Eulogy for Ophelia

      In all my years alive I have never seen a young lady as beautiful as Ophelia. I have also never seen someone as mad as her. Oh dear, what could have caused you to choose death over life. Was it your father's death or a broken heart or was it both. Di you feel guilty over the death of your father. I hear you believed you are the reason you father is dead. You blamed Hamlet's madness on yourself. How could such a beautiful and fair lady put such a burden on her shoulder. I'll tell you who the real culprits are. They are those men who spoke lies into your ears. The en who spoke of Hamlet's madness and blamed it on you. They asked you for so much and then are surprised to see you beneath the ground. They ask you leave a man you love, they ask you to return his things, and they ask you to spy on him. And you like the obedient girl you are listen. You listened until you finally broke and could do anymore. Those are the men that drove you mad.

      Your father's death was a surprise to us all. Please I beg you do not feel guilty about your father's death. It was not your fault, it was Hamlet's madness. Oh, but you say that Hamlet's madness was your fault therefore you are also to blame for your father's death. The only reason you believe that Hamlet's insanity is your fault is because other men had told you so. you perhaps did not know the real reason for his madness. But I cannot blame you because what other reason could you believe to be true when all you ever heard was how Hamlet's madness could be your fault. However, my dearest Ophelia, I cannot fathom that you would just cut your string so easily. Perhaps you fell from that branch and fought your hardest, but then later gave up. But I find that a little difficult to believe. Your father is dead and you believed Hamlet did not love you, but what about your brother? His father died too and you were going to leave him as well? No that cannot be.

      My dear, I cannot explain how deeply your death has impacted me. Throughout the night ans day I think to myself and check off all the reason that led to your death. But there is one part of your death that I could never figure out. I heard of your death from Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. She came to me and explained your death with excruciating detail. How did she know so much? Its as if she were there next to you as your dress was slowly enveloped in water. If she were there, why did she not save you? How could she not save a mad beauty like yourself. This madness of yours was not caused by Hamlet himself but by everyone around you. My dearest Ophelia, you were simply too much of a good girl who could not deal with the consequences of the actions forced upon you. Actions that if you had a say in them would not have happened.

Hamlet's Dilemma

     Hamlet is once again dealing with death. However, it is not about his death but the death of his uncle. In this scene, as Claudius prayed, hamlet held a sword to his face preparing to kill him. Even though it seemed like Hamlet was ready to kill him, he does not. Instead Hamlet started saying that if he killed Claudius now, Claudius would go to heaven because at that moment he was repenting. Of course Hamlet does not want the murderer of his father to be sent to heaven so his feel back on his plan. I believe that Hamlet did the right thing. If he had killed Claudius at that moment and someone found out then Hamlet would be at fault. People would not justify his revenge because the poor man he killed was praying. I say this because killing someone while they're praying doesn't sound like revenge, it sound more like murder. Hamlet need to kill Claudius in a sinful moment so that people can see Claudius' true nature. Hamlet also needs to do this so that if He were to be found out he could justify his actions.

     I believe that many people could argue with me and say that he should have just done it. There are many more consequences for killing Claudius. How would Hamlet explain the death of his uncle? He can not say that it was because his uncle killed his father because chances are no one would believe him. If I had been Hamlet, I would have done the same thing. If Hamlet had killed him that would mean that Hamlet would have been sent to hell because murdering someone is a sin and Claudius would have been sent to heaven, because in that moment he was praying. I would rather make sure that the man who murdered my father goes to hell, rather than assuring my spot in hell than assuring his or hers in Heaven. This also shows how religious both characters are. All in all, I do believe that Hamlet made the right decision.

To Be or Not To Be Versions

            Hamlet’s soliloquy is possible that most famous scene of Hamlet. It is a scene when hamlet speaks about the hardship every human goes through. I have watched four clips from four different directors who depicted the scene in various different ways.

            The first version I will discuss is Oliver’s version. First of all the scene is set on cliff. This could also be symbolism for suicide because when people think of killing themselves they choose to jump off a cliff, bridge, etc. As hamlet speaks we get glimpses of the turbulent water as waves crash into the cliff. The crashing waves could also be symbolism for the mess he is in and the confusion he is feeling. The director also has extreme close ups of the actor’s forehead, possibly to show that the actor is thinking not speaking. Before he kills himself there a jolt in the music to show how abrupt his decision was. Overall the scene is semi calm, except for the water. At the end of the scene he just walks away which implies that he has still not made a decision.

            Unlike Oliver’s version, Zefferlli’s version, I believe, is much darker. the scene starts off with Hamlet, played by Mel Gibson, walks down to an underground cemetery. he slowly walks around as he speaks. He actually hugs a coffin when he speaks of “falling asleep”. He lies next to a coffin as he speaks of death.  I like that near the end of the scene; he looks up into the light.  When he looks up, I think he is trying to get an answer from heaven. He is looking for the answer as to why humans suffer through life when they could just end it all with a knife.

            I believe the most interesting of all the other ones I watch was the Branagh’s version. In this adaptation, we can see Hamlet speaking at a mirror. I though it was absolutely brilliant that the director thought of having Hamlet speak to a mirror. I say this because essentially he is speaking to himself. He is looking at his reflection as he is reflecting on his decision. He also walks slowly towards the mirror, which builds up the tension. The music also makes this scene very tense. 

            Last but not least in the Almereyda’s version, the modern version. in this version Hamlet is walking through the a Blockbuster store. the interesting part is that he is walking around the action section as he decides whether he should or shouldn’t take action. However, as he strolls around the section, he is completely indecisive of what movie to pick. In the background there is also an action movies playing.  The movie is called The Crow. The movie is about a man taking revenge. This could be foreshadowing the decision that Hamlet will take later in the movie.  Or it could just be representing the turmoil that is running around Hamlet’s head in that moment.

            All in all, all versions had their own way of depicting the scene. I found that the most creative portrayal was Branagh’s version because he is talking to his refection, not to the air like all the other versions. However, each scene had it own unique way of showing Hamlet’s struggle.

Hamlet Ghost Scene

     First of all, I would like to say that I truly enjoyed all the different portrayals of Hamlet. However there were some aspects of each scene that I either enjoyed more or felt that I felt were unnecessary. In all three of the films I saw one emotion that was constant and that was Hamlet reaction as his father's ghost speaks to him. In all three versions Hamlet is relatively surprised. Although these parts in the scene are similar, Hamlets reaction could not be any different. 

     In Zeffirelli's version, Mel Gibson's [Hamlet] reaction to hearing his father's death sends him into a rage. He storm out of the castle and swings his sword like a wild man. He completely blinded by sorrow and rage. We can see this when the camera closes up to Mel Gibson's face. We can also see this by the way hew attacks rocks with his sword. Another major difference in this version is the way Hamlet's father is portrayed. Unlike in the book, the ghost has a sense of despair, which can be concluded by his tone of voice and his overly exaggerated expressions. Out of all three, however this is my favorite because of the strong emotions the actors portray. 

      Unlike Zeffirelli's version, which is filled with more intense emotion, Branagh's version contains less emotion and more of a scary feel. First of all, the setting of this scene was completely different than that of the book's. Their meeting is set in the wood. I did not like that the Father was some scary ghost with a deep voice. Because Hamlet's father was portrayed as this, I lost the empathy I felt for the father, the empathy that I had while watching Zeffirelli's version. However, in this version, unlike the others, as the father spoke of his murder the audience was given a mental image of what is happens. This can help many people completely understand what exactly the characters are talking about. Branagh's version also had the most realistic reaction out of all of the other versions, I believe, Hamlet, played by Kenneth Branagh, drops down to his knees after hearing the news. His sorrow is also emphasized by the music playing in the background. The point is that he did not just go into a completely rage, like Mel Gibson, but instead mourned the death of his dad and then thought of revenge.

      The last version of Hamlet that I saw was Almereyda's. This one is even more distinct than all the other versions, including the play. This scene is set in modern time. Just like the other ones Hamlet, played by Ethan Hawk, is in shock when he meets his father. But in this version, unlike the other ones, Hamlet's father is able to touch Hamlet. When he is describing to Ham let about how Hamlet will feel when he reveals the truth, he grabs Hamlet by his hair and even in the end they both hug each other. I n this one the background is what enhances the emotions felt by the character. Hamlet's room is a mess, indicating the mess he is in. In the TV explosions can be seen which could symbolize the disastrous news that Hamlet, Ethan Hawk will receive.

     All in all, each version of Hamlet has it's own way of expressing the emotions that the characters are feeling. One does it through acting, the other through music, and the other through its props. Each had a very unique portray and each one was just as enjoyable as the other.

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