Ophelia's Eulogy

Ophelia had a kind and loving soul. She loved those around her deeply and appreciated the presence of others. Before her death, Ophelia could not be recognized as her usual self. Her fathers death led her to a place in which she lost her sanity and stability. The heartbreak she endured weighed heavily on her and drained whatever happiness she had left. Some may argue that Ophelia took her own life. They would also add that she does not deserve a proper Christian burial. Ophelia did not take her own life. Why would such a passionate and innocent girl want to remove herself from a world of such beauty? With her gone, our world has truly lost the sheen and light that it once had with her in it. Ophelia admired beauty all around her, now she contributes to it. She deserves the most proper burial a Christian girl could have.

Many doubters also believe that Gertrude is responsible for Ophelia's passing. Gertrude cared for Ophelia even in her darkest moments. As Ophelia was slipping away from normality, Gertrude was trying to sustain her. Ophelia was trapped in her own thoughts and problems until they drove her mad. Tragedy pushed her off the edge, while agony pulled her deeper and deeper. Ophelia faced many problems no girl as fair as her should have. She passed away by drowning in water, dropping flowers into the stream with care and purpose. Her intentions were not to join the flowers that decorated the stream, but to admire them. Now that Ophelia is gone, we must cherish her as she cherished every petal and stem dropped.

When her name is heard, we shall no longer associate it with misfortune or calamity. We will celebrate her from this day forward. Ophelia shall be remembered as a symbol of perseverance through times of struggle. As charming and as captivating as she was, Ophelia will be recognized in every entrancing aspect of the world. Those who knew Ophelia, do not mourn her death but view it as a break from her torment and anguish.

Hamlets Dilemma

I believe Hamlets hesitation was more towards the purpose of killing Claudius in that moment than killing him at all. In my opinion, Hamlet wasn't questioning if he should take action in killing him, but how he would. He vowed to take revenge for the murder of is father, but during Hamlets monologue he elaborated as to how he wanted it done. Instead of lurking in the shadows, and surprising Claudius, he would want it done dramatically and validated. The reason for Polonious dying is because Hamlet played off of the intensity and drama in the room from his mother. Having Polonious also hiding behind the curtain, sneaking around, made Hamlet think it was his uncle and caused him to take action. I find it hypocritical because Hamlet did exactly what Claudius did to him to Ophelia. Hamlet tried so hard to convince everyone he was crazy, but hurt himself because he is now behaving as if hes really gone insane.
I believe Hamlet was right in waiting. If he killed his uncle secretly, I don't believe people would have believed that Claudius killed his father. Also it would just cause more people to think he was crazy and they would have continued to blame it on his love for Ophelia. Killing him while many key characters are around would give Hamlet the chance to expose his father and prove his sanity while he can.
To me, Hamlets sanity is the most on stake. His questioning to take action or not, is more so directed towards picking the right moment to prove he was the one most sane and most logical the whole time. Picking the wrong moment would result in the disappointment from his father and from himself, having him seen as completely insane, and being seen as a liar.

To Be or Not To Be

Out of all versions, Olivier was the only one to not only play Hamlet, but to also be the director. The black and white effect increased the drama and tension in the scene. The sound and view of the unsettled ocean in the background also set the mood and tone of the scene. The crashing and intensity of the ocean, resembles how agitated and distraught Hamlet is feeling. I found it ironic how soft spoken Hamlet was in an area of such chaos and intensity. With the dagger in hand, Hamlets words, tone and delivery become more dramatic and passionate. The camera zoomed into, and focused on his head. I believe the director did this to emphasize how torn he his with himself. Zooming in specifically on his head proves this because that's where all his thoughts of living or dying are. Hamlet  continuously pulls the dagger towards and away from his body. This shows the dismay and conflict he has with himself. Lastly, his clothing was more feminine than all the other versions.

While Olivier's version was in front of a dramatic ocean, Mel Gibson's was underground in a cemetery chamber.  Though it not being as showy, it symbolically captured the dying aspect that was part of the turmoil on Hamlets mind. Hamlet is introduced in the shadows, staring at the skeletons and tombs. Hamlet leans on the graves and is shown in deep thought, staring into the darkness. His body language shows how his constant troubles are effecting him. When Hamlet speaks about committing suicide or negatively, he retreats into the darkness. On the other hand, while speaking about living, he is caste in the light, out of the shadows. 

Brana's version focuses more on the performance of the actor than the setting. Brana spends close to the whole scene standing in front of and speaking into a two way mirror. Having Hamlet stand in front of the mirror, creates the effect that he is speaking to another him. I believe this is very important,because it represents how Hamlet is in complete conflict with himself. Making it look as though he is speaking to another physical copy of himself, shows how he is internally battling his own thoughts. Just as Olivier's version does, Hamlet pulls out a dagger and waves it to and from his body. Throughout the whole scene Hamlet never breaks eye contact or has a break in his thoughts. 

Ethan Hawke's version takes place in a video store, switching between voice over and him speaking out loud. The director focuses a lot on symbolism. An example of this, is the television in the background, which shows The Crow playing. This movie focuses on revenge, just as Hamlet is plotting for. Also, Hamlet is standing in the action aisle, this represents his contemplation as to whether or not he should take action in committing suicide. 

The Ghost Scene

Version 1 had the most anticipation and suspense. It was created especially by introducing the ghost as a voice in the darkness. As it got more into the story and the suspense continued building the ghost then became visible. The ghost spoke with a lot of despair, suffering and anger. The camera angles were purposely looking straight onto the characters. When the host or Hamlet spoke, they spoke into the camera, creating the illusion that we were the ones they were talking to. In this version, out of all of them, Hamlet was the most angriest and bothered by the news. This version also was the only one to show the uncle and queen, presently, and not in a clip or flashback. I liked how Zeffirelli did that because it conveyed more of Hamlets disgust for the two and added to the drama.

Version 2 had the most special effects out of all versions. In this one there was a lot of fog and cuts to images of fire, thunder, etc. In introducing the ghost Branagh stayed along the lines of keeping the ghost in darkness like the other directors did, by having only its silhouette show. The scene in which Hamlet first sees the ghost, captures how fixated he was on the apparition. Once the ghost did make its full appearance, it was clearly more ghastly and more edited than both versions. It had contacts, makeup, and a unsettling whisper for a voice. If I was the director I wouldn't have tried so hard with all the effects and makeup, it made it look cheap. Just as the first version did, this one used camera angles to make emphasis on perspectives. The camera points up to the ghost, making it look s though it was towering over Hamlet. This showed how much control and power it held over Hamlet. When speaking to his father, Hamlet is presented minuscule by the angle. During their conversation, the use of flashbacks of Hamlets dad being murdered and of the Uncle with the queen were very prominent as well. Music dictated the mood of the scenes when special effects and acting were not being used, sometimes it was used on top of the two things. Lastly, this version did not capture the anger of Hamlet.

Version 3 setting was very different than the last two. It was modernized with Shakespearean lines. The ghost in this version was not dramatic or ghastly looking. It was hard to tell at first that t was even the ghost at all. I thought it was just another character in a suit. Details were a big art of this version. Hamlets apartment was very dirty and unkempt, possibly symbolizing how he has been feeling and dealing with the death of his father. On the television, there was fire and natural catastrophes playing, possibly symbolizing the state of purgatory the fathers in, and how he is feeling by the betrayal of his brother. There was no climax or scene buildup to the ghost appearing at all. Lastly, the ghost was very touchy and desperate to share its tragedy to its son.