In Branagh’s version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the ‘To be, or not to be’ speech is interpreted differently than other actors’. Branagh’s character, Hamlet, knows he is being watched by Claudius and Polonius. His disclosure about not committing suicide for fear of the afterlife is part of his plan to keep Claudius at bay until he can convince himself that Claudius is the assassin and find a way to get revenge. The set of this scene includes mirrors and mirrored doors but it is difficult to tell them apart. These are used very intriguingly by Branagh.
Kenneth Branagh’s “To be or not to be” speech most effectively displays Hamlet’s deep philosophical ponderings by emphasizing Hamlet’s image and the contemplative nature of his thoughts. In Branagh’s version of the speech, Hamlet stands in front of a mirror, slowly approaching as the camera zooms into his face. This imagery focuses attention on Hamlet himself, emphasizing the reflective nature of his musing through the mirror, which serves as both a visual tool and a symbol. In the scene, Hamlet wears black, bringing attention to him rather that his clothing. When Hamlet unsheaths his bodkin, he points it at the mirror rather than himself, maintaining the idea of the contemplation of suicide, but emphasizing that his thoughts do not exceed
The best portrayal of Hamlet’s “To Be, Or Not To Be” soliloquy is the Kenneth Branagh interpretation of the scene because, in my opinion, Branagh does the best to demonstrate Hamlet’s feelings of madness through his tone and body language. Even though Branagh’s speech is quite slow, and in my opinion too slow, the speed at which he is speaking allows him to place more emphasis on the topics that drive Hamlet insane, such as “Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay…” The slow listings of these flaws Hamlet sees in today’s world places emphasis on each and every one, as well as an emphasis on the total flaws themselves. Branagh also does an excellent job of demonstrating Hamlet’s madness
In Act 2, Scene 2, a theatrical troupe arrives at the castle to perform a speech from Aeneid. Impressed with the player’s performance, Hamlet asks that the player act out a short speech he has written for the next day. Once alone, Hamlet undergoes an introspection that sheds light to his cowardly disposition. The soliloquy is divided into three sections: problem, cause, and resolution. Through his initial self-condemnation for being passive, Hamlet realizes the essence of his internal struggle and devises a plan to take action without having to go against his true nature.
In viewing these multiple performances of Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy, arguably one of Shakespeare’s most famous and well-regarded pieces of work, we are more quickly permitted to think or feel differently towards the exact nature of Hamlet’s ambiguous state of mind, whether feigned or real. These differences, however great or small they may be, affect our own greater understanding of Hamlet’s character arc, in addition to his overall effectiveness as the protagonist. David Tennant gives what many would be all too quick to call the definitive performance of this timeliness monologue, notably characterized by his comparatively quieter manner of speech. Rather than lashing out in overblown bitterness or exaggerated despair, Tennant’s
Hamlet pushing away others causes his descent into madness. As he slowly loses his sanity, the idea of death looks more and more appealing. Shakespeare shows this idea through Hamlet’s soliloquy: “To be, or not to be: that is the question” (Shakespeare, line 57). The fact that Shakespeare used a soliloquy in this scene shows how much Hamlet’s solitude has affected how he views his life. His thoughts of suicide race as he finds himself alone, separating himself from the betrayal in his family.
Hamlet’s “To be or Not to be” soliloquy, played by Kenneth Branagh, is threatening. Branagh’s character seems as though he is speaking to those behind the mirror, as he is addressing the mirror. His desire is for his speech to sound like a threat. To accomplish this tone, Branagh speaks in a slow, effective whisper and uses serious facial expressions throughout the scene. This casts an eerie presence over the audience and depicts Hamlet’s mental state.
When applied correctly, soliloquies successfully allow the reader to experience characters in their most vulnerable state: within their own minds. Hamlet is no exception to this principle, as Shakespeare’s mastery of rhetoric in establishing the main character’s inner conflict provides depth and rawness to his complex character. In this well-known soliloquy, Shakespeare employs logos to acknowledge that death can be both a relief and nightmare due to natural human emotions; accordingly, Hamlet personifies a severe case of teenage depression by simultaneously wishing for an end to suffering yet remaining hesitant to act on his own thoughts due to his fear of the unknown. Throughout this passage, Hamlet attempts to rationalize ending his life over continuing to endure the painful reality of his existence. The parallelism in this particular soliloquy serves several rhetorical purposes, including the development of an implicit contrast between Hamlet’s mental state and the actual organization of his thoughts.
Throughout the Zeffirelli and Branagh adaptations of Hamlet and the actual text itself, a variety of different views can be
In Hamlet's soliloquy in act 1 scene 2 of Hamlet by Shakespeare, the central idea is that life is not fair. This is first shown as the central idea when Hamlet says that he wants to commit suicide, but it is against his religion (lines 129-132). To him, life seems unfair because when he wants to do something, he is not allowed to. The central idea is further shown when Hamlet says that his father loved his mother so much "that he might not [allow] the winds of heaven [to] / visit her face too roughly" (lines 141-142), and his mother "would hand on him as if [an] increase of appetite had grown / by what it fed on" (lines 143-145), and his father dies (lines 148). Soon after, she remarries.
Hamlet’s perspective causes him to stall and make excuses as to why he should wait to kill Claudius such as waiting till Claudius has sin, in order to ensure that he wouldn’t go to heaven. His perspective on life through his soliloquy “to be or not to be” allows us as readers to interpret to the development of Hamlet’s character. It reveals his inner thoughts and adds more quality to the play. In this soliloquy, Hamlet is contemplating suicide, but is haunted by the unknowns of the
Throughout Hamlet, Prince Hamlet is faced against many situations that question his mental stability and ability to make decisions. His indecisiveness comes from the way he reacts to the situations he is put in and the way his mind presents these situations to him. The most important indecisive moments are Hamlet’s suicidal thoughts, his father’s ghost, and his vengeance to Claudius. When Hamlet is told by a ghost that has a resemblance of his father that Claudius had killed him, he vows to take vengeance and revenge his father’s death.
Characters HAMLET- A man questioning his own philosophy, whether he should avenge his father by taking his killers life or take his own. YORICK’S SKULL- the skull of a dead king’s jester, one of excellent jest. Setting On the grounds of a royal castle located in Elsinore, Denmark Lights up to reveal HAMLET in a lonesome courtyard. He is going over his philosophies regarding his father’s death.
Hamlet’s hesitant nature is well presented in the play. For one, Hamlet cannot bring forth the strength to end his own life; his indecision of whether or not to commit suicide plagues him for more than half the play.
It can be argued that Hamlet's choice to wait, coming from "the consciousness of
