his body. He was also depicted as pail, ill, and aged. After the ghost reveals the true cause of his death, the pain, disbelief, and shock was clearly visible in Hamlet’s reaction. In comparison to the other two films, this one had the gloomiest mood and darkest setting and genre. The castle and dark setting greatly contributed to this along with the portrayal of Hamlet’s father. Everything about this film was very dramatic and really set a tone of eeriness for the play.

In the second film by Kenneth Branagh, was the most interesting and in my opinion the most effective depiction of the scene. This film version was very colorful and very different from the others. In this film, the director, Branagh, set the play in the foggy woods. He adds dramatic effect through the ghost’s voice. It is raspy and as he continues to speak it seems as though he is losing energy, strength, and it sounds as if he doesn’t have the breath to speak anymore. The smoke, fog and cracking ground in the forest they are in also adds dramatic effect. Hamlet’s reaction to the true cause of his father’s death in this play was much more compassionate and confused. He was more shocked than angry and this helped dull the overdramatic tone that the first film failed to do. The thing I found most interesting and the reason I found this film so interesting was its use of flashback. The flashbacks gave a greatly detailed depiction of how Hamlet’s father truly died. In turn, this made the play easier to understand, especially in the death of the ghost. It also made the play much more interesting and kept you looking for more.

In the final film version by Michael Almareyda, the play was turned into a modern day version. It was my least favorite version because to me it seemed to have the least amount of meaning due to the poorly depicted setting. It was set in a modern apartment building and no true eerie setting was depicted to help emphasize the situation as the other two films did. The emotional use and expression was mediocre in this play. Hamlet seems scared out of his mind when he gets the news of how his father truly died. His mouth drops and the way he talks he seems nervous and scared as if something bad is going to happen as he talks. The ghost was poorly depicted as just in a plain business suit. This film poorly expressed how the eeriness of the play should truly be depicted.

A few things I found interesting were all concerning the ghost. In film versions two and three, Branagh and Almareyda, both ghosts had depictions of the situation with the ear which was said to be the cause of death. In Branagh’s film the scene of an ear bleeding was used and in Almareyda’s version the ghost uses a handkerchief throughout the scene to repeatedly dab his ear as if it was bleeding.Another thing I found interesting was that in the actual play it is said that the ghost was wearing armor yet in all three films, only Branagh’s depicted the ghost in armor.

To Be Or Not To Be...Nobody Knows

-Olivier's version of Hamlet's soliloquy was set upon a precipice. This version was the oldest of all the films we watched so it was in black and white which gave it a somewhat dull appearance. This effect gives it an eerie feeling but the poor graphics really bring down that feeling. With the scene set on a high cliff overlooking the ocean, and the speech being about Hamlet's contemplation of suicide, it makes you think about whether Hamlet would possibly end his life by jumping off the cliff. The music in the scene played an important role on the significance of the scene. As the speech got more suspenseful, passionate, and closer to a breaking point, the music got louder and faster. This went very well with what Hamlet was feeling and also went well with the speech itself. Because of the movie's poor effects and its aged features compared to what we have now, the lighting doesn't really have a significant effect on the play. The props did do a better job though. The precipice gave you a feeling of suspense as throughout the speech you wondered whether he would jump off and choose to take his life rather than live. Some literal aspects of the speech portrayed in the play was that as in the speech while Hamlet was just thinking about suicide, it would show the speech as Hamlet just contemplating it in his head but not saying anything.

- In Zeffirelli's version the famous scene is set in a catacomb. It is the darkest and most ominously set scene out of all the film versions we watched. The catacomb is very dark on one end and on the other side it is lit by the light shining in through the entry way. This is significant because in the speech hamlet mentions life and death. The side that is lit by the sun can be seen as life and the positives of life and the dark side can be viewed as the death and suicide that Hamlet is contemplating about. There is no music and i think this is very significant. The lack of music and other surrounding sounds actually emphasizes the speech and the meaning of the speech. There are no distractions and all focus is on Hamlet speaking. Also in this scene Hamlet gets on his knees and folds his hands as if to be praying. In many modern day situations prayer is used in a time of need and almost as a cry of help to get an answer. I think this is significant because Hamlet was searching for answers, both from Claudius and for himself, answers that could determine life or death. Also, Hamlet speaks in a very shaky and almost interrogative manner directed towards himself. When more aggressive and passionate parts of the speech are being told Hamlet begins to raise his voice, anger, and frustration. This shows that he doesn't really know what to do with himself.

- Branaugh's version was very different from all three of the other versions. It wasn't set in such an ominous and gloomy place. It was set in a hall in the castle with Hamlet looking at himself in a large mirror. The room was lit very brightly. He was holding a dagger. The dagger was significant because of the fact that Hamlet was contemplating taking his life. Another thing I found to be very significant and interesting was the mirror. In the speech, Hamlet continuously brings up the topic on whether to keep his life or commit suicide. And in evaluating his decisions he is evaluating his life. The mirror is significant because it is used to evaluate yourself in a physical manner, in which it did to Hamlet, while Hamlet's speech evaluated himself mentally and socially. I find this to be an interesting connection and a great use of the mirror to show one of the many purposes and meanings to the speech. In this version Hamlet speaks in a tone that makes you think he is in deep thought and almost mesmerized by his thoughts and the speech itself. This and the setting of almost a fairytale like room with its bright lights and richly furnished appearance give an effect of deep thought and almost a daydreaming effect to the speech.

- In Almereyda's version the speech is told in a Blockbuster. This scene was interesting to me because of the background props that were used to portray the way Hamlet was feeling. The lighting was like that of any Blockbuster i guess. What i found interesting were the things in the background. First, in the t.v.'s that were in the back there was a scene showed with fired which i thought added an ominous effect because fire and hell are usually related. Also, the movie lanes he walks down are the action category which is very well acquainted with the play. The most interesting thing to me was that in the background there were signs that said "new release." This is significant in my opinion because Hamlet is speaking about the possibility of suicide and freeing himself from the troubles of life. This is his way of a "new release" to end his pain and suffering. That is why the sign is so significant. Also, it portrayed the speech as just thoughts to Hamlet. He never said a word. The music was very dramatic and got louder as the speech got more intense and into more serious and deeply emotional parts.

-I think their are so many versions of the play because the play can be interpreted in an infinite amount of ways. My favorite was the Branaugh version because it had the most interesting effects and features such as flashback and the vast use of colors and props. This caught my attention and kept my interest.

ಹೇಯ್ everyone

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