Amanda- Ophelia's Eulogy

We are here today to honor our dear friend, Ophelia. Ophelia was such a caring and kind person, who helped anybody in time of crisis. Unfortunately, there was no one to help her through her late struggles. As we all know, Ophelia had gone through a lot just before her passing. Her father had been murdered and her relationship with Hamlet had just ended. Everything had crashed around her and many people believe that she had taken her own life because of this. In my opinion, this should not matter, Ophelia deserves her friends to think about her final accomplishments and happiness rather than how she died or the negativity in her life. She deserves a proper burial where her friends and family could recognize what a great person she was.
Ophelia's passing was a complete surprise, that shocked everyone. Sudden deaths tend to leave people questioning. Gertrude was the only one to witness how Ophelia actually died. It is up to us whether to believe that Gertrude's story is one of truth. Personally, I do not think that Gertrude is telling the whole truth and that actually Ophelia intended to drown. Many people may disagree, but I think that it was very brave of Ophelia to do this. Knowing that it was against her religion to take her own life and that the consequences consisted of an informal burial, she proceeded with her plans. If I was there, I would have defiantly made the effort to save her so she could be with us today. But, one thing I still question, is why didn't Gertrude attempt to save her? Maybe Gertrude recognized that Ophelia wanted to end her life so she did not want to interfere with that. Either way, we should still honor and celebrate our friend, Ophelia.
I am deeply sorry that she had to go through such a hard time. All Ophelia wanted to do was love and be loved by her friends and family. Once this all began to slowly crumble, she had nothing else to love or appreciate. I wish she knew that there were others besides Hamlet and her Father that had appreciated her in bigger and better ways. Hamlet brought her down ad mistreated Ophelia during times where she needed to grieve and be supported. Lastly, I am glad that she gets to see her father again and hopefully got away from all the struggles by moving onto her afterlife.

Hamlet's Dilemma

To be a man of thought or a man of action was constantly being brought up during this scene in Hamlet. Hamlet questioned himself on whether to wait on killing Claudius or to do it right then in that moment. After a long time of contemplating what he should do, Hamlet decided to wait and hold off on killing his uncle. I disagree with Hamlet's decision to wait because I believe that he is creating an even bigger problem by letting the situation and tensions get worse. 

To start off with, Claudius confessed to his sins and asked god for forgiveness of killing his brother. Hamlet heard Claudius do this and immediately began to think that his uncle was "pure" again and had basically regained his entrance back into heaven. If Hamlet continued to believe this and went through with the murder, Hamlet could of easily asked for forgiveness. Also, if he kept this mindset, he would have been forgiven and allowed his entrance back into heaven, just like he believes Claudius did. 

Waiting until Claudius commits another sin was a big mistake on Hamlet's part. Instead of killing him and getting it over with, Hamlet is allowing Claudius to possibly damage something else. Also, Hamlet is going to keep on planning his uncle's death and thinking about the outcome, which could make him seem or even turn him insane. This type of mental pressure could endanger Hamlet and make him do something he will regret without even thinking upon it. In my opinion, Hamlet is getting to caught up with the situation and over thinking things to a point where he is driving himself crazy. Reading up to this point in the play, I have noticed that Hamlet has done a lot of things without thoroughly thinking and I find it very odd that he has not just recklessly made the decision to end his uncle's life so his father could rest in peace.

To Be or Not To be

    In the first version, director Oliver took a very dramatic and intense approach to Hamlet's infamous "To be or Not To Be" speech. The scene started off with Hamlet looking down from a cliff at crashing waves. This contributes to the already gloomy setting because the sky was gray and cloudy. Personally, I enjoyed the choice of setting because it was as if the director wanted to represent what was going on in Hamlet's mind. The violent waves expressed the mixed emotions going on in his mind. When Hamlet began to give the speech, he looked very calm while leaning against a giant rock. He broke his tranquil composure when the speech transitioned into his own thoughts rather than him talking out loud. This showed how his inner thoughts were arguing with the decision of him taking his own life. After this, the scene becomes very chaotic, where the speech stopped for a quick moment and the music got faster and louder. While this was happening, the camera got closer to his face and rose the level of intensity by having the viewer focus on what was about to happen. Hamlet then takes out a dagger, the only prop used in the scene, and points it towards him. This was a wise decision from the director because it represents how Hamlet was really stuck between taking his life or continuing it. This version really focuses on the self conflict that Hamlet is going through by having minimal props and also having no other characters involved.

    The second version was more emotional than the first one. The setting was a lot more dramatic because it took place in a tomb, which really made Hamlet's choices a reality. In this version, being surrounded by the dead definitely helped Hamlet come to a final decision. The quiet and respected setting made Hamlets voice more intense because it was the only thing that a viewer could focus on throughout the darkness. The director wanted this scene to be dramatic and very emotional, he represented this well through the mood and tone. The mood was creepy because it was constantly dark and mysterious. Hamlet spoke with a whisper to add to this mood and to create a stirring tone. While Hamlet was speaking, he knelt against a statue of a dead man which represented what would happen to him if he chose to die. I really liked this version because the director chose an unusual setting that relayed what would happen if Hamlet actually killed himself. 

    In the third version, the scene takes place in a beautifully decorated room. In my opinion, this took away from the intensity of Hamlet's speech. The colors in the background took away from the darkness of what Hamlet was talking about. Hamlet talks to himself through a two way mirror, and did not know that his two friends were on the other side watching and listening to him. I also think that this took away from the speech itself because when I read the original text, I imagined this being a very private and personal conflict that Hamlet was supposed to go through by himself. Like version one, he uses a dagger and points it to his reflection which made one choice a reality. While this was going on, there was calm music in the background playing which took even more away from the intensity of the scene. Overall, the director chose a vibrant setting that did not really match what was really happening in the scene.

    In the modern version, the director chose this scene to take place in a blockbuster, Hamlet walks back and fourth in the action isle. This is very symbolic because it represents his conflict in taking action against himself. In the background, there were tvs that were flickering. I think that this was a representation of Hamlet's confused and twisted thoughts. The director used this method earlier in the ghost scene, when he showed fire on the tv as the ghost walked past it. Also, Hamlet seemed very calm while walking through the isles because towards the end, it shows him at the register buying movies but still thinking of his problems. In my opinion, this version was very distracting and did not really convey the serious issue that Hamlet was going through.

Ghost scene

In version one, director Zeffirelli created a mood filled with suspense, empathy, and mystery. The ghost scene starts off in a very dark and gloomy castle. There is minimal lighting in this scene, which makes it eerie and almost dejecting. When the ghost appeared, Hamlet seemed very afraid and surprised that he was witnessing the spirit of his father. When Hamlet's father started to speak, viewers could tell that he was very passionate and angry with his murder and his wife marrying so quickly after. Although the ghost was very angry, he handled this emotion in a very calm way. Viewers could tell that he meant what he was saying based on how he was looking into the camera. Despite his bothered yet still tranquil father, Hamlet expressed his anger clearly. After receiving harsh news, he was pacing around with a sword as if he was ready to strike at something. This reaction was very important because it proves to viewers that Hamlet cared deeply about his dad. I think that the director was very smart to have the actors react the way they did and also how he only focused on the conversation between the two. He emphasized the importance of this conversation because he didn't add any music, props, or special effects that could distract the true emotion and meaning of the confrontation between them. 

In Branagh's version, the scene starts off with Hamlet and the guards amazed with the site of the father's spirit. Hamlet immediately jumps up and wants to follow it to see what his father wants or has to say. As Hamlet begins to follow his dad's spirit, there are voice overs of Hamlet speaking very quickly, along with intense music getting louder and faster. With all of this happening, the chase between the ghost and Hamlet gets more dramatic with the help of special effects. The director chose to add effects and overpowering music to create anticipation and suspense. I agree with this decision because it definitely brought more attention to the conversation the two were about to have. When Hamlet catches up to his father's ghost, the ghost begins to speak in a very deep, almost demonic voice. This is very different to the calm and collected ghost from the first version. As the conversation between father and son grows, flashbacks of his murder appear to make it clear to viewers of what had happened. This was a good touch to the scene because it shows how important those events are and it helps people have a better understanding. After receiving all the news, Hamlet throws himself on the ground and is very emotional, where in the first version, Hamlet expressed more anger than grief after the ghost leaves.  

In version three, viewers could immediately tell that this is the modernized interpretation of the book. To start off with, the setting took place in an apartment, where the ghost appears on Hamlet's balcony. Unlike any other version, Hamlet invites the ghost inside and does not show any sign of being scared. The conversation between the two is very dramatic because the ghost actually grabs Hamlet and gets close up to express what he has to say. I agree with the directors decision on this because it shows how passionate the ghost is. Also, the director does not use a lot of special effects throughout the scene, this is because he wanted to emphasize the importance of the dialogue between the father and son.